5:44) and never to call others by demeaning or hurtful names (Matt. if (sourcesToHideBuyFeatures[i] == source) If I could not move my search beyond angelic messengers, empty tombs, and ghostlike apparitions, I could not say yes to Easter. Theism is dead, I joyfully proclaim, but God is real. This is an opportune time for those who identify with liberal Christianity to take a critical look at his legacy. Rev. Prayer is entering into the pain or joy of another person. At its very core the story of Easter has nothing to do with angelic announcements or empty tombs. I grew up in North Carolina being told that the Bible approves slavery and segregation, that it was the will of God. // //]]>, Eternal Life: A New Vision: Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell, Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy: A Journey into a New Christianity Through the Doorway of Matthew's Gospel, The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic, Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers In Exile, Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World. Prayer is not adult letters written to Santa Claus, and God is not some parent-like figure up in the sky who's going to take care of us. A I don't think you can locate God or define God. var cookies = document.cookie.split('; '); I live on the other side of Copernicus and Galileo; I can no longer conceive of God as sort of above the sky, looking down and keeping record books. // [CDATA[ There are passages in the Gospels that portray Jesus of Nazareth as narrowminded, vindictive, and even hypocritical. session: { id: "242-2972433-4130551" }, return false; JOHN SHELBY SPONG: The first homosexual person that I ordained knowingly was a man named Robert Williams. var ue_t0=window.ue_t0||+new Date(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(true); "ObfuscatedMarketplaceId": "A1PQBFHBHS6YH1" !function(){function n(n,t){var r=i(n);return t&&(r=r("instance",t)),r}var r=[],c=0,i=function(t){return function(){var n=c++;return r.push([t,[].slice.call(arguments,0),n,{time:Date.now()}]),i(n)}};n._s=r,this.csa=n}(); No one can do that, Spong said. })(); He called for a fundamental rethinking of Christian belief away from theism and traditional doctrines. True religion is not about possessing the truth. The way that I see Christianity is that its role is to enhance the life of every person. I think one of the things we've got to look out for is human beings claiming that they know how God operates. So if God is a source of life, then the only way I can appropriately worship God is by living fully.. "Bishop John Shelby Spong On: The Resurrection" The Christian Faith was born in the experience that we have come to call Easter. As I look at the history of religion, I observe that new religious insights always and only emerge from the old traditions as they begin to die. Are they people who no one prayed for? He began by admitting he still has no way of knowing who or what God is. -- John Shelby Spong #Giving "I go where I'm invited. He called for a fundamental rethinking of Christian belief away from theism and traditional doctrines. With the need for constant evolution in mind, Spong created his personal mantra. John Shelby Spong. It opens up all sorts of things that I've never thought about. My experience is my ability to perceive God, but the nature of God is beyond my ability to describe., The same thing is true of Christianitys fundamental doctrine, known as the Incarnation., That doctrine makes Jesus not unlike the comic strip character Clark Kent who turned out to be Superman in the skies, he said. I learned early in life that you get places by having the right enemies. q("f", arguments) I want to say something positively, something about the conclusion that I presently hold and bear witness to why I continue to be a member of this community.. And the Bible is being quoted to deny homosexuals their equal rights, and the Bible will lose. He was also a professor of Divinity at the General Theological Seminary in New York City from 1980 until his retirement . The final address of this week, the final address in Chautauqua, the final addressof my life. Browse top 25 most favorite famous quotes and sayings by John Shelby Spong. stylesheet.href = url; Some people think prayer stops bullets or rockets or land mines. Papal infallibility and biblical inerrancy are the two ecclesiastical versions of this human idolatry. I do not think of God theistically, that is, as a being, supernatural in power, who dwells beyond the limits of my world. He stated that he was a Christian because he believes that Jesus Christ fully expressed the presence of a God of compassion and selfless love and that this is the meaning of the early Christian proclamation, "Jesus is Lord" (Spong, 1994 and Spong, 1991). In a 2013 interview with Religion News Service, Spong spoke about his own spirituality and beliefs, which he said had grown deeper as he aged. John Shelby Spong has long been known as the "nightmare" of the more conservative element of the Anglican Church in America. There is no longer male nor female. He sees himself against nature. 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