Part XLIV Matthew: Judas Iscariot – Myth or Reality? Part I

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 19 2015

Among the best known characters in the New Testament is the one who is sometimes called “The Anti-Christ.” He is always painted in dark colors, as slinking around corners, …

Part XXXI Matthew – Peter: A Symbol – The Wobbling Rock at Caesarea Philippi

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 9 2014

In this episode Jesus asks: “Can one read the signs correctly? Does a clear sunset today anticipate fair weather tomorrow? Do dark clouds announce the presence of a storm? …

Part IX Matthew. Matthew Introduces Joseph – The Earthly Father of Jesus

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 19 2013

Matthew’s opening genealogy of Jesus is now complete with the intriguing idea that the line which produced Jesus of Nazareth, traveled not only through the royal family of the …

The Birth of Jesus, Part II: Paul and the Virgin Birth

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 15 2012

In the writings of Paul, there is not a single reference to a supernatural birth tradition, regarding Jesus of Nazareth.  That is a fact easily established.  Determining what that …

“Think Different–Accept Uncertainty” Part XVII: The Story of the Crucifixion, Part Two

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 20 2012

It is certainly a fact of history that a man named Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by the Romans somewhere around the year 30 CE.  This crucifixion came during the …

“Think Different–Accept Uncertainty” Part XVI: The Story of the Crucifixion, Part One

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 6 2012

Somewhere between a third and forty percent of each of the four gospels in the New Testament is concerned with the last week in the life of Jesus of …

Harrisena Community Church in Lake George New York: A Story Worth Telling

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 15 2011

This church was built in 1866 by John J. Harris to be used as an Episcopal summer chapel serving vacationers in the Lake George, New York area.  In 1869 it was …

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 …

Examining the Meaning of Resurrection, Part VI: Seeing Through a Glass Darkly

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 7 2011

Something happened at the first Easter.  Some insist that it was an event that occurred on a single day.  Others suggest that an experience was identified with that day …