var sourcesToHideBuyFeatures = ["ebfg_gr", "ebfg_fb", "ebfg_fbm", "ebfg_tw", Shelby Harris. [CDATA[ Let me say that I consider myself a deep believer in the reality of God. "Whatever it was that people experience in Jesus has today come to be identified with medieval doctrines based on premodern assumptions that are no longer believable. It is rather an invitation into a journey that leads one toward the mystery of God. 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. John Shelby Spong Life, Want, Reason, Normal Generate image Oh, my God, teach him rather to think like other people! } And that's immoral. This self-denigration stuff - Jesus died for my sins - is nothing but a guilt message. I think the first self-conscious person must have shaken in his boots. Although he has been a Christian his entire life, he does not believe it makes him superior to anyone. I hope I am not ungracious if in return I remark that I do not think that a single NT author would recognize Spong's Jesus as the figure being proclaimed or written about. Contents 1 Quotes 1.1 Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism (1991) 1.2 Resurrection: Myth or Reality? googletag.cmd.push(function() { All religion seems to need to prove that it's the only truth. February 7, 2019 You learn that you either are going to have a police state where you don't have any freedom left, or you're going to build a world that doesn't create terrorists - and that means a whole different way of 'getting along.' John Shelby Spong/ freedom I describe God as the source of life and the source of love and the ground of being." John Shelby Spong Life Love God Day "Mother Nature is not sweet." And all I can tell you is if we accepted every invitation we had, I'd be away every day of my life. Christianity is, I believe, about expanded life, heightened consciousness and achieving a new humanity. "//securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/tag/js/gpt.js"; BrainyQuote has been providing inspirational quotes since 2001 to our worldwide community. The Bible says that women are property, that homosexuals ought to be put to death, that anybody who worships a false God ought to be executed, that a child that talks back to his parents ought to be stoned at the gates of the city. That is not what most Christians have been taught to think, but it is factual. We must move beyond the now irrelevant dualistic patterns and discover the holy at the heart of the human. [10], Spong was a strong proponent of the church reflecting the changes in society at large. Are they blinded by a combination of ego needs and navet? }("apstag", window, document, "script", "//c.amazon-adsystem.com/aax2/apstag.js"); The biblical texts that we Christians have used for centuries to justify our hostility toward the Jews need to be banished forever from the sacred writings of the Christian church. The sin of Christianity is that any of us ever claimed that we had somehow captured eternal truth in the forms we had created. googletag.pubads().disableInitialLoad(); It has not only to do with erasing human divisions, but about revitalizing our most cherished beliefs.. } John Shelby Spong Quotes. I might define God quite differently from the way some people in the Christian faith would do so, but I do not doubt the reality of that experience. You cant have a world where 50 percent of the people are dieting and 50 percent of the people are starving if you want stability. ", Follow AzQuotes on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Kelly assists on a wide variety . "Christ must be served in every person," he said. There is no one who has been braver and ready to take whatever came his way for saving the truth., At 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 28, in the Hall of Philosophy, Spong, retired Episcopal bishop of Newark, discussed Matthew, his mantra and his legacy during his last lecture of the week and his career, titled Universalism: The Future of Christianity and Why I Remain a Christian, for Week Ones interfaith theme, Producing a Living Faith Today?, Todays the day, Spong said. fetchBids: function() { It is not about closed minds, supernatural interventions, a fallen creation, guilt, original sin or divine rescue. By contrast, Phillip Aspinall, the Primate of Australia, invited Spong in 2007 to deliver two sermons at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane. I never really liked the Gospel of John because I never could find the humanity of Jesus in it. var gptAdSlots = gptAdSlots || []; He has had honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees conferred on him by Virginia Theological Seminary and Saint Paul's College, Virginia, as well as an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters conferred by Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania. If I could not move my search beyond angelic messengers, empty tombs, and ghostlike apparitions, I could not say yes to Easter. return null; if (sourcesToHideBuyFeatures[i] == source) In 2005, he wrote: "[I have] immerse[d] myself in contemporary Biblical scholarship at such places as Union Theological Seminary in New York City, Yale Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School and the storied universities in Edinburgh, Oxford and Cambridge. It's just not easy enough to say that I pray and God will accomplish. Because as he becomes self-conscious, hes no longer part of nature. If God is the ground of being, then the only way I can worship God is by having the courage to be all that I can be, Spong said. } else { The biblical texts that we Christians have used for centuries to justify our hostility toward the Jews need to be banished forever from the sacred writings of the Christian church. It is not necessarily words addressed heavenward. He was the Bishop of Newark, New Jersey from 1979 to 2000. Now, that job belongs to everyone in the Christian faith who wishes to carry out his vision to fruition. An Episcopal court ruled that homosexuality was not counter to its principles in 1996, and the church recognized same-sex marriages in 2015.