Freethought & Rationalism Archive

my dog earl · 10-16-2005, 08:49 AM

I have started to read The Sins of Scripture by John S Spong.....what do christians know/think of this guy? He seems to blow the bible apart and yet still claims to be Christian.

Fr.Andrew · 10-16-2005, 01:20 PM

Spong is a progressive's progressive--a very cerebral fellow.
"True" Christians don't think much of him.

hum · 10-16-2005, 03:18 PM

For evangelicals he is the Devil incarnate....... boy do they hate this guy!

hum

10-16-2005, 05:30 PM

For atheists, though, he seems like basically a good guy. AFAIK, he's trying to make Christianity into a philosophy with some mysticism, in which the love & tolerance & kindness & other non-fundy values are weighed very much higher than dubious miracles.

yalla · 10-17-2005, 04:06 AM

I'm an atheist and also a bit of an admirer of Spong.
I think he is an honest and caring man, he has actively fought within his church for the recognition of gay priests, has an understanding of racism and generally concentrates on Christian ethics much like Christians are supposed to but often don't.
Other books he has written include "Here I Stand" [I think that's the title], another something like "Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism". Recently he has become a fan of Michael Goulder and one of his books explores the ideas of Goulder..ex Christian academic.
I found his autobiography interesting.
Basically he seems like a decent bloke.

Ruhan · 10-17-2005, 04:12 AM

I have read Living in Sin? by Spong and it was one of the first books to make me question my own Christian views so I guess from an Atheistic perspective he is... god?

my dog earl · 10-17-2005, 07:00 PM

I do have to question why he calls himself a Christian when I think he thinks the Jesus story is a myth.

IsItJustMe · 10-17-2005, 07:05 PM

Bishop Spong is pretty awesome. I've got little to argue with his form of Christianity, and his record as a human being is exemplary.

yalla · 10-17-2005, 10:40 PM

my dog earl: "I do have to question why he calls himself a Christian when I think he thinks the Jesus story is a myth."

IIRC
Spong started out as your standard type believer, very much within orthodox Episcopalian practice and only much later in life began to think critically about the alleged historical and miraculous elements of his faith.
Faced with, shall we say "difficulties", he has, IMO, discarded that which he sees as historically untenable but kept a belief in the person and ethical message of his god and JC.
He has, apparently, no difficulty in maintaining the "core" of Christianity, as he sees it, whilst discarding the irrelevant. He says his faith has become stronger.
Recently he has become enamoured of the theories of Goulder but has not wished to take that critical final step of rejecting Christianity in total as Goulder did.

Basically he has not had a "crisis of faith".

Those who are more familiar with his work may wish to question the above.

Fr.Andrew · 10-18-2005, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yalla

my dog earl: "I do have to question why he calls himself a Christian when I think he thinks the Jesus story is a myth."

IIRC
Spong started out as your standard type believer, very much within orthodox Episcopalian practice and only much later in life began to think critically about the alleged historical and miraculous elements of his faith.
Faced with, shall we say "difficulties", he has, IMO, discarded that which he sees as historically untenable but kept a belief in the person and ethical message of his god and JC.
He has, apparently, no difficulty in maintaining the "core" of Christianity, as he sees it, whilst discarding the irrelevant. He says his faith has become stronger.
Recently he has become enamoured of the theories of Goulder but has not wished to take that critical final step of rejecting Christianity in total as Goulder did.

Basically he has not had a "crisis of faith".

Those who are more familiar with his work may wish to question the above.

Right--Spong's no mythicist, himself...but argues that the historical truth of the Bible is not essential to Christianity.
I got to hear a few of his sermons when he was preaching in Richmond VA...in the early 70's I think.
Good man--talks pretty.

10-16-2005, 08:49 AM	#1
my dog earl Regular Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 149	John Shelby Spong I have started to read The Sins of Scripture by John S Spong.....what do christians know/think of this guy? He seems to blow the bible apart and yet still claims to be Christian.

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10-16-2005, 01:20 PM	#2
Fr.Andrew Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Betsy's Bluff, Maine Posts: 540	Spong is a progressive's progressive--a very cerebral fellow. "True" Christians don't think much of him.

10-16-2005, 03:18 PM	#3
hum Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Australia Posts: 53	For evangelicals he is the Devil incarnate....... boy do they hate this guy! hum

10-16-2005, 05:30 PM	#4
cajela Guest Posts: n/a	For atheists, though, he seems like basically a good guy. AFAIK, he's trying to make Christianity into a philosophy with some mysticism, in which the love & tolerance & kindness & other non-fundy values are weighed very much higher than dubious miracles.

10-17-2005, 04:06 AM	#5
yalla Veteran Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: oz Posts: 1,848	I'm an atheist and also a bit of an admirer of Spong. I think he is an honest and caring man, he has actively fought within his church for the recognition of gay priests, has an understanding of racism and generally concentrates on Christian ethics much like Christians are supposed to but often don't. Other books he has written include "Here I Stand" [I think that's the title], another something like "Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism". Recently he has become a fan of Michael Goulder and one of his books explores the ideas of Goulder..ex Christian academic. I found his autobiography interesting. Basically he seems like a decent bloke.

10-17-2005, 04:12 AM	#6
Ruhan Regular Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: London Posts: 176	I have read Living in Sin? by Spong and it was one of the first books to make me question my own Christian views so I guess from an Atheistic perspective he is... god?

10-17-2005, 07:00 PM	#7
my dog earl Regular Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 149	I do have to question why he calls himself a Christian when I think he thinks the Jesus story is a myth.

10-17-2005, 07:05 PM	#8
IsItJustMe Veteran Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Next smoke-filled cellar over from Preno. Posts: 6,562	Bishop Spong is pretty awesome. I've got little to argue with his form of Christianity, and his record as a human being is exemplary.

10-17-2005, 10:40 PM	#9
yalla Veteran Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: oz Posts: 1,848	my dog earl: "I do have to question why he calls himself a Christian when I think he thinks the Jesus story is a myth." IIRC Spong started out as your standard type believer, very much within orthodox Episcopalian practice and only much later in life began to think critically about the alleged historical and miraculous elements of his faith. Faced with, shall we say "difficulties", he has, IMO, discarded that which he sees as historically untenable but kept a belief in the person and ethical message of his god and JC. He has, apparently, no difficulty in maintaining the "core" of Christianity, as he sees it, whilst discarding the irrelevant. He says his faith has become stronger. Recently he has become enamoured of the theories of Goulder but has not wished to take that critical final step of rejecting Christianity in total as Goulder did. Basically he has not had a "crisis of faith". Those who are more familiar with his work may wish to question the above.

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