Learning about Europe’s Economy and Christianity’s Place in it

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 27 2012

Throughout the past few years, and certainly as a factor in the recent American presidential race, the state of the economy has been front and center. An important aspect …

The Birth of Jesus, Part V. Matthew’s Original Story. The Prologue and Tamar, the Incestuous One

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 13 2012

Matthew is the gospel writer (82-85) who first introduced the story of Jesus’ miraculous or virgin birth into the tradition. He did so with the seventeen most boring verses …

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 …

On Baptizing Hadden

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 12 2012

It is a rare treat in the life of a bishop in general and in the life of a retired bishop in particular to participate in a pastoral act …

“Think Different – Accept Uncertainty” Part II

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 26 2012

A recent letter from an Anglican priest in Canada revealed what this priest believes to be the dire straits into which Christianity has fallen in that gentle land to our north. 

Richard Dawkins and His Challenge to Christianity

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 12 2011

Recently, the New York Times ran a major interview with Professor Richard Dawkins of Oxford University under the banner headline of “A Knack for Bashing Orthodoxy.”  This world famous …

Should this Column Deal with Political Issues?

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on February, 24 2011

I value the letters I receive from my readers.  They often offer me new perspectives, bringing to my attention new facts that contribute significantly to my understanding or challenge …

China Revisited, Part III

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 23 2010

There are no Gideon Bibles in the hotel rooms of modern China. There are not even books expressing the beauty of Buddhism, Taoism or the writings of Confucius. There …