The Origins of the Bible, Part VIII The Priestly Revision of the Jewish Sacred Story (B)

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 18 2008

While the first wave of Jews entered the Babylonian
Exile around the year 596, a second wave came in 586 after a rebellion
was put down by the Babylonians and …

The Origins of the Bible, Part VII: The Final Strand of the Torah, The Priestly Document (A)

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 12 2008

Time after time we discover that it was the external
events of human history that more than anything else shaped the
content of those writings that would someday …

Evolution and Homosexuality: The Twin Terrors of the Christian Church

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 28 2008

Where is it that Christian people today focus their
anger? One has only to look at the content of current ecclesiastical
debates, listen to the rhetoric of church …

Christian Art: Reinforcer of a Dying Literalism

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 21 2008

I did not realize how thoroughly biblical literature
has shaped Western civilization until I took a course offered by The
Teaching Company entitled “Great Artists of the Italian …

The Origins of the Bible, Part VI The Third Document in the Torah

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 14 2008

The name of the Torah’s fifth and final book according
to the Bible is Deuteronomy. That name comes to us from the
combination of two Greek words: “deutero,” …

Jeremiah Wright

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 7 2008

The emergence of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright into the
presidential campaign is, I am sure, an unexpected and probably
unwelcome diversion for the Obama camp. It gets him, …

The Origins of the Bible, Part V The Elohist Document

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on April, 23 2008

Most people do not seem to realize that events in what we call the secular world of history shaped so much of the writing of the biblical story. …

Who Are the People in Pennsylvania Who Will Choose the Democratic Nominee?

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on April, 16 2008

The somewhat blurred eyes of the nation’s political
stargazers are focused at least until April 22 on the State of Pennsylvania.
That is the date on which its citizens …