A liberal christian theologian, religion commentator and author, he calls for a fundamental rethinking of christian. John shelby spong was the episcopal bishop of newark before his retirement in 2000. As a visiting lecturer at harvard and at universities and churches throughout north america and the englishspeaking world, he is one of the leading spokespersons for an open and engaged christianity. Bishop john shelby spong9am from a tribal god to a universal presence. We found 159 records in 34 states for john shelby in the us. Spong, who unlike jay bakker is a qualified scholar, tells john ankerberg that the bible text condemns homosexuality as sin. Were sorry but spongedownloads doesnt work properly without javascript enabled.
John shelby spong, former episcopal bishop of new jersey and highly controversial author because of his skeptical views about the new testament and traditional christian doctrine has just published a new book on the gospel of john, called the fourth gospel. John shelby spong books list of books by author john. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Author bio john shelby spong, the episcopal bishop of newark before his retirement in 2000, has been a visiting lecturer at harvard and at more than 500 other. Article information, pdf download for understanding death beyond. New york chichester weinheim brisbane singapore toronto. Episcopal bishop of newark new jersey, john shelby spong b. Note that the downloads in the list below are for getting a specific version of forge. I have one further literary task that i hope to complete in my already more than three score and ten years.
Illuminating the figure who stands at the center of all the christian church is, john shelby spong explores jesus under the light of the. Buy john shelby spong ebooks to read online or download in pdf or epub on your pc, tablet or mobile device. From 1979 to 2000, he was the bishop of newark, new jersey. Bishop spong delivers more than 200 public lectures each year to standingroomonly crowds throughout the. This hebrew lord by john shelby spong published by the seabury press, new york, 1974. Bishop john shelby spong boldly approaches those texts that have been used through history to justify the denigration or persecution of others while carrying. Behind the supernatural framework of the first century. The average john shelby is around 51 years of age with around 50% falling in to the age group of 5160. John shelby spong, bestselling author and popular proponent of a modern, scholarly and authentic christianity, argues that this last gospel to be written was misinterpreted by the framers of the fourthcentury creeds to be a literal account of the life of jesus when in fact it is a literary, interpretive retelling of the events in jesus life. John shelby jack spong born june 16, 1931 is a retired bishop of the episcopal church. The liberal churchman writes longhand with a fountain pen on yellow legal pads. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, christianity was in crisisa state of conflict that. A gentile heresy, spong illuminates the gospels as never before and provides a better blueprint for the future than where the churchs leaden and heretical reading of the story of jesus has led usone that allows the faithful to live inside the christian story in the modern world. Funk, john dominic crossan, karen king, lloyd geering, gerd luedemann, thomas sheehan, walter wink isbn 9780944344804 9780944344804 softcover, polebridge press, 2000.
His outrageous ideology has been an embarrassment to many of his anglican kinsmen. John shelby spong, bestselling author and popular proponent of a modern, scholarly and authentic christianity, argues that this last gospel to be written was misinterpreted by the framers of the fourthcentury creeds to be a literal account of the life of jesus when in fact it is a literary, interpretive retelling of the events in jesus life through the medium of fictional characters, from. An important and respected voice for liberal american christianity for the past twenty years, bishop john shelby spong integrates his often controversial stands on the bible, jesus, theism, and morality into an intelligible creed that speaks to todays thinking christian. John shelby spong has 30 books on goodreads with 23847 ratings. John shelby spong some who read spongs comments may come to the mistaken conclusion that the christmas stories are not true. This weeks penpoints focuses upon some of spongs theological aberrations. I have not read the book, but spong has written an interesting article on it that appeared in the huffington. It is the book that is most often used at christian funerals. This book is the story of a struggle that was both personal and theological in which bishop. One of the jobs of a priest is to be present with people in what our prayer book calls trouble, sorrow, need, sickness or any. John shelby spong was born in charlotte, north carolina in 1931. John shelby spong born 1931, american episcopal bishop. Understanding death beyond religion in the thought of john shelby spong.
Pages can include considerable notesin pen or highlighterbut the notes cannot obscure the text. John shelby spong sits at his desk at his new jersey home on sept. Understanding death beyond religion in the thought of john. As a leading spokesperson for an open, scholarly, and progressive christianity, bishop spong has taught at harvard and at the graduate theological union in berkeley, california. Former episcopal bishop of newark john shelby spong says its time to ditch the two principle beliefs of western religion. John shelby spong, a retired bishop of the anglican church, has made a career of being a rogue priest who assaults almost everything that is sacred within the christian religion. John shelby spong is one of the most prolific authors on what has become known as progressive christianity. In a passage both moving and sincere, he writes of his own approaching end and his hope to write another book.
