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Review Summary: Non-biblical |
Date: 2005-03-14 |
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Details: Writers of "Christian" tomes of all stripes have found ways to justify a non-biblical perspective by quoting Scripture, and Spong has done just that here. Spong begins this book, as with so many of his previous writings, with his own prejudice clearly in view. The alternative to this would be to hermeneutically explore the Scriptural texts for their own sake prior to drawing any conclusions about its "relevance" to contemporary Christian living. While provocative, this book is decidedly NOT Christian in its teaching. |
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Review Summary: a sin to love? |
Date: 2004-08-26 |
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Details: A God that we can love today is a God that asks us to embrace and celebrate - not just tolerate - difference.
John Shelby Spong makes it clear that Christianity's ideas of morality must be brought up to date. In many ways the teachings of Jesus, and the portrayal of him in the gospels, have never (or rarely) been taken by modern orthodox believers to their logical, radical conclusion.
The early Christians took Jesus to heart and followed his precepts according to their own pre-scientific understanding of human nature. They celebrated 'difference' as long as it did not threaten their male-dominated, female-subordinated view of the world. We now know this is wrong. Today everyone is free to be who they really are, and all sexual behaviour is recognised as equally valid provided it is between consenting adults, no-one is exploited, and no harm is done.
The modern Christian, if he is truly following Jesus, as the early Christians did, is honour-bound to live in the radical life-affirming way exemplified by the founder of his faith. There is no excuse anymore. Either God loves everyone, and we do mean everyone - not just believers - or he is not a loving God. Everyone is a beloved child of God - no favourites - or God is not a good father.
The Christian of today has to be leading the cause of sexual liberation for all. He has to be fighting for the sexually, socially, religiously, and economically marginalised. John Shelby Spong has taken to heart what Jesus meant when he said: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me." - Matthew 25:40. |
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Review Summary: Hope and Understanding |
Date: 2004-06-24 |
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Details: I purchased this book as a 40 year old woman facing divorce. The book helped me wrestle with the most fundamental beliefs held for many Christians. The text allowed me to re-think my life adventure and begin with the freedom that the creator intended. Spong, in this book, delivers a magnificent apology of hope and unending possibilities in life and love. |
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Review Summary: Does Truth Exist? |
Date: 2004-05-04 |
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Details: In a postmodern era, where truth is relative and reality undefinable, this book provides quick and easy pain relief, kind of like taking morphine for cancer. For the most part, we all want to believe that there is a God or at least something out there; that way we don't feel like this life is such a waste. But if we believe in one system, especially one so "antiquated" as the Bible we will be mocked and ridiculed for being closed-minded and ignorant. But we grew up in Christian homes and are much more comfortable with "Christian" spirituality than, say, Eastern Transcendentalism. So what is the open-minded post modernist to do? Enter John Shelby Spong (and others)... Simple, by removing Christianity's belief that we are sinful, Christ no becomes pointless. By removing the parts of Christianity that cause so many people to stumble and which don't make sense in a world where everybody is equally right (see 1 Corinthians 1:18), now Christianity is poised to survive for millennia to come. The problem is that the message of Christianity is the Gospel, the Good News. That Good News is that even though we have been found to be in rebellion to the Creator, Sustainer, and Judge over the universe, He made a way for us to be made right with Him: Christ. Christ came and died so that we would not be judged as the rebels that we are and cast out of His Presence and into eternal death. Sin is that rebellion; Christ is the only solution. Any religion, including a Savior-less Christianity that does not deal with our problem of sin will probably do quite a bit to make us feel better about our damned condition while we're here on earth, but we will still have to stand on our own merits before the Judge. It's like having cancer, ignoring the miracle cure, and taking morphine so that you can ignore the death that you are dying. Christ, rather, will remove your sin and your rebellion as far as the East is from the West. He will remove your death-bringing cancer of sin and give you the true relief of his grace, both now and for eternity. Do not fall for Spong's appealing postmodern message. Realize that reality exists; if the God of the Bible is real, you must repent from your sins and place your only hope in Christ. |
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Review Summary: Spong is unworthy of his collar |
Date: 2004-01-29 |
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Details: Spong refuses to realize that God doesn't change, Scripture doesn't change, and therefore the Church shouldn't change. To call the Church "anachronistic" for its attitudes on sexuality is to punt away the truth. Granted, there have been abuses fo power by the church in many instances in areas such as these, and these are to be addressed and fixed, but to completely reevaluate, as Spong endorses, the Church's approach to how it stands in the face of modernity is to bow down to modernity as to an idol. I hope and pray that Spong comes to a saving knowlege of Jesus Christ someday, and abandons the liberal nonsense that he worships in the place of the God he claims to serve. |
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out of 27 Reviews
