Part XVI Matthew – Did Jesus Teach Us to Pray the Lord’s Prayer?

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 6 2014

If it is true, as I have suggested, that Jesus never preached the Sermon on the Mount then we immediately have to face other startling implications. That conclusion would …

An Open Letter to Ross Douthat, New York Times Columnist

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 27 2012

Dear 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 V: The Traditional Religious Definition of Human Life

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 1 2012

In this series we have looked at the changing understanding of God throughout human history. We have tried to separate the God experience of transcendence, wonder and awe from …

Should a Competent Newspaper Publish Uninformed Prejudice?

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 2 2012

An article on homosexuality, which appeared recently on the Op-Ed page of the Star-Tribune of Minneapolis, calls into question the decision on the part of that paper’s editors …

The Monolithic Conservatism of the American Heartland Is Not So Monolithic!

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 5 2012

There are times when one’s perceptions are challenged and one’s stereotypical prejudices are shattered.  This happened to me in recent days when I fulfilled invitations to speak …

China Revisited, Part I

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 9 2010

I first went to China in 1984.  In that year we could only visit Hong Kong and the New Territories.  The Cultural Revolution, led by the “gang of four” and …