Introducing the Gospel of Matthew. Part I: The Gospels are Jewish Books

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 5 2013

The Bible is the Christian Church’s sacred text. We read from it at every worship service in almost every Christian tradition. It is apparently a rather popular volume for …

The Need for the Christian to Journey Beyond Scripture, Creed and Church

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 22 2013

Theology is a rational, deeply human, attempt to explain our experience with God. Theology is, therefore, never primary; it is always secondary to experience. Theological explanations can thus never …

On Building a Christianity without Security or Creeds

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 15 2013

One of my readers, Henry Gael Michaels, has shared with me an anonymous story on the meaning of God with which I open this column. It also reveals, I …

Scandal in the Roman Catholic Church: The Charade Goes On!

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 18 2013

The Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney, Australia, is the Most Reverend George Pell. He is a tall, impressive-looking man, whose career in his church has followed the traditional …

A Meditation on the State of America on its 237th Birthday

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 11 2013

The United States celebrated its 237th birthday this past week. It seems, therefore, a fitting time for some moments of national reflection. In today’s column I seek to …

My Mentors, Part 5 – Richard Henry Baker

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 27 2013

He may have had fewer obvious gifts than any person I ever watched in a position of significant power and authority. He was not an impressive personality. One would …

The Birth of Jesus, Conclusions: Part XVI

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 20 2013

Luke concludes his birth story with a series of episodes designed to point to the story of the adult Jesus. First, in Luke’s story, the shepherds depart, while …

The Birth of Jesus, Part XV. The Journey to Bethlehem

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 13 2013

The creators of the birth narratives, Matthew and Luke, used two motifs in interpreting the life of Jesus of Nazareth. First, each was historically aware that Jesus hailed from …

Part II Introducing The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 6 2013

When writing the opening chapter of my soon-to-be released book, The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic, I felt the need to issue a warning to …

Part I: The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on May, 30 2013

The publication date is June 11, 2013. The books will actually be shipped to bookstores across the nation in the last week of May. The rights to publish this in Italian …