An Open Letter to My Readers

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 2 2015

This week, my column takes the form of a letter to my readers. It is an unusual format, but it speaks to the unusual occurrences in our nation this …

A Letter to my Community of Readers

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 24 2014

Dear Friends:

As the calendar in the year 2014 dictates this column should arrive at your email address at about 2:00 o’clock A.M. Eastern Standard Time on December 25th. …

“Fear Not” – The Message of Christmas in a Frightened World

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 18 2014

Christmas will dawn in 2014 in a world gripped by a growing sense of fear. We have recently experienced that pervasive emotion in almost every phase of our life in …

A Political Q and A

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 9 2014

From time to time I receive a letter which requires an answer that is too long for the question and answer format of this column, so I have to …

The Need for the Christian to Journey Beyond Scripture, Creed and Church

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 22 2013

Theology is a rational, deeply human, attempt to explain our experience with God. Theology is, therefore, never primary; it is always secondary to experience. Theological explanations can thus never …

On Parting – Never to Meet Again – An Experience of Timelessness

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 12 2013

There are some moments in life when the transcendent is expressed inside the mundane; where the eternal seems to enter the passage of time. They are moments, usually unexpected, …

On Speaking at the Athenaeum in Madrid

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 20 2012

It was a uniquely Spanish event held in the beautifully ornate Athenaeum in downtown Madrid. It followed the format of a carefully orchestrated, intellectual and cultural pattern. The audience …

An Open Letter to Ross Douthat, New York Times Columnist

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 27 2012

Dear Ross,

A few weeks ago in an op-ed piece of the Sunday New York Times, you began your regular column with these words, “In 1998, John Shelby Spong, …

An Open Letter to a Political Leader Newt Gingrich and to a Religious Leader Pat Robertson

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 29 2011

A note to my readers:  This column ran first in the fall of 2010 or about 15 months ago in this exact form.  It was not regarded as controversial.  The …