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 …

Part V Matthew: Isolating This Gospel from All the Others

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 31 2013

Having now introduced you to a different way of reading the gospel of Matthew, and puncturing for you, I hope forever, the assumption that this book along with all …

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 …

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 …

Making Sense of Violence and Terror in Boston

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on April, 25 2013

On Monday, April 15, Patriot’s Day in Boston, Massachusetts, the bomb blasts that occurred near the finish line of the Boston Marathon brought death, mutilation and injury to more than 200 …

The Birth of Jesus, Part X: Matthew Sources and the Hebrew Scriptures

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 21 2013

Reading the Bible with any real comprehension in the 21st century is not an easy task. The gospels are a product of the 1st century, a dramatically different time, …

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, …

My Way into an Interfaith Future

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on June, 28 2012

Last week I introduced you, my readers, to an interfaith “think tank” in which I shared recently at a conference center known as the Chautauqua Institution in Western New …

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 …

Studying Christian Art in Florence Italy

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 17 2011

The Florence Museum, known in Italy as the Musei Firenze, is best known for the massive marble statue of the youthful King David sculpted by Michelangelo.  Housed in the …