The Presidential Campaign and the Book of Judges
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 11 2012A major debate in this year’s presidential election eliciting great emotion and spirited rhetoric relates to “the size and role of the federal government.” A study of American …
“Think Different–Accept Uncertainty” Part XVIII: The Resurrection of Jesus
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 4 2012The literal details are familiar: the third day, the empty tomb, the experience of seeing the risen Christ. These details stand at the heart of the Christian story, forming …
An Open Letter to Ross Douthat, New York Times Columnist
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 27 2012Dear 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, …
“Think Different–Accept Uncertainty” Part XVII: The Story of the Crucifixion, Part Two
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 20 2012It is certainly a fact of history that a man named Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by the Romans somewhere around the year 30 CE. This crucifixion came during the …
The Race is On: The Theological and Human Issues in the 2012 Election
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 13 2012The nominating conventions for both parties are visible now only through the rearview window. The banners have been taken down, the balloons have fallen, the local bars are back …
“Think Different–Accept Uncertainty” Part XVI: The Story of the Crucifixion, Part One
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 6 2012Somewhere between a third and forty percent of each of the four gospels in the New Testament is concerned with the last week in the life of Jesus of …
My Fourth Great Mentor: Edwin Anderson Penick, VI Bishop of North Carolina
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 30 2012All of us are mentored in life by other people. Sometime this mentoring is done by example, sometimes by words. An essential aspect of maturity is to recognize those …
On Climbing Mountains at Age 81
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 23 2012For the past twelve years, my wife Christine and I have vacationed in the mountains of Western North Carolina, an area that once was a vital part of my …
The Pacific School of Religion and Theological Education for Tomorrow’s Christianity
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 16 2012I spent a week recently teaching in the summer session of the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. It was a demanding schedule of four hours a day …
“Think Different–Accept Uncertainty” Part XV: Was Lazarus Raised from the Dead?
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 9 2012Before leaving my brief analysis of the miracle stories of the New Testament, I want to look at what is probably the best known miraculous act attributed to Jesus …
“Think Different—Accept Uncertainty” Part XIV: Analyzing the Miracles Attributed to Jesus
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 2 2012When most people think of the miracles included in the gospels, they usually think of a broad series of apparently supernatural acts. They tend not to be familiar with …
A Salute to the United Church of Christ
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 26 2012Sometimes, as one goes about the normal duties of one’s professional life, a pattern of activity slowly becomes visible until one wonders why this had not been seen before. …
The Penn State Tragedy Highlights the Catholic Church’s Failure
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 19 2012At first the details sounded painfully familiar. It was, the defendants said, a matter of misplaced loyalties, of valuing the reputation of the institution above all other considerations. This …
On Baptizing Hadden
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 12 2012It is a rare treat in the life of a bishop in general and in the life of a retired bishop in particular to participate in a pastoral act …
“Think Different—Accept Uncertainty” Part XIII: Miracles As Signs to Be Interpreted
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 5 2012Today, as a part of the overall series entitled “Think Different–Accept Uncertainty,” I want to begin to press this mini-unit on the miracle stories of the gospels toward …
My Way into an Interfaith Future
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 28 2012Last week I introduced you, my readers, to an interfaith “think tank” in which I shared recently at a conference center known as the Chautauqua Institution in Western New …
Is an Interfaith Future a Possibility in Our World?
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 21 2012Recently I was part of an intensive two-day “think tank” experience on “The Future of Interfaith Cooperation,” which asked the question as to whether the religious violence that marks …
“Think Different—Accept Uncertainty” Part XII: Are the Miracles of Jesus Miracles or Interpretive Signs?
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 14 2012Last week, we began to look at the miracles attributed to Jesus in the gospels. Most of them are familiar stories to those of us raised in the Christian …
“Think Different-Accept Uncertainty” Part XI: Beginning a Probe of the Miracles Attributed to Jesus
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 7 2012Deconstruction is always easier to do than reconstruction, but it is not nearly so important. It is never enough to say who or what Christ is not, but we …
Remembering My Mentors Part III: Janet Robinson, Bible Teacher
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 31 2012Her name was Janet Robinson and I met her shortly after my 12th birthday. She was a member of my church and active as a Sunday school teacher. She …
“Think Different – Accept Uncertainty” Part X: The Christ – He Is Not the Savior of the Fallen
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 24 2012In my studies of the origins of life and its evolution, I have become convinced that the traditional and primitive claim that involves the concept of “original sin” has …
Conflicting Emotion: Pride in the President, Shame at the Response of Many Church Leaders
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 17 2012When the President of the United States, announced his support for gay marriage, the political landscape began to roil and I was filled with two quite opposite sets of …
A Meditation on the Meaning of a Brief Life
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 10 2012They were a very happy young couple. Both the wife and the husband were successful professionally. They had worked hard to achieve this success, postponing much of what young …
The Vatican vs. the Nuns
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 3 2012Perhaps it takes a political campaign to reveal the fault lines in both our nation and in institutional religion. At least that is what appears to be happening in …
“Think Different – Accept Uncertainty” Part IX: What is the Human Reality Our Ancestors Called Original Sin?
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on April, 26 2012What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be alive? Why are we constituted the way we are? What was there and what is there …