Bishop John Shelby Spong

God Is Not A Christian

Nan Christianity, Religion , , , , , ,

I just came across a post that included a quote from Bishop John Shelby Spong where he says:

God is not a Christian. God is not a Jew or a Muslim or a Hindi or Buddhist. All of those are human systems, which human beings have created …

I love it! 

Only problem is … in my opinion, he didn’t take it far enough.

Humans didn’t just create the systems, they also created GOD. 

I’m pretty sure Bishop Spong would disagree with me (see his bio below), but hey … Truth is Truth.

As an added note, Bishop Spong has also stated that HELL doesn’t exist … that it’s an invention of the church to control people with fear. Wow! This man definitely has his head on straight. (No doubt this is why he’s been described as a “liberal Christian.”)

Oh, and he also said that religion is primarily a search for security — a way to stave off anxiety over the unknown.

Who woulda’ thought?

Someone else felt similarly. Paul Tillich, a Christian existentialist philosopher, put forth the idea that humans need something to overcome their fear of death … to help them subdue the terrible dread of their demise.

And for thousands … guess who fills the bill?

Nonetheless, it’s important to remember Spong’s words that “God is not a Christian.” Thus, what happens at “the end” may not be what some are expecting.

(I must confess. Bishop Spong actually said a bit more in the above quote. I just cherry-picked the most relevant part.) 😈

John Shelby “Jack” Spong is a retired American bishop of the Episcopal Church. From 1979 to 2000 he was Bishop of Newark. He is a liberal Christian theologian, religion commentator and author. He calls for a fundamental rethinking of Christian belief away from theism and traditional doctrines.

 

The Hell You Say!

Nan Religion , ,

John Shelby Spong is a retired American bishop of the Episcopal Church. He is a liberal Christian theologian, religion commentator, and author. (He was one of the many authors I referenced in my book.)

Here are just a few of his written works:

Recently (on another posting), archaeopteryx1 provided a link to a video in which Spong discussed the existence of “hell.” Arch commented that he (Spong) “makes some extremely bold statements for a Christian.”

“Hell” has been a topic of discussion for a long, long time. It’s covered in depth on innumerable blogs (mine included) and in writings too numerous to count (I even devoted a chapter to it in my own book). Many people insist it’s “confirmed” in the bible. Others have claimed they’ve had visions of it. And for some, it’s where they want to send someone who has “done them wrong.”

Of course, the jury is still out because we’ll never know for sure until after we’ve drawn our last breath. But speaking for myself, I agree with Spong that it’s an invention of the church to control people with fear.

In fact, in my opinion, fear is at the core of the gospel. Christians will claim it’s all about love, but when push comes to shove … I contend the real reason a person becomes and stays a Christian is because they want to avoid “eternal punishment,” “everlasting fire,” and the unceasing physical torture they believe is the final end for non-believers.

As for me? I am confident such a place does not exist. (Nor does “heaven,” for that matter, but that’s a topic for another posting.) 🙂

Check out the video that Arch has referenced. Do you agree with Bishop Spong?