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The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love
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Average Rating:  out of 132 Reviews
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Price: $15.95
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Sale: $4.54
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Manufacturer: HarperOne
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780060778408
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: John Shelby Spong
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Publisher: HarperOne
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Dewey Decimal Number: 220.6
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Publication Date: 2006-03-01
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Reading Level: 336
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Description: In the Sins of Scripture, Bishop John Shelby Spong takes on a thematic exploration of the Bible, carefully analyzing those passages that inform some of our key debates, like the role of women in the church and in society, and homosexuality, to name just two. Beyond that he also looks at scriptures that have helped shape culture and history -- bringing to light the undercurrent of anti-Semitism he finds in the Gospels, for example. The journey is particularly compelling because Bishop Spong believes in and values the good the Bible has brought to many through the ages. His goal is not to define the Bible itself as something to be set aside, but instead to honor and value what he loves about it while still labeling what he dramatically calls "texts of terror" for what they are. The true joy of the book is found in Spong's vigorous intellect, which he shines bright in an attempt to catch a reflection of the age, culture and circumstances in which the texts he examines were written. Like an archaeologist working with ideas instead of tools, he removes the rocks, brushes away the sediment and reports on what he finds. What were the roots and cultural realities behind the Scriptures that define the role of women in the church? What were the hopes and fears driving the writers who condemned homosexuality in such stark terms? What is the justification behind scriptures recommending "the rod of correction" (or as Bishop Spong simply labels it: "[t]he physical abuse of children…".) Whether or not you agree with some of his musings along the way, many of his conclusions are hard to argue with. Putting aside the issue of divine origin of the Bible, no one can deny passages have been used in service of very human ends. Finally, the Sins of Scriptures can be seen as a careful observer of what those ends have been. And when taken on those terms, it makes an interesting read, regardless of one's religious background.--Ed Dobeas
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Many negative reviewers are lying about reading the book |
Date: 2005-04-20 |
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Details: I got the following Amazon alert: "As someone who has purchased books by John Shelby Spong, you might like to know that "The Sins of Scripture. . . will be released on April 12, 2005." The attacks on this book started getting posted April 13. Somehow, I doubt that these "moral" "Christians" managed to buy the book of a man they despise instantly on release, and read it and digest it in 24 hours or less. Quite apart from the time frame, I doubt any of these people would pay money for this book, and it isn't available in libraries as I write this. Hmmmmm. I only got my copy at a local store last night. I find the book very thoughtful and careful in its analysis. I can find no heresy or "satanism" in Spong's belief that the Christian way should involve compassion for the poor and suffering in this world. What is there to complain about? The quotes he takes are directly from the Bible--he is not misrepresenting anything.
I suppose we ought to thank these people for being so ludicrously obvious about their close-mindedness and dishonesty. If they hadn't jumped the gun, they might have been more able to successfully pretend that they'd actually read what they are condemning. |
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Review Summary: A Seeker. |
Date: 2005-04-15 |
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Details: Well the attacks have begun, a series of one star reviews that do not discuss the books content, but just attack Spong gnerally.
I sat and read ths book in one sitting. Like all of Spongs work it is the work of a seeker. Those who accuse Spong of being dogmatic are simply dishonest. Spong is careful to point out the number of things he doesn't know. This was made clear in his appearance on The O'Reilly Facto this Wednesday. He feels the presence of God, he finds God most clearly in Jesus, and he SEEKS to understand this presence. I don't always agree with him. He is pro-choice, I am pro-life. He is an economic liberal, I am an economic conservative. I do not entirely agree with his linking of fundamentalism to anti environmentalism; however, the important thing is that he is seeking the truth. He acknowledges he has not completely found it, he acknowledges that he never may, and as he often says he has no wish to change anyone's conception of God. He doesn't write for the fundamentalist or the theologically conservative. He writes for thos of us who believe, but can't accept what can be disproven, ie. Virin Birth, miracles, etc.
Like many of us he does not need proof to believe, but he does need something not to be disproven to be believed. If you are interested in looking beyond the literal words of scripture -which are often misleading, contradictory or proveably wrong- to the message and experiences behind it Spong is your man, if not.. then fine. If you are comfortable in your faith than neiher he, nor his supporters are seeking to change your mind.
