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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: Don't Kill the Messenger!! |
Date: 2007-12-04 |
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Details: I was introduced to the works of Bishop Spong a few years ago by a co-worker and have since comsumed most of his books, some from the library, some gifts, some purchased. Having been raised in a very conservative church family, it was at first a bit difficult to accept some of Spong's radical ideas. Now I feel even more that they are "radical" in the true sense, "radix". They are root concepts from which Christian faith originated and were obscured by the history of 2nd and 3rd century church in an attempt to codify belief. Again and again Bishop Spong shows how many of the passages in the Bible are tied to the culture-political-sociological realities of the times. Without a proper appreciation of these factors, it is easy to want to kill the messenger instead of reassessing the validity of the message. Those who find Bishop Spong of interest miight also find helpful the writings of Bart Ehrman and other members of "The Jesus Seminar" who have attempted to bring critical scholarship to the search for the historical Jesus and the influence of the Judeo-Christian heritage. |
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Review Summary: A must book to read for any open-minded person! |
Date: 2007-07-25 |
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Details: The love of GOD is pure, innocent & loving. A book or person is not DIVINE when it preaches or instill violence, destruction, fear and hate.
God is peace, love, inclusive, innoncent, pure and divine, warmth, forgiving and joy. God transcends sexuality, race, tribalism, ethnicity, gender etc. ...any book or person that advocates...fear, hate, and destruction...is not divine and not the word of GOD. |
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Review Summary: scripture correction |
Date: 2007-07-23 |
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Details: On page 66 reference is made to Psalm 124:29 and 124:10-30. It should be Psalm 104 instead of 124.
I am only about half through the book but have found it very helpful so far in better understanding of the bible. |
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Review Summary: Bogus assumptions, but well written. |
Date: 2007-05-19 |
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Details: Spong does a delightful job at vocalizing his heretical views. The book is an easy and fun read, but I would recommend a counter-balance with some slight more orthodox material...Tillich, Barth, and or even Romero to name a few. |
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Review Summary: SAVING HUMANITY BY REJECTING DOGMA |
Date: 2007-04-15 |
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Details: Bishop Spong takes on an incredibly controversial topic in stating that 1) the Bible is NOT the "word of God" and 2) that it is full of errors. Yet his scholarship and knowledge of both Old and New Testament give his conclusions credibility. Most of us don't know much about the context of the books of the Bible, the "when" and "why" of how they came to be. In Spong's version, these stories should be read as an "epic" of the Jewish people, in the same way as the Illiad and Odyssey are epics of the Greeks. The Bible stories are not literally true, instead they reflect historical happenings and the spin put on these events by the writers, who may have not been actual participants or eye-witnesses.
Spong is open and frank about the "sins" of religion in general and Christianity in particular. He reminds us that the Church, through the ages, has engaged in persecution and torture of those who would not sign on to its dogma. Religion is mostly about control. The church is the controller and we are the controllees. In exercising control, some who represent religious power have supported abusive behavior directed at select categories of people. Spong relates the major areas that have obsessed these fundamentalists, with the scriptures usually quoted to justify their hateful attitudes; he explains why these lines in the Bible should not be taken literally. These topics include the environment, the role of women and children, homosexuality, anti-semitism, and certainty of belief.
I found his discussion of each of these areas enlightening. When people start spouting scripture to explain that God hates homosexuals and why it's ok for men to beat their disobediant wives and children or why only Christians will be "saved" - this does tend to turn us against looking into scripture for any kind of truth. Scripture has been the justification of so much hateful behavior and religious differences the cause of so many wars, that many people have concluded that there is nothing of value in either the Bible or religion.
Bishop Spock is pretty hard on religion. He says the enemy here is dogma, the hardening of beliefs into a fixed system, no longer subject to discovery or change. Instead, we must move beyond our security zone of assured dogma and carved-in-stone theology. "To step beyond religion," he writes, "is to grow into human maturity." So far so good.
But in Bishop Spong's new view of the Bible as epic, we are left to our own interpretation. Particularly with the New Testament, Spong can be accused of taking the parts he likes and rejecting the rest. Of course, he bases his choices on the historical context, and makes it clear that the four Gospels were written by a generation that did not know Jesus. These Gospels are the work of men who wrote within a Jewish frame of reference, with an agenda of making Jesus appear to be the Jewish Messiah who fulfilled earlier prophecies. They also make him larger than life, a heroic figure who inspired a large following. The inspirational part is what Bishop Spong accepts, but specific stories he rejects. His Jesus did not walk on water or feed hundreds with a few loaves and fishes, nor did he rise from the dead and ascend into heaven. And he did not die for our sins. (So why did he have to die on the cross? I've always wanted to know.)
This is a truly useful book, and I enjoyed reading Bishop Spong's ideas, but it feels incomplete. To use an overworn cliché, has the good bishop thrown out the baby with the bath water? We have so little historical corroboration of anything we've been taught about Jesus, that what are we to think? Or does it even matter? Bishop Spong does not seem to feel that keeping Christianity alive is as important as moving the human race toward a greater and wider consciousness. In that, I agree with him, but I wonder what role that leaves for the Christian Church.
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