The incarnation, atonement, and trinity are not exactly negotiable doctrines. It is presented with the permission of the author and of the independent, and hosted by the star course as part of the debate on spongs theses. John went to the public schools of charlotte north carolina and in the 1940s during his junior and senior years of school, he took two classes in the bible. Rescuing johns gospel from its creedal captivity john shelby spong, bestselling author and popular proponent of a modern, scholarly, and authentic chris. John shelby spong served the episcopal church as a priest and bishop for fortyfive years. He has gained the reputation of an adamant liberal theologian, despised by many conservatives, who called for a fundamental redefinition of christianity, driving the. The top state of residence is illinois, followed by california.
His admirers acclaim his legacy as a teaching bishop who makes contemporary theology accessible to the ordinary lay personhes considered a champion of an inclusive faith by many. Bishop john shelby spong 052011 39 comments as i read polycarp, it occurred to me that these words certainly travel across the many years and cultural conditions and can still find application today. John shelby spong, whose books have sold more than a million copies, was bishop of the episcopal diocese of newark for 24 years before his retirement in 2001. Books by john shelby spong author of why christianity. The sins of scripture by john shelby spong pdf, ebook read. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. See all books authored by john shelby spong, including rescuing the bible from fundamentalism. In this seminal work, spong works to convey the value of the bible as a pointer to ultimate truth, containing powerful. Nowadays, hes retired and bears the title bishop emeritus of newark.
In this seminal work, spong works to convey the value of the bible as a pointer to ultimate truth, containing powerful allegory, and preserving traditions and beliefs over centuries. John shelby spong is, perhaps, the foremost author on progressive christianity in our time and certainly one of the widest read and most prolific. A preeminent voice for liberal christianity, john shelby spong, 72, was the bishop of the episcopal diocese of newark for 24 years before his retirement in 2000. The reason for this conclusion is our modern mindset that equates truth with factuality, which arose during the scientific and industrial revolution and which is so very prevalent in our technocratic age. Interview of bishop john spong for the independent peter linford interviewed bishop spong for the independent in late july, 1998, this is the first draft of the, article which as published focused on the issue of homosexuality. Jesus for the nonreligious recovering the divine at the heart of the human john shelby spong dedicated to. An aging maverick, episcopal bishop john shelby spong has. In this study i found a lord, a center for my being. Spong proposes to translate the power in jesus of nazareth into the. Consider the following two video clips below from a november 1989 edition of the john ankerberg show. In 1997, after working two years as a civil litigator, he joined texas monthly as a factchecker, then moved into a. Five hundred years after martin luther and his ninetyfive theses ushered in the reformation, bestselling author and controversial bishop and teacher john shelby spong delivers twelve forwardthinking theses to spark a new reformation to reinvigorate christianity and ensure its future. This book is the story of a struggle that was both personal and theological in which bishop spong proposes to translate the power in jesus of nazareth into the categories of our day.
In england, it is an archaic term for a narrow strip of land. This approach to christianity essentially allegorizes the biblical accounts both old and new testaments and distills them to symbolic and universal truths rather than historical or literal events. Living in sin a bishop rethinks human sexuality by john. A bishop rethinks the meaning of scripture, and jesus for the nonreligious, and more on. By popular demandstudy guides to two of bishop john shelby spongs bestselling and controversial works, including questions, reflections, and summaries for group and individual use. Bishop john shelby spong was an episcopalian bishop, serving in the episcopal church from 1979 to 2000. Jesus for the non religious john shelby spong, author. James osborn spong 18391925, founder of spong and co. Is bishop john shelby spong, in his writings, successful. Shop the latest titles by john shelby spong, bishop at alibris including hardcovers, paperbacks, 1st editions, and audiobooks from thousands of sellers worldwide. The first one, he says, is that god is other, a supernatural being who can do for me that which i cannot do for myself, a situation that requires getting and staying on.
Pdf understanding death beyond religion in the thought of john. Writing from his prison cell in nazi germany in 1945 dietrich bonhoeffer, a young german theologian, sketched a vision of what he called religionless chr. Spong is discussing homosexuality with the late christian scholar dr. Spong is a surname in multiple germanicspeaking cultures. Keywords religion, death, aging, meaning, relationship, j. Jesus for the nonreligious invokes the notion that spong is about to explain to the unchurched, the exiled, perhaps even the unbelieving, how jesus presents a crucial and superb model of philosophy, morality, or social justice. By age 12, he was given a king james bible as a christmas present by his mother after his father died. A critical reading of the writings of john shelby spong. John shelby spong, whose books have sold more than a million copies, was bishop of the episcopal diocese of newark for 24 years before his retirement in.
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