if (window.Mobvious === undefined) { John Shelby "Jack" Spongis a retired American bishop of the Episcopal Church. googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; And the way they did it was to say, the Jews killed our hero too. In the way that God brought oneness out of diversity, wholeness out of brokenness and eternity out of time, Spong realized the version of faith he wanted to spread. 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. init: function() { John Shelby Spong (16 June 1931 - 12 September 2021) Introduction. I cannot possibly conceive of my planet Earth as the centre of a three-tiered universe. " I go where I'm invited. "Why We Must Reclaim The Bible From Fundamentalists". I learned early in life that you get places by having the right enemies. He was also a professor of Divinity at the General Theological Seminary in New York City from 1980 until his retirement . }); You learn that you either are going to have a police state where you dont have any freedom left, or youre going to build a world that doesnt create terrorists and that means a whole different way of getting along.. throw new Error("could not load device-specific stylesheet : " + err.message); Because as he becomes self-conscious, he's no longer part of nature. [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. var cookie = cookies[i]; The question must also be raised as to whether we have the actual words of Jesus in any Gospel. 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). There are more than 14 quotes written by John Shelby Spong on our site. 52. // [5] Spong also honors Robinson as a mentor in the opening pages of his 2002 book A New Christianity for a New World. Bishop John Shelby Spong (1931-2021) One of the Episcopal Church's most controversial liberal bishops, whom IRD frequently critiqued, has died. 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. "Bishop John Shelby Spong On: The Resurrection" The Christian Faith was born in the experience that we have come to call Easter. [7] Spong was the cousin of the United States Senator from Virginia William B. Spong Jr. Why dont we understand that? var node = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; 5:44) and never to call others by demeaning or hurtful names (Matt. " John Shelby Spong 83. We've murdered them; we've burned them at the stake; we've run them out of town for something over which they have no control. All of those are human systems which human beings have created to try to help us walk into the mystery of God. Weve got to deal with the fact that the church has been violently prejudiced against gay people. The ultimate meaning of the Bible escapes human limits and calls us to a recognition that every life is holy, every life is loved, and every life is called to be all that that life is capable of being. Praying and living deeply, richly and fully have become for me almost indistinguishab le. 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. John Shelby Spong 27. It is rather an invitation into a journey that leads one toward the mystery of God. Every day we present the best quotes! // Puppies For Sale In Hartford, Ct, Smith Brothers Funeral Home Nashville, Tn Obituaries, Santa Rosa County Death Notices, Articles J