Did the Crucifixion Take Place at the Time of Passover?
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 28 2013Mark, the earliest gospel to be written (ca. 72 CE) locates the crucifixion of Jesus in the season of Passover, suggesting that the “Last Supper” was a Passover meal. Matthew, …
A Pope is Chosen – Hopes Rise for Change
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 21 2013His name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, but the world will know him as Pope Francis I. He was a surprise selection by the Conclave of Cardinals voting in the …
A New Plan for Good Friday
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 14 2013Reclaiming Good Friday as a major focus of both Lent and the Christian story will be at the center of my life this year, when I spend that day …
A Look at Benedict XVI’s Book on the Infancy Narratives of Jesus
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 7 2013A few months before the startling announcement of his resignation, Pope Benedict XVI published a book on the birth narratives of Jesus …
The Pope Resigns: A New Opportunity for the Christian World is Born
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 28 2013The world in general and members of the Roman Catholic Church in particular were shocked at the recent announcement that Pope Benedict XVI was resigning the papal office at …
The Birth of Jesus, Part X: Matthew Sources and the Hebrew Scriptures
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 21 2013Reading the Bible with any real comprehension in the 21st century is not an easy task. The gospels are a product of the 1st century, a dramatically different time, …
The Birth of Jesus, Part IX. Was There Scandal at the Manger?
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 14 2013The prologue to Mathew’s gospel, which also serves to introduce the story of Jesus’ miraculous birth, is now complete. Matthew writing as he does to the members of a …
Gun Control, Immigration and Senator Hagel: The Manifestations of Cultural Paranoia in our Current Political Debate
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 7 2013There are times when listening to the political debate in this country that I am absolutely astonished. Many of the participants in the current struggles regarding the proposed limitation …
Malcolm Warnock 1905-2012
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 31 2013He was a remarkable man, a superior lawyer and one who worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II. He had many, many friends and I was privileged …
Inauguration Day 2013
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 24 2013Inauguration day in America is a time of transition, the proper moment to articulate the hopes and dreams of the future. These things are more vivid if the one …
The Birth of Jesus, Part VIII. The Fourth Woman in Matthew’s genealogy: The Wife of Uriah
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 17 2013The fourth and final woman included in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus with which he opens his gospel and simultaneously introduces into the Christian tradition the story of the …
The Birth of Jesus, Part VII. The Role of Ruth: The Seductress
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 10 2013The third woman mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus is also unique in a number of ways. Her name is Ruth and she, like Rahab, is a foreigner. …
The Birth of Jesus, Part VI. Rahab the Prostitute: The Second Woman in Matthew’s Genealogy
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 3 2013The second woman mentioned in the genealogy of Matthew comes out of a story told in the book of Joshua. One can read the details in chapters two and …
Learning about Europe’s Economy and Christianity’s Place in it
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 27 2012Throughout the past few years, and certainly as a factor in the recent American presidential race, the state of the economy has been front and center. An important aspect …
On Speaking at the Athenaeum in Madrid
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 20 2012It 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 …
The Birth of Jesus, Part V. Matthew’s Original Story. The Prologue and Tamar, the Incestuous One
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 13 2012Matthew is the gospel writer (82-85) who first introduced the story of Jesus’ miraculous or virgin birth into the tradition. He did so with the seventeen most boring verses …
The Birth of Jesus, Part IV. The Two Versions of the Birth Story
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 6 2012The familiar stories of Jesus’ miraculous birth entered the Christian tradition in two different forms, separated by perhaps a decade. The original narrative was written by a man we …
The Birth of Jesus, Part IV. The Two Versions of the Birth Story
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 5 2012The familiar stories of Jesus’ miraculous birth entered the Christian tradition in two different forms, separated by perhaps a decade. The original narrative was written by a man we …
The Birth of Jesus, Part III. The Testimony of Mark, the Earliest Gospel
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 29 2012The first gospel to be written, the one we call Mark, was composed in the early years of the 8th decade (70-72). It contains no story of and no …
The Boil Has Been Lanced. A New Consciousness Has Arrived
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 22 2012The votes have been cast, counted and the results have been made known. Radio and television stations are no longer relentlessly broadcasting anti-Obama and anti-Romney ads. The emotions of …
The Birth of Jesus, Part II: Paul and the Virgin Birth
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 15 2012In the writings of Paul, there is not a single reference to a supernatural birth tradition, regarding Jesus of Nazareth. That is a fact easily established. Determining what that …
The Birth of Jesus, Part I: Introduction
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 8 2012Most of the portraits of the mother of Jesus that hang in the great museums of the world are dependent first on the biblical stories of Jesus’ birth and …
A Nun Becomes a Methodist Pastor and Lights up the Big Sky of Montana
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 1 2012Try to imagine, if you can, a woman who was a Roman Catholic nun for 18 years, working during those years on a Native American reservation and later taking the …
You Are Profoundly Wrong! A Response to the Archbishop of Newark and Other Catholic Leaders
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 25 2012The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Newark, the Most Reverend John J. Myers, has recently issued “A Pastoral Teaching on the Definition, Purpose and Sanctity of Marriage.” In this document, …
“Think Different–Accept Uncertainty” Part XIX: The Dawning of Resurrection
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 18 2012Behind the narratives of Easter contained in the gospel tradition was an experience that was undeniable, powerful and true to the followers of Jesus. That experience exploded upon them …