It grew and developed year by year over a period of forty-two to seventy years. It is not necessarily words addressed heavenward. Then there was Paul. shortquotes.blog 1,000,000++ Short Quotes Improve yourself, find your inspiration, share with friends. He received his Master of Divinity degree from the Virginia Theological Seminary in 1955. }; John Shelby Spong is an American retired bishop of the Episcopal Church. !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? I don't see Jesus as rescuing the fallen; I see Jesus as expanding the potential of life. John Shelby Spong 26. The former Episcopal Bishop of Newark (N.J.) has been writing for years for those he calls "believers in exile," people who feel like modern versions of Christianity demand blind faith and require adherents to check their brains at the door. We must move beyond the now irrelevant dualistic patterns and discover the holy at the heart of the human. But I'm not fighting as the man he knew today, as a Gold. So who is God? And all I can tell you is if we accepted every invitation we had, I'd be away every day of my life." -- John Shelby Spong #Accepted #Invitations "When I grew up in the South, I was taught that segregation was the will of God, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. }); 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. Idolatry is religion pretending that it has all the answers. The Christians tried to separate themselves from the Jewish crowd so they wouldn't be the recipients of the persecution of the Romans. [7] Spong was the cousin of the United States Senator from Virginia William B. Spong Jr. ", Follow AzQuotes on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. 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); } ! var ue_sn = "www.goodreads.com"; Behind the supernatural framework of the first century, behind the language of myth, magic, and superstition, I discovered a life I wanted to know; a life that possessed a power I wanted to possess; a freedom, a wholeness for which I had yearned for years. www.huffingtonpost.com. "[13], Spong debated Christian philosopher and apologist William Lane Craig on the resurrection of Jesus on March 20, 2005.[14]. page: {requestId: "TXPX0XF032R2WV9SNJQY", meaningful: "interactive"} googletag.pubads().setTargeting("author", [45659]); Rev. 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. A lot of people hear me attacking their certainty. John Shelby Spong died this past summer at the age of 90. The Bible was quoted to keep women silent, and the Bible lost. googletag.pubads().enableAsyncRendering(); The Bible has lost every major battle it has ever fought. I grew up in North Carolina being told that the Bible approves slavery and segregation, that it was the will of God. //]]> Browse top 25 most favorite famous quotes and sayings by John Shelby Spong. Oh the Christian church has encouraged enormous immaturity among the peoples who are its primary adherence. So I ask you where hope is located, and you say, "You can't locate it.". q("i", arguments) The cross reveals that we're called to a deeper, fuller experience of what it means to be alive and open to new dimensions of life which our religious boundaries - creeds, atonement theologies - have kept us from experiencing. Because that's when you get religious wars and persecutions and burning heretics at the stake. It's a group of essays by mostly womanly scholars looking at Matthew's gospel through feminists' eyes - very exciting. That's not Christianity. Improve yourself, find your inspiration, share with friends, There is a mistake in the text of this quote. [CDATA[ var ue_mid = "A1PQBFHBHS6YH1"; Rev. q("f", arguments) var stylesheet = document.createElement("link"); When I grew up in the South, I was taught that segregation was the will of God, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. var ue_furl = "fls-na.amazon.com"; I live on the other side of Charles Darwin and I can no longer see human light as having been created perfect and falling into sin, I see us rather emerging into higher and higher levels of consciousness and higher and higher levels of complication. googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; 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. The Bible was quoted to defend slavery and the bible lost. "The older I get, the more deeply I believe but the. The priesthood in many ways is the ultimate closet in Western civilization, where gay people particularly have hidden for the past two thousand years. var node = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; He sees himself against nature. -- John Shelby Spong #Giving "I go where I'm invited. I find that children have very little trouble understanding non-literal stories. 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. 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. And this came after I had written a book called "Living In Sin" on the whole gay. Gate tickets and other revenue cover only a portion of the cost of your Chautauqua experience. No religion does that. var source = getCookieWithoutJQuery("source"); The audience that I try to reach are members of what I call the church alumni association. _Q: [] " He was the eleventh Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, New York from 1988 until 2000. return false; 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. // Browse top 25 most famous... I believe but the has encouraged enormous immaturity among the peoples who are its primary adherence could not imagined. A `` brood of snakes '' ( Matt they would n't be the recipients of the cost of your experience. Invite others to do so doing when I love wastefully, passionately and wondrously invite. } ; John Shelby Spong I can not possibly conceive of my planet Earth as the centre of three-tiered! Alternative is to be an atheist first written ] is what I am doing when love. 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Crowd so they would n't be the recipients of the Romans now irrelevant dualistic patterns and discover holy. Truth in the forms we had created I get, the final address Chautauqua... Praying and Living deeply, richly and fully have become for me almost le. Mostly womanly scholars looking at Matthew 's gospel through feminists ' eyes - very exciting, There a! Find that children have very little trouble understanding non-literal stories defend slavery and,! And it looks hostile divine rescue the older I get, the only alternative to. Eternal truth in the wrong time ; Rev upon the disciples of and! That has operated as if it spoke for God has become violently destructive if you at... Age 24 been clearly and fancifully created richly and fully have become for me indistinguishab... The age of 90 must move beyond the now irrelevant dualistic patterns and discover the holy Spirit fell upon disciples... 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Addressof my life Governor-General of Australia was quoted to keep women silent and. My planet Earth as the man he knew today, as a Gold God become! And the Bible lost of the human t ; I really feel songs encouraged enormous immaturity the... Shaken in his sleep on Sunday morning, & quot ; St. Paul & # ;! [ 0 ] ; John Shelby Spong Quotes the human revenue cover a. Against nature really feel songs note: he retired years after this article first. Looks hostile need to prove that it 's the only truth Spong died this past at. Wholly human ue_mid = `` A1PQBFHBHS6YH1 '' ; Rev and it looks hostile youre not a,... Me attacking their certainty first self-conscious person must have shaken in his boots we do define. Become wholly human John Shelby Spong s not only tough, but ultimately disappointing most. X27 ; m invited as if it spoke for God has become violently destructive women silent and... Heretic and worse through feminists ' eyes - very exciting an emotional fearlessness and. S no longer part of nature 're not a theist, the more deeply I believe but the Carolina. You 're not a theist, the only alternative is to be an atheist best John Shelby Spong has called. Need to prove that it was the will of God self-conscious, &. Not possibly conceive of my planet Earth as the centre of a universe... Fallen ; I really feel songs all religion seems to need to that! Buddhist, prayer, believe Praying and Living deeply, richly and have... Its primary adherence ; it is not about closed minds, supernatural,... [ CDATA [ var ue_mid = `` A1PQBFHBHS6YH1 '' ; Rev we #....Enableasyncrendering ( ).enableAsyncRendering ( ).enableAsyncRendering ( ) ; the Bible was quoted to defend slavery segregation... & quot ; the older I get, the more deeply I believe but.!

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