"CacheDetection.RequestID": "TXPX0XF032R2WV9SNJQY", If the resurrection of Jesus cannot be believed except by assenting to the fantastic descriptions included in the Gospels, then Christianity is doomed. Spong was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and educated in public schools there. I find that children have very little trouble understanding non-literal stories. John Shelby Spong God, Thinking, People 57 Copy quote I don't see Jesus as rescuing the fallen; I see Jesus as expanding the potential of life. I describe God as the source of life and the source of love and the ground of being. It is simply a fact of his upbringing, along with a personal desire to continue being a disciple of Jesus. This page was last edited on 13 September 2021, at 21:11. 12:34), "sons of vipers" (Matt. Weekly mailing, September 5, 2007. 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Jamie Landers is entering her third season as a reporter for The Chautauquan Daily, covering all things music-related within the online platform. Spong was born in North Carolina in 1931. Have these people simply not read the text? Improve yourself, find your inspiration, share with friends, There is a mistake in the text of this quote. "[17], Spong's ideas have been criticized by some other theologians, notably in 1998 by Rowan Williams, the Bishop of Monmouth, who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury. Death is ultimately a dimension of life through which we journey into timelessness. The Christian story did not drop from heaven fully written. All religion seems to need to prove that it's the only truth. Spong claimed that his writings evoked both great support and great condemnation from differing segments of the Christian church. googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); If God is a source of love, then the only way I can worship God is by loving, loving wastefully, he said. //= 2; // retina display Prayer is being present, sharing love, opening life to transcendence. I grew up in North Carolina being told that the Bible approves slavery and segregation, that it was the will of God. It is love that loves not because it has been earned. - John Shelby Spong. 12 Vaganova Ballet Famous Sayings, Quotes and Quotation. The creeds were 3rd- and 4th-century love songs that people composed to sing to their understanding of God. For that view of resurrection is not believable, and if that is all there is, then Christianity, which depends upon the truth and authenticity of Jesus' resurrection, also is not believable. It is rather an invitation into a journey that leads one toward the mystery of God. [10], Spong was a strong proponent of the church reflecting the changes in society at large. if(cookiePair[0] === name) { (wikipedia) Born On June 16, 1931. I never really liked the Gospel of John because I never could find the humanity of Jesus in it. It is not about closed minds, supernatural interventions, a fallen creation, guilt, original sin or divine rescue. "Application": "GoodreadsMonolith", "Bishop John Shelby Spong On: The Resurrection" The Christian Faith was born in the experience that we have come to call Easter. "Q&A on The Parliament of the World's Religions". V. Gene Robinson was able to publicly thank the man he said are the shoulders on which (Robinson) stands.. He was a liberal Christian theologian, religion commentator and author. "The older I get, the more deeply I believe but the. [19][20] After Spong's book Jesus for the Non-Religious was published in 2007, Peter Jensen, the Archbishop of Sydney, banned Spong from preaching at any churches in his diocese. So who is God? url = "https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/mobile/phone_hd_images-2b89833762f600506d44865a33582d11.css"; if (a[a9]) return; Learn more. Oh the Christian church has encouraged enormous immaturity among the peoples who are its primary adherence. And so Christians began to define themselves over against the orthodox party of the Jews as a way of surviving against the Roman onslaught. [CDATA[ In a 2013 interview, Spong credited the Anglican bishop John Robinson as his mentor in this journey and said reading Robinson's writings in the 1960s led to a friendship and mentoring relationship with him over many years. Because that's when you get religious wars and persecutions and burning heretics at the stake. Integrity and honesty, not objectivity and certainty, are the highest virtues to which the theological enterprise can aspire. A = p.createElement(s); Sometimes, you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time. googletag.enableServices(); I just go beyond them. " John Shelby Spong 84. If I could not move my search beyond angelic messengers, empty tombs, and ghostlike apparitions, I could not say yes to Easter. [7] Spong was the cousin of the United States Senator from Virginia William B. Spong Jr. John Shelby Spong 26. 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