Part XIX Matthew – Did Jesus Really Do Miracles?

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on April, 17 2014

Most people, who are related at least tangentially to the Christian faith, assume that Jesus was a miracle worker. By this they mean that he possessed the ability to …

Part XVIII Matthew – Matthew’s Flashback to John the Baptist

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on April, 3 2014

We suggested last week that Mark, the author of the first gospel to be written, introduced his story of Jesus with a narrative appropriate to the Jewish New Year …

Part XVI Matthew – Did Jesus Teach Us to Pray the Lord’s Prayer?

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 6 2014

If it is true, as I have suggested, that Jesus never preached the Sermon on the Mount then we immediately have to face other startling implications. That conclusion would …

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 …

My Great Mentors – Number Seven: Clifford L. Stanley

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 10 2013

He was my Professor of Theology, teaching me for two of the three years I was in Seminary. For me he was the major voice on that 1950 …

Part III Matthew: The Shadow of Moses Continues

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 26 2013

Using the gospel of Matthew as our guide we have begun the task of opening the background necessary to grasp, as members of the current generation of Christians, the …

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 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 …

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