Why I Wrote “Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World”
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 27 2011Several years ago, while in England, I was invited to participate on a two-hour television program hosted by Melvin Bragg, now Sir Melvin Bragg, on the UK’s ITV channel. …
My First Mentor: Robert Littlefield Crandall
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 20 2011One of my favorite characters in the New Testament is an obscure man named Andrew. While he is supposed to be one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, there …
Richard Dawkins and His Challenge to Christianity
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 12 2011Recently, the New York Times ran a major interview with Professor Richard Dawkins of Oxford University under the banner headline of “A Knack for Bashing Orthodoxy.” This world famous …
Phyllis’ Garden Revisited (10/14/2011 Update)
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 6 2011A Note from the Publisher:
This article (originally published on 10/6/2011) was updated on 10/14/2011 with information on the current whereabouts of Phyllis Weller. Please read on…
Troy Davis and the Debate over Capital Punishment
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 29 2011Wednesday, September 21, was a consciousness-raising day in the United States. It is always a conscious-raising occasion when a high profile public execution is about to take place. The people …
Walter Cameron Righter 1923-2011: A Great Bishop
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 22 2011He was one of the most courageous men I have ever known. He lived out the stereotypical strength of character that he inherited from his German ancestors. Even though …
Signs Appear That the Toxic Political Atmosphere in America is Beginning to Lift
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 15 2011The president has made his dramatic appeal to a joint session of congress for a jobs bill and the Republican House of Representatives leaders John Boehner and Eric Cantor …
The Gladstone Library – A Final Visit
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 8 2011In the United Kingdom about ten miles from the ancient Roman city of Chester, inside the northern edge of a country called Wales, is located an institution that calls …
Political Gridlock and Presidential Politics
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 1 2011As I watch political gridlock creating recession in the United States, I find myself at a loss for words. It does not help that I have just finished reading …
Meditation on Turning 80 in London
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 25 2011I marked the 80th anniversary of my birth in Green’s Restaurant, Duke Street in London this summer. What I thought was to be a quiet, romantic …
Lecturing in the Church of Scotland
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 18 2011To come to Scotland is to come to that mysterious land of clans with their identifying tartans and clan warfare; to a nation that forced the English to build …
The Lecture Tour of Germany, Part III: Marburg
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 11 2011Our task and the agenda for the third day of our lecture tour of Germany was to go to the city of Marburg where the University of Marburg is …
The Lecture Tour of Germany, Part II: Gottingen
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 4 2011My lecture tour of Germany was joined from the very beginning by a unique Frenchman named Raymond Rakower, who accepted Gerhard Klein’s invitation to come to Germany and …
The Tragedy in Norway and Its Meaning
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 28 2011My heart aches for Norway. I have visited that country where I lectured in a large Lutheran Church in downtown Oslo and admired some of Norway’s most creative clergy. …
Our Political Debate – A National Embarrassment
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 21 2011Either those who now run the legislative wing of our government are irresponsible and frivolous with this nation’s health and well being or there is something I do not …
The Lecture Tour of Germany, Part I: Background and Content
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 14 2011Earlier this summer as part of a European lecture tour, Christine and I went to Germany for three public lectures in three cities and two press interviews. The invitation …
Examining the Meaning of Resurrection, Part VI: Seeing Through a Glass Darkly
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 7 2011Something happened at the first Easter. Some insist that it was an event that occurred on a single day. Others suggest that an experience was identified with that day …
Examining the Meaning of the Resurrection, Part V: The “How” Question — What Was the Context in Which Easter Dawned?
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 30 2011We come now to our fourth and final question in search of the meaning of Easter. Then with clues, hopefully well established, I will seek to draw some conclusions …
Examining the Meaning of the Resurrection, Part IV: What is the Meaning of Three Days?
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 23 2011First, we asked who stood at the center of the Easter experience and Peter emerged from our study as the one in whom the meaning of resurrection …
Examining the Meaning of the Resurrection, Part III: Where Were the Disciples When They Saw?
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 16 2011When people have a life-changing experience, they tend to freeze in their minds forever where they were and even what they were doing when the …
Thoughts on the Future of Christianity After a Conversation with the Founder of the Alban Institute
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 9 2011Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to have lunch with the Rev. Dr. Loren B. Mead, known to many of you as the creator of the Alban Institute. …
Examining the Meaning of the Resurrection, Part II: Who Stood in the Center of the Easter Breakthrough?
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 1 2011We begin our probe into the meaning of the Easter moment by asking who it was who stood in the center of the Easter experience. People do not always …
Examining the Meaning of the Resurrection, Part I: Setting the Stage
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 25 2011Through this column during the weeks before Good Friday, I did a series on the story of the cross and its meaning, seeking to call you, my readers, into …
New Dean for the Seminary at Drew University: A Rising Star in Theological Education
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 18 2011One of the most enriching elements of my life today is the relationship I have with Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Located about five miles from my home, …
Nebraska: Bright Lights in America’s Heartland
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 11 2011Mutual of Omaha. Warren Buffet and Nebraska Football! These are the best known icons of the Cornhusker State of Nebraska. In my mind there will always be one more. …