What Do Christian Symbols Mean in a Land Where Christianity is No Longer Practiced?

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 1 2011

Italy is a Roman Catholic country!  That was stated time after time as we journeyed through Florence, Tuscany and the Cinque Terre.  The signs of this faith tradition were …

Why I Wrote “Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World”

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 27 2011

Several 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. …

Meditation on Turning 80 in London

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 25 2011

I 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 2011

To 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 …

Examining the Story of the Cross, Part VI: The Enigma Called Judas

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on April, 14 2011

The anti-hero of the Christian story in general and of the crucifixion story in particular is one who is known as Judas Iscariot. Scorn and ridicule have been heaped …

Examining the Meaning of the Cross, Part IV: The Symbols of the Hebrew Scriptures in the Crucifixion

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 24 2011

The first narrative account of Jesus’ crucifixion in the Bible is found in the gospel of Mark written some 40-43 years, or approximately two generations, after the events it …

Examining the Story of the Cross, Part III: There Never Were “Seven Last Words” From the Cross

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 17 2011

One of the most dramatic services of Holy Week for me has always been the Good Friday “Three Hour Service.”  It was designed to enable Christian worshipers in some …