Part XLII Matthew – Identifying the Sources of the Passion Narrative

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 26 2015

If we can demonstrate that Jesus never spoke the words, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” from the cross, but that rather the earliest gospel writers, …

Part XLI Matthew – Entering the Passion Narratives

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 19 2015

We looked last week at the passion narratives in the New Testament. We noted the additions, the deletions and the contradictions found in these central stories of our faith …

Part XL Matthew – The Passion Narrative Begins

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 12 2015

It is a familiar story. It has been burned into the collective consciousness of the Christian world over the centuries. Many of its elements have long since left their …

Part XXXIX Matthew – The Apocalypse and the End of the World

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 5 2015

In Matthew’s narrative, the Jewish year came to an end with the month of Adar. The Passover would be the first celebration of the New Year which began …

Marcus J. Borg 1942-2015

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 29 2015

He was one of the giants in the Christian faith during the last 25 years, widely read, widely known and widely respected. He was a quiet man, humble and unassuming, …

Part XXXVIII Matthew – The First Confirmation Class

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 22 2015

Most people are not aware that Judaism, at the time of Jesus, had become a missionary, conversion-oriented religion. People all over the Roman Empire were finding their way into …

A Letter to my Community of Readers

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 24 2014

Dear Friends:

As the calendar in the year 2014 dictates this column should arrive at your email address at about 2:00 o’clock A.M. Eastern Standard Time on December 25th. …

The School of Theology at Drew University Installs Javier Viera as its New Dean

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 20 2014

From time to time, I have an experience inside organized Christianity that is filled with such excitement that it creates in me the hope that there might be a …

Part XXXII Matthew – Dedication and Transfiguration, Part I

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 23 2014

Matthew, having provided Jesus stories for the Sabbaths between Sukkoth and the final major Jewish festival of the liturgical year, is now ready to relate Jesus to this last …

The Emerging Church in Northern Michigan

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 16 2014

Marquette, Michigan, sits on Lake Superior about 300 miles south and slightly east of Thunder Bay, Canada. While we were there, Christine and I were made honorary “Yoopers,” a name …