John Shelby Spong

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John Shelby Spong
Bishop John Shelby Spong portrait 2006.png
Spong in 2006
Denomination Episcopal Church in the United States of America
Senior posting
See Episcopal Diocese of Newark
Title Bishop of Newark
Period in office 1979–2000
Consecration June 12, 1976
Predecessor George E. Rath
Successor John P. Croneberger
Religious career
Priestly ordination 1955
Previous bishoprics none
Previous post Bishop Coadjutor of Newark
Personal
Date of birth June 16, 1931 (1931-06-16) (age 79)
Place of birth Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

John Shelby Spong (born June 16, 1931 in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States) is the retired American bishop of the Episcopal Church Diocese of Newark (based in Newark, New Jersey). He is a liberal Christian theologian, religion commentator and author. He calls for a fundamental rethinking of Christian belief, away from theism and from such doctrines and practices as prayer.

Contents

[edit] Background

Spong was educated in Charlotte public schools. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1952, and received his Master of Divinity degree in 1955 from the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. That seminary and Saint Paul's College have both conferred on him honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees. 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."[1]

He served as rector of St. Joseph's Church in Durham, North Carolina from 1955 to 1957; rector of Calvary Parish, Tarboro, North Carolina from 1957 to 1965; rector of St. John's Church in Lynchburg, Virginia from 1965 to 1969; and rector of St. Paul's Church in Richmond, Virginia from 1969 to 1976. He has moreover held visiting positions and given lectures at major American theological institutions, most prominently at Harvard Divinity School. He retired in 2000.

Recipient of many awards, including 1999 Humanist of the Year, [2] Bishop Spong is a contributor to the Living the Questions DVD program and has been a guest on numerous national television broadcasts (including The Today Show, Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, Dateline, 60 Minutes, and Larry King Live). Bishop Spong's calendar has him lecturing around the world. [3]

[edit] Writings

Spong's writings rely on Biblical and non-Biblical sources, and are influenced by modern critical analysis of these sources (see especially Spong, 1991). He is representative of a stream of thought with roots in the medieval universalism of Peter Abelard and the existentialism of Paul Tillich, whom he has called his favorite theologian.[4]

A prominent theme in Spong's writing is that the popular, literal interpretation of Christian scripture is not sustainable and does not speak honestly to the situation of modern Christian communities, and that a more nuanced approach to scripture, informed by scholarship and compassion, can be consistent with both Christian tradition and a contemporary understanding of the universe. He believes, as did his theological predecessor, Bishop John A.T. Robinson, that theism has lost credibility as a valid conception of God's nature. He explains that he is 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). He rejects the historical truth claims of some Christian doctrines, such as the Virgin Birth (Spong, 1992) and the bodily resurrection of Jesus (Spong, 1994). In 2000, Spong was a critic of the Holy Office of the Roman Catholic Church's declaration Dominus Iesus.[5]

Spong's ideas have received strong criticism from some other theologians, notably the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams (when Williams was the Bishop of Monmouth), describing his 'twelve theses' as embodying "confusion and misinterpretation." [6]

[edit] New Reformation

Main article: A New Christianity for a New World

Spong has also been a strong proponent of feminism, gay rights, and racial equality within both the church and society at large. Towards these ends, he calls for a new Reformation, in which many of Christianity's basic doctrines should be reformulated.

[edit] Published books

Bishop Spong during CrossWalk America, 2006

[edit] Other notable facts

 Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (May 2009)

Spong is the cousin of former Virginia Democratic Senator William B. Spong, Jr. who defeated incumbent Absalom Willis Robertson, the father of television evangelist Pat Robertson.

There is currently a play in production about the life of Bishop Spong called "A Pebble In My Shoe", written by Colin Cox and produced by Will & Company. He has seen the play himself at least a half dozen times at different stops around the United States.

[edit] References

  1. ^ John Shelby Spong, "The Sins of Scripture", HarperCollins 2005, page xi
  2. ^ http://churchofhumanism.org/en/content/section/8/30/
  3. ^ http://www.johnshelbyspong.com/calendar.aspx
  4. ^ "Challenging the 'Sins of Scipture'". Interview with Bill O'Reilly. April 14, 2005.
  5. ^ Dominus Iesus: The Voice of Rigor Mortis
  6. ^ Williams, Rowan (1998-07-17). "No life, here - no joy, terror or tears". Church Times (Anglican Ecumenical Society). http://anglicanecumenicalsociety.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/bishop-spong-and-archbishop-williamss-response/. 

[edit] External links

[edit] Criticism of Spong

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