The Jesus Seminar and the Future of Scholarship in ChristianChurches
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 26 2008Recently a meeting of the Jesus Seminar was convened in Santa
Rosa, California. It attracted about 500 people including
fellows, associates and visitors, who came from 42 states of this
…
The Origins of the Bible, Part II Biblical Contradictions, Discredited Attitudes and Horror Stories
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 19 2008The aura of holiness, the defense shield that endows the Bible with an unchallengeable authority, can exist only so long as people do not bother to read its …
Sexism! Still a Force in American Politics
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 12 2008The quest for the Democratic nomination continues
to ebb and flow as the two rivals struggle to gain an edge.
Senator Clinton was presumed to be the front …
The Origins of the Bible, Part 1: Examining the AuraCreated Around the Bible
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 5 2008Publisher’s Note: Last summer John Shelby Spong began a
series of lectures at the Highlands Institute for American
Religious and Philosophical Thought in Highlands, North …
Holy Cross Lutheran Church: A Jewel in the Frozen North
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 27 2008The wind chill factor was minus 25 degrees. Snow showers fell regularly on the already icy white countryside. It was not the time one would normally visit Newmarket, Ontario, …
Pope Benedict XVI and Captain Robert Fitzroy of The Beagle
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 21 2008On February 26, 2008, my latest book, Jesus for the
Non-Religious, will be released by my publisher, Harper
Collins, in a paperback version. Since its original publication
on …
Pope Benedict XVI and Captain Robert Fitzroy of The Beagle
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 21 2008I want to return this week to the book Jesus of
Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict
XVI. I do this because I was …
Teaching at Drew Theological Seminary in 2008
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 7 2008I have just completed teaching a course at the
Theological School of Drew University. The creative faculty at
this respected institution has developed special opportunities in
the month …
Heresy on the BBC
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 30 2008Recently I had the privilege of doing an
interview with BBC World Service from its studio in New York
City. The program was entitled “Free to Speak” and …
Governor Huckabee: A Second Generation Evangelical Politician
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 23 2008In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson managed to get through the Congress of the United States a national Voting Rights Act. It was not an easy task since Johnson had …
Reflections on our Final Days in South Africa
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 16 2008On our last few days in South Africa, we tasted the
land in several ways. With Professor Izak Spangenberg as our
guide, we went on a four day, …
Iowa’s Vote – National and International Scandals
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 9 2008In the Iowa caucuses last Thursday a mighty tide
of frustration was released in both of America’s political
parties. Establishment candidates, well financed, were overturned
by newcomers. Political …
South Africa’s “New Reformation Network”
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 2 2008It is a relatively new organization. They call it
“The New Reformation Network.” Its primary leaders are three
Afrikaans professors. Two of them, Dr. Izak Spangenberg,
Professor of …
My Return to South Africa
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 26 2007For years I have yearned to return to South Africa. I have not
been there since 1976 when apartheid was still fully enforced.
Nelson Mandela was in jail on …
Christpower
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 19 2007Dear Friends,
On December 24th, 1974 I delivered in my Church in Richmond, Virginia, a sermon, which sought to put the Christmas story into a modern context through …
Submission to the Church of England’s Listening Exercise on Human Sexuality
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 12 2007Dear Friends,
From time to time a report comes across my desk
that is so important that I want to share it with my readers.
That …
A Voice Within the Catholic Hierarchy Finally Speaks Out
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 5 2007“The Pope has too much power. The Pope is finally answerable
to the Church.”“The Catholic Church has a problem with credibility.”
“The Church’s teaching on …
An Anglican Priest and an Anglican Church in New Zealand: Sources of a New Hope
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 28 2007It was a very different kind of liturgy. The opening hymn
was by New Zealand hymn writer Shirley Murray, exhorting the
community of Christ to cry out for …
A Conversation on Death in New Zealand
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 21 2007“There were two ways that people seemed to relate to the
death of my wife. Those who perceive death as the opposite of
life tended to look at …
Lecturing in Central Otago, New Zealand
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 14 2007Most of my readers will not have heard of Central Otago. Otago
is the name of a Southern Province in New Zealand stretching
roughly from Dunedin on the …
The Five Fundamentals: A Conclusion
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 7 2007If the “Five Fundamentals” articulated by traditional
Christians in the early years of the 20th century represent the
essence of Christianity then the time has come to acknowledge
…
The Fifth Fundamental The Second Coming
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 31 2007The last of the Five Fundamentals claimed by American
Protestant Traditionalists as the irreducible essence of
Christianity has to do with the second coming of Jesus. To
modern …
The Fourth Fundamental: Miracles and the Resurrection, Part V
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 24 2007Something clearly happened to the band of Jesus’
disciples at some point following his crucifixion that was
profound, life changing and deeply real. We have no written
records …
The Fourth Fundamental:The Historicity and meaning of the Resurrection Experience, Part VI
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 24 2007Something clearly happened to the band of Jesus’
disciples at some point following his crucifixion that was
profound, life changing and deeply real. We have no written
records …
The Fourth Fundamental: Miracles and the Resurrection, Part V
Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 10 2007Did Jesus literally and physically walk out of
his grave, restored to life, on the third day following his
crucifixion? Those who drafted the Five Fundamentals thought so
…