Oh and as for the review pointing out that he does not engage more conservative believers in debate, rubish. He has held several public debates with scholars of other beliefs. And many more times has chalanged fundamentalist to a debate and been rejected. He once wanted to do a lecture tour with Jerry Fallwell. He said that the two of them discussing the Bible seriously might encourage more people to read it. Fallwell refused as he was afraid such a tour might make Spong more well know. It is the fundamentalists who wil not engage him. |
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Review Summary: "No hate texts in the Bible" -- say what? |
Date: 2005-05-08 |
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Details: I grew up a Southern Baptist (not that it matters, but Pat Robertson and I attended the same church, in Lexington, VA). Over fifty years later, I still believe in God as much as I did then. What I stopped believing decades ago, however, is the laughable assertion that the Bible is the "literal Word of God." I don't mean to be disrespectful or dismissive, brothers and sisters, but did God give you functioning brains? Can you not tell the difference between reality and the tribal legends of an ancient people? Contrary to a previous reviewer's truly amazing statement ("There are no Hate texts in the Bible"), it's full of passages that promote hatred: sure, go ahead and hate Jews, hate gays, hate uppity women, hate anyone who belongs to a different tribe or who doesn't believe exactly what you believe, just so long as you're doing it in the name of God. "Grow up, already!" is Bishop Spong's point; use your God-given intelligence to think for yourselves for a change, as opposed to blindly buying into the lock-step, "my way or the highway" ravings of the Falwells, Robertsons, Dobsons, and other would-be Pharisees of a theocratic America. What, indeed, would Jesus do? Ask yourself if Jesus would beat a young gay man senseless and left him to die in the cold. Ask yourself if Jesus would discourage reality-based sex education and opt instead for the head-in-the-sand, abstinence-only version that results in more unwanted pregnancies and sexually-transmitted diseases. And the next time the "fry 'em all and let God sort 'em out" capital punishment loonies start howling at the moon and spouting that truly evil "eye for an eye" Old Testament nonsense that Jesus so emphatically refuted in the New Testament (you might want to look that up when you get tired of cherry-picking Leviticus to find verses to rationalize your prejudices, by the way), try really, really hard to visualize Jesus pulling the switch on an electric chair to fry one of God's children. Too many people who claim to be Christians are missing the forest for the trees: Jesus came to teach love, not to enforce an inflexible legalistic system. The "terrible texts" that Bishop Spong dissects and dismisses as fraudulent are the ones that teach exclusion, hate, and intolerance. His work makes me admire him greatly, but it also makes me sad: sad to think that, two millenia later, there are still so many people who believe that Jesus' message of love is less important than mindlessly adhering to an endless list of "seemed like a good idea at the time" laws set down by people who also believed that the sun revolved around the earth! |
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Review Summary: A Brilliant Counter To Fundamentalism |
Date: 2005-05-05 |
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Details: The times we live in show a resurrection of great theological debate. Biblical scholarship, with the help of the discovery of ancient texts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls has revealed the great diversity of thought that made up Christianity in the first three centuries after the death of Jesus.
It wasn't until the fourth century and the adoption of Christianity as the state religion of Rome that Christianity went through a period of codification and setting of official dogma. Fundamentalist Christianity today continues the traditions and dogma put in place by politicians and church elders of the fourth and fifth centuries. Beliefs of a different age, and a society much different than our own.
It was then that beliefs became law, for there was no division between church and state...indeed, a heretic in those times was guilty of not only treason against God, but against the state. In this book by John Shelby Spong, he exposes how the Bible has been used to suppress the opposers of the state and its religion.
He tells how the Bible has been used to keep women as second-class citizens, how scripture has been used to justify cruelty and tyranny. His words are the words of a man that has studies the Bible all of his life, given his life to working for God and the followers of Jesus. While many will not agree with him, there is no doubting his scholarship and dedication to Christianity.
It has been said that the days of the prophets are gone. I disagree. John Shelby Spong, Marcus Borg and others are speaking out against the iniquities of ancient biblical thought that continue to be practiced. We need people like them to speak out. There are many that wish to maintain the old thoughts about God and keep people in fear. For those, this book will be a revulsion. For others that look for a different way, this book could be a revelation.
Highly recommended |
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Review Summary: found the truth |
Date: 2005-04-20 |
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Details: in the last few weeks, the mass media gave us lots of catholic church. from the funeral of the pope to the election of the new pope. however, in a feature front page article on Wall Street Journal, citing statistics released by the Vatican, we soon learned that in the last forty years, the catholic church actually lost ground in terms of followership. whereas we heard a lot about growth of church in latin america and africa, however, in the world's two largest and fastest growing economies, China and India, the church has never grown beyond 1% of total population. in europe, the church is losing to muslim. in the end, the church continues to be irrelevant to 90% of world;s population and even more irrelevant in its "former" colonies of europe and americas. why a religion losing so much grounds in the last 40 years? i think bishop spong got it and explains it well. |
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