Part XI Matthew: Proof Texting the Birth Narratives

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 16 2014

Matthew never allows us to forget that he is a learned scribe in charge of a synagogue made up of Jewish people who are the followers of Jesus. He …

Part VIII Matthew: What is the Meaning of the Virgin Birth?

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 21 2013

It is difficult for most Christians to imagine that the story of Jesus’ virgin birth was a late developing tradition in the Christian faith, yet it appears to have …

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 …

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 …

The Birth of Jesus, Part IX. Was There Scandal at the Manger?

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 14 2013

The prologue to Mathew’s gospel, which also serves to introduce the story of Jesus’ miraculous birth, is now complete. Matthew writing as he does to the members of a …

The Birth of Jesus, Part VII. The Role of Ruth: The Seductress

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 10 2013

The third woman mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus is also unique in a number of ways. Her name is Ruth and she, like Rahab, is a foreigner. …

The Birth of Jesus, Part III. The Testimony of Mark, the Earliest Gospel

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 29 2012

The first gospel to be written, the one we call Mark, was composed in the early years of the 8th decade (70-72). It contains no story of and no …

Christpower

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 22 2011

A Note to my Readers:

Many years ago, in 1974 to be specific, for the sermon at the Christmas Eve Midnight service at St. Paul’s …

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 …

Joseph – An Essential Character in Matthew’s Vision of Jesus

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 5 2011

Christmas has faded from our memory.  The trees are down, the tinsel and the chaos of the day have been cleared away.  The crèche scenes have been stored …