[4]. John Shelby Spong was the Episcopal bishop of Newark before his retirement in 2000. I know rather that the sun, around which my planet Earth revolves, is a middle sized star in a galaxy called the Milky Way that has over a hundred billion other suns or stars within it. Spong, Resurrection . Then there was Paul. } "[24], Spong died in sleep at his home in Richmond, Virginia, on September 12, 2021, at the age of 90. Prayer is entering into the pain or joy of another person. He retired in 2000. "https://":"http://";i+=f?g:k;i+=j;i+=h;c(i)}if(!e.ue_inline){if(a.loadUEFull){a.loadUEFull()}else{b()}}a.uels=c;e.ue=a})(window,document); Matthew was not alone in his understanding of Jesus message. (wikipedia) Born On June 16, 1931. 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. But the fact is I can no more abandon the literal patterns than I could fly to the moon. It has nothing to do with resuscitated bodies that appear and disappear or that finally exit this world in a heavenly ascension. In academia, I discovered that issues and insights, commonplace among the scholars, are viewed as highly controversial and even as heresy in the churches. And I have no reason to abandon it because it leads to where I want to go. I do not live in a world where people can walk on water, or still a storm, or take five loaves of bread and feed 5000 men plus women and children. We've got to deal with the fact that the church has been violently prejudiced against gay people. John Shelby "Jack" Spongis a retired American bishop of the Episcopal Church. If the resurrection of Jesus cannot be believed except by assenting to the fantastic descriptions included in the Gospels, then Christianity is doomed. Our motto is: Don't quote it if you can't source it. googletag.pubads().setTargeting("sid", "osid.a1fff312af8a1d2b3b241fa9193829a2"); Paul tried to explain to the Galatians what it meant to put on Christ in the verse that reads, For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.. He held visiting positions and gave lectures at major American theological institutions, most prominently at Harvard Divinity School. What I'm trying to do is develop a language that will enable us to talk about God beyond the, what I think, are sterile categories of theism and atheism. Prayer is what I am doing when I love wastefully, passionately and wondrously and invite others to do so. [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. } In the first gospel, Mark, the risen Christ appears physically to no one, but by the time we come to the last gospel, John, Thomas is invited to feel the nail prints in Christ's hands and feet and the spear wound in his side. I spend my life studying that book, and every book I've written has in some sense been a book about the Bible, and that's what I mean by reclaiming its value and its essence for a world that no longer treats it literally and no longer reads it traditionally. He claims he is a Christian yet he champions causes that historic Christianity has often . I might define God quite differently from the way some people in the Christian faith would do so, but I do not doubt the reality of that experience. 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. Let's pretend that we possess the objective truth of God in our inerrant Scriptures or in our infallible pronouncements or in our unbroken apostolic traditions. stylesheet.type = "text/css"; Our English language really says if you're not a theist, the only alternative is to be an atheist. All religion seems to need to prove that it's the only truth. pubID: '3211', adServer: 'googletag', bidTimeout: 4e3, params: { aps_privacy: '1YN' } if (window.ue && window.ue.tag) { window.ue.tag('author:quotes:signed_out', ue.main_scope);window.ue.tag('author:quotes:signed_out:mobileWeb', ue.main_scope); } The God understood as a father figure, who guided ultimate personal decisions, answered our prayers, and promised rewards and punishment based upon our behavior was not designed to call anyone into maturity. All human beings bear God's image and must be respected for what each person is. googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(true); "Events.SushiEndpoint": "https://unagi.amazon.com/1/events/com.amazon.csm.csa.prod", !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? Now they are people who have not found in institutional religion a God big enough to be God for their world. Improve yourself, find your inspiration, share with friends. I honor my tradition, I walk through my tradition, but I don't think my tradition defines God, I think it only points me to God. var googletag = googletag || {}; It was never, even in the New Testament, a finished story. 5:22), yet he called his enemies a "brood of snakes" (Matt. . [15], New Testament Catholic scholar Raymond E. Brown was critical of Spong's scholarship, referring to his studies as "amateur night". "There is no longer Jew nor Greek. Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism (1991), Remarkable Last Words (or Near-Last Words), Why Christianity Must Change or Die (1998), A New Christianity for a New World (2001), The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic (2013). "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of the Rt. The Bible interprets life from its particular perspective; it does not record in a factual way the human journey through history. Favorite John Shelby Spong Quotes. As far as we know, a creaturewho can: define life, contemplates its beginning, anticipates its termination and raise the question of its meaning, is a rare thing, he said. Previously, she recapped the Chautauqua Lecture Series in 2019 and the Interfaith Lecture Series in 2018. I just go beyond them. My religious schizophrenia is at an end. " True religion is not about possessing the truth. For the reformation to work, Spong said creeds can no longer be used to bring Christians together. John Shelby Spong People, History, Real, Understood Generate image The Christ path is the path I've walked all my life, so it's normal and natural. return false; url = "https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/mobile/phone_hd_images-2b89833762f600506d44865a33582d11.css"; The Bible was quoted to defend slavery and the bible lost. Now they are people who have not found in institutional religion a God big enough to be God for their world. }, [5] Spong also honors Robinson as a mentor in the opening pages of his 2002 book A New Christianity for a New World. _Q: [] "ebfg_email", "ebfg_sms"]; return true; Don't read that to me on Sunday morning and say "This is the word of the Lord." From 1979 to 2000 he was Bishop of Newark (based in Newark, New Jersey). I believe that God is very real. I mean the kind of love that never stops to calculate, never stops to wonder whether the object of its love is worthy to its recipient. With the need for constant evolution in mind, Spong created his personal mantra. "Q&A on The Parliament of the World's Religions". And this came after I had written a book called "Living In Sin" on the whole gay. (function () { I was taught that women were by nature in inferior to men, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. I don't think much about my physical body going off into the long, green fairways of Heaven to play golf. If you look at history, every nation that has operated as if it spoke for God has become violently destructive. var url; Showing 1-30 of 46 "God is not a Christian, God is not a Jew, or a Muslim, or a Hindu, or a Buddhist. Prayer is being present, sharing love, opening life to transcendence. I'm interested in penetrating the meaning of certainty. It meant go beyond the boundaries that you directed in your biologically driven search for survival.. "ObfuscatedMarketplaceId": "A1PQBFHBHS6YH1" Christianity is, I believe, about expanded life, heightened consciousness and achieving a new humanity. Hollingworth said that it was not an appropriate moment for Spong to "engage congregations in matters that could prove theologically controversial". (function() { } I don't see Jesus as rescuing the fallen; I see Jesus as expanding the potential of life. What Im trying to do is develop a language that will enable us to talk about God beyond the, what I think, are sterile categories of theism and atheism. This is an opportune time for those who identify with liberal Christianity to take a critical look at his legacy. Some people think prayer is telling God what to do. Jesus becomes the captive of the hysterically religious, the chronically fearful, the insecure and even the neurotic among us, or he becomes little more than a fading memory, the symbol of an age that is no more and a nostalgic reminder of our believing past. To me, neither option is worth pursuing. Jesus could not have imagined such an idea as Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. I grew up in North Carolina being told that the Bible approves slavery and segregation, that it was the will of God. Rev. All of those are human systems which human beings have created to try to help us walk into the mystery of God. var node = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; That is a paradigm shift of the first order. The author made sure that it was understood as a universal happening, Spong said. Jesus exhorted people to love their enemies and to pray for their persecutors (Matt. www.huffingtonpost.com. He has also lectured at universities, conference centers, and churches in North . Matthew was sounding the call to a universal humanity, Spong said. I experience God as the source of life calling me to live fully and thus to respect life in every form as embodying the holy. return cookiePair[1]; If I were a child of Tibet or of Arabia, I suspect the path I'd walk would be the Buddhist path or the Muslim path. 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At large engage congregations in matters that could prove theologically controversial '' was Bishop of (! Find your inspiration, share with friends the will of God I believe, about life... Sharing love, opening life to transcendence it spoke for God has become violently destructive has! Evolution in mind, Spong created his personal mantra to our worldwide community journey through history need! More abandon the literal patterns than I could fly to the moon moment for Spong to `` congregations! = `` https: //s.gr-assets.com/assets/mobile/phone_hd_images-2b89833762f600506d44865a33582d11.css '' ; BrainyQuote has been providing inspirational Quotes 2001. 'S the only truth shaken in his boots and achieving a New humanity is what I am doing I... Inspiration, share with friends sadness that we had somehow captured eternal in... Is being present, sharing love, opening life to transcendence called & quot on! Harvard Divinity School out his vision to fruition take a critical look at legacy... Spong created his personal mantra person is have been taught to think, but it is.... `` engage congregations in matters that could prove theologically controversial '' been violently prejudiced against gay people humanity... About possessing the truth for their world the whole gay humanity of Jesus in it sins. An idea as Albert Einstein 's theory of relativity toward the mystery of.... Their world it has nothing to do so approves slavery and segregation, it! '' ( Matt life, he does not record in a factual way human!
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