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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 134 Reviews
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Price: $15.95
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Sale: $2.57
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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: 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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Review Summary: Very Good, but ultimately disappointing |
Date: 2007-04-11 |
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Details: It ia indeed wonderful to have a religious writer who is not committed to radical fundementalism. I think Spong is right on the mark, saying things that need to be said. In this book, however he is not particularly rigorous in the logic of his presentation. In many ways, he is guilty of the same thinking as the fundmentalists. Whether you believe that the Bible is the inspired, unerring word of God, or not, the interpretation is always a human enterprise and subject to the fallibility that that implies. Obviously, the Bible, and indeed theology in general, is not really subject to scientific testability, but radical interpretations deserve good logical support. While there is a good bit of logic in this work, there is also a lot of speculation and opinion. It would be nice to see more rigor in support of some of his conclusions.
The book also seems overlong. There is a lot of filler and sermonizing that does not advance or support the arguements that we are eager to hear. |
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Review Summary: predictable liberal cant |
Date: 2007-01-18 |
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Details: Since his retirement in 2000 as Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Newark, John Shelby Spong has fashioned himself as a leading spokesperson for a radically progressive Christianity. In a dozen or so books he has insisted that institutional Christianity must aggressively question the very essence of its faith inheritance, and not just in a cosmetic way that tinkers with the fringes. Rather, he admits that his drastic antidotes might kill the patient, although it is not clear that he would view that outcome as unfortunate (pp 58, 178). His current book is simply one more verse of this refrain. Given his unsparing and unflinching critique of a church he spent a lifetime serving, I wondered why he even wants to continue to identify himself as Christian. To be sure, his alternate proposal has at best only a tenuous connection to anything historically or theologically Christian.
I suspect that those who would like to address the very important question Spong's title purports to address will find his book disappointing. His style and tone throughout are condescending towards those with whom he disagrees (mainly anyone more conservative that he is). He categorically disparages these people as profoundly ignorant, duplicitous, repressed, and pitiable. Complex issues are oversimplified. Speculative and dubious opinions (Mary was Jesus's wife, Paul was a repressed homosexual, Judas did not exist) are offered as serious alternatives. He constantly invokes the weakest, weirdest, and most bizarre forms of arguments to dissect (straw man arguments). Finally, there is the feel of self-promotion and kitsch to this book. I mean, what are we to make of a dust jacket that includes a blurb by Bill O'Reilly of Fox News and the hype that "history will recognize Spong as one of the major change agents of modern Christianity." I tend to think of people like Spong as fundamentalist liberals.
All this is unfortunate because the ostensible subject of his book is so very important. What are we to make of the passages in the Bible itself that, upon simple reading, sound so horrible? Like God's command to exterminate the Canaanites, or the death penalty for cursing or breaking the sabbath? Paul's insinuation that homosexuality is God's punishment for improper worship? Related but slightly different, what about how so many believers have abused the Bible to support horrendous evils like slavery or genocide? Spong writes that he wants to "filter" the Bible through the sieve of contemporary knowledge; that is good and necessary. But we also need to learn to move in the opposite direction, to filter the world and all its evils through the Scriptures. Interpreting the ancient Scriptures in our contemporary world, then, is a complex task, and one is likely to find little serious help in Spong's shrill manifesto.
For a great orthodox-liberal dialogue, read the many exchanges between Tom Wright and Marcus Borg. For creedal development try Pelikan. For how and why religion becomes evil (a major theme for Spong), there is Charles Kimball. Showing very little awareness of how his own social location and theological commitments might have shaped his own thought, Spong exemplifies the dilemma of taking the Jeffersonian scissors to the text, which is that you end up with a Bible that looks remarkably like your own image. |
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Review Summary: Excellent read |
Date: 2007-01-11 |
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Details: I loved this book. It was a relatively easy read. Spong's "liberal" ideas are like a breath of fresh air. This book maked Christianity credible for me. |
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