The Origins of the New Testament, Part VI: Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 12 2009Have you ever wondered what Paul’s deepest secret was? Surely he had one. If you listen to his words, an agony of spirit is easily recognized, perhaps even a deep strain of self-hatred.
The Origins of the New Testament, Part V: Interpreting the Life of Paul
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 5 2009
The first person to crack the silence and write anything that we still possess about Jesus of Nazareth was the man known as Saul of Tarsus, who later …
The Origins of the New Testament, Part IV: The Oral Period
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 29 2009Where did the story of Jesus reside in that dark tunnel of time where no records exist? That tunnel began with the crucifixion in 30 CE and lasted until Paul …
Honesty and Dishonesty in the Health Care Debate
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 22 2009The debate on reforming health care in the United States seems to be winding toward a final decision. This debate has revealed new depths of irrationality, dishonesty and anger …
A Manifesto! The Time Has Come!
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 15 2009I have made a decision. I will no longer debate the issue of homosexuality in the …
An Evening of Beer and Theology — A Lutheran Experience
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 8 2009The pastor and congregation of Holy Cross Church are self-consciously about the task of reinventing worship and recreating what it means to be the church. “Beer and Theology” on Monday nights throughout the program year in a local pub is only one facet of their corporate life. A series of lectures on “Rethinking Christianity” is another part of their offering to the community.
The Origins of the New Testament, Part III: Placing the New Testament Onto the Grid of History
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 1 2009The books of the New Testament did not drop from heaven, fully written, in the King James Version! Yes, that is a caricature, but it still has a tenacious …
The Origins of the New Testament, Part II: Dating the Jesus of History
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 24 2009In order to understand the New Testament with any real integrity, it must be placed into its historic setting. The events in the life of Jesus of Nazareth did …
The Origins of the New Testament, Part I: Introduction
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 17 2009I launch today a series of columns that will appear regularly over the next twelve to eighteen months. As I always do in this column, this series will augment …
Seeking to Understand the Rhetoric of the Health Reform Debate
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 10 2009I went to my local post office in New Jersey last week only to be confronted by a group of demonstrators who had set up a table filled with …
The Study of Life, Part 6: Rethinking Basic Christian Concepts in the Light of Charles Darwin
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 3 2009As I retraced Charles Darwin’s steps through the Galapagos Islands, I contemplated anew his impact on traditional Christian thinking. I had been working intensively on Darwin for about three …
The Study of Life, Part 5: Galapagos II — My Search for the Meaning of Life as I Walked in Darwin’s Footsteps
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 27 2009In the preparation required to write my new book on eternal life, I soon discovered that this subject raised all of the contemporary theological issues that threaten to destroy …
The Study of Life, Part 4: Tracing the Story of Charles Darwin in the Galapagos Islands
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 20 2009Still pursuing the meaning of life as the necessary prerequisite for raising the question of what might lie beyond life, we left the Amazon Rainforest and made our way …
The Study of Life, Part 3: On Meeting a Shaman in the Amazon Rainforest
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 13 2009In studying for my recent book on life after death I spent considerable time examining the religious history of human beings. Our religious journey has been long and complex. …
The Study of Life, Part 2: Exploring the Drive to Survive in Animate Life and in Self-Conscious Life
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 6 2009As I said in last week’s column, in that wonderful lull in the life of an author that occurs between the time the book goes to press and the …
The Study of Life, Part 1: A Journey Into the Mystery of Life Begins in the Amazon Rain Forest
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 30 2009In that mysterious and wonderful lull that comes in an author’s life between completing the writing and editing of a book and waiting for its publication, my wife and …
The Origins of the Bible, Part XXVIII: The Chronicler — Final Chapter of the Old Testament
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 23 2009The Old Testament, as we Christians organize it, closes in the post-exile period of Jewish history. That would date its final works in the mid to late 300s BCE. …
The Origins of the Bible, Part XXVII: The Liturgical Books of Lamentations and Esther
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 16 2009One of the things that seems to escape the notice of those who believe that the Bible was somehow dictated by God is that the Bible is first and …
The Origins of the Bible, Part XXVI: The Wisdom Literature
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 8 2009Four books of the Old Testament are generally regarded as being the constituent parts of what has been called “Wisdom Literature.” They are Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song …
A Vision of the Rebirth of Christianity Occurring in Sweden
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 2 2009It was the kind of initiative that one might hope to see coming out of Rome, Canterbury, Constantinople or even from one of the multiple centers of Evangelical Protestantism. …
Wales: Where Visions of a Christian Future Are Being Born
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 24 2009The land of Wales is a beautiful, intriguing and mysterious part of the world. Most Americans would be hard put to answer the question as to which four nations …
Among My Souvenirs: A Walk Down Memory Lane
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 17 2009One of the privileges of growing older is the opportunity to return to places and to revisit relationships that were once vital parts of one’s life. That is why ” …
On Losing a Friend of 57 Years
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 11 2009About a year ago a former classmate and friend for many years asked me if I would be willing to speak at his funeral service. This friend, Allan Zacher, …
Masada, the Jewish-Roman War of 66-73, and the Writing of the Gospels
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 4 2009The most impressive memory I have from my last trip to Israel is not of a religious site at all but of a military site, one that played an …
Galilee: The True Origins of the Jesus Story
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 28 2009I spent several days recently in the region of Israel called Galilee. Contrary to what most people might expect I found my time in Galilee to be far more …