Anyone holding to an orthodox Christian faith should read this to understand the prevailing post-modern thinking about Jesus Christ, which Spong embodies so well as he follows in the tradition of Bultmann, Tillich and, more recently, John A.T. Robinson.

His thesis is basically that Christ makes one "free to be, free to live, free to love." Spong's bibliography includes "I'm OK, You're OK." While most clergy desire to grow up to be like Luther or Augustine or St. Paul, my guess is that Spong wishes he would have been born as Copernicus, Darwin, or Freud, three men whom he seems to regard higher than any Christian thinker.

Spong fails in several areas. He misuses the whole notion of Jewish midrash (read Jacob Neusner's "Midrash in Context: Exegesis in Formative Judaism"); he relies heavily on the theology of a man (Robinson) who mistranslates the Greek New Testament; and he makes some simply incredible statements (I won't spoil the surprises for you).

What serious Christians need to take away from this book is this: post-modernists think that the New Testament is a Jewish, apocalyptic vision/midrashic construct, and that Jesus of Nazareth was an incredibly self-actualized man (but merely a man, mind you) who lived out what he "thought" was his Messianic mission (Spong never does quite address how Jesus manages to get himself crucified between two criminals as prophecy predicted).

Read this book, then read II Peter 2, and then go out into the world and make disciples of all nations. Spong won't slow you down any.

Another thought provoking book. Over the years I have faced the questions I have had about the myth vs the reality of the man people call Jesus Christ.

Like Bishop Spong I believe most of the message that Jesus taught, which was philosophical and not religious has been totally lost and in fact the very things that Jesus warned against have in fact become a reality. He warned people, or at least tried to warn people, to use their own brains and not rely on power hungry leaders be they secular or religious. That G-d and only G-d is our source and that all things work for good to those who love G-d. He never ever taught that there was a trinity. He never ever taught that some people G-d loved and some he did not.

The Jesus Bishop Spong discovered and who many of the rest of us have discovered is a fully human, passionate, and evolved person. Who respected women, who wasn't afraid of being with people that the pious types considered unworthy. The Jesus who said "What you do to the least of them you do to me".

It would be nice if the closed minded or fearful types would read the book and simply have their beliefs tested.

This is not a world in which one reads and agrees on everything a mind like Bishop Spong's puts forth as proposition. If one did agree on every proposition, it would be agreement absent rationality and akin to the petrified belief structure of evangelical fundamentalism. As a catholic I am not bound to a literal interpretation of Scripture and in my past as mainstream and fundamentalist protestant, I could never bring myself succumb to such notions.

Spong causes anyone who is not frightened by the venture to explore the Jewishness of Christ. He was-despite the typical Aryan images of him foisted on us from an early age-a semite, a Jew well-grounded in Jewish culture and belief. To understand him as a Jew is to know better the Christ whose name we claim to reverence.

I cannot help but endorse Spong's conclusion that the mission of Jesus-ordained by God or otherwise-was to set us free to realize the fullness of life and in doing so to make our own choices. And I find his blend of existentialism with a freeing view of the meaning of scripture to be thoughtful and wholly palatable. Those who believe in the limitations of literalism, who accept the chains of fundamentalism, whose minds are threatened by demons of their own making, who stifle thought and make a jest of genuine goodness, will necessarily find Spong's book anathema. For them belief is a prison from which escape is impossible.

There are many people who have already made up their mind about John Shelby Spong and his controversial visions of how the Christian Church must change in order to survive and continue to be relevant to the world. ...

On the other hand, if your mind is open even just a little bit, whether you are Christian or not, I invite you to take an enlightening spiritual journey with Spong as he poses many thoughtful and disturbing questions about faith, prayer, the church, and human behavior. Previous books by Spong have typically challenged the Bible and traditional views of God and Jesus, but only this book (and to a lesser extent his previous book, "Why Christianity Must Change or Die") actually presents us with Spong's answers to how to resolve these challenges and how to breathe new life into the dying church.

Spong invites all Christians who are willing to face serious challenges to their faith to let go of the God that acts as supreme parent, that saves a select few and sends the people we don't like to hell, that rewards us when we pray to him, and without whom we would be lost and utterly helpless. In essence, he asks us to stop sustaining an idolatrous image of God that is nothing more than a projection of our own fears and desires, and to discover, maybe, just who and what God really is.

Anyone and everyone who is searching for spiritual meaning and connection in their lives beyond what the community church can provide should read this book.

John Shelby Spong does not believe in a Theistic God and he states so forcefully; "Theism is dead, I joyfully proclaim." THEISM as Bishop Spong defines it, is "a being, supernatural in power, dwelling outside this world and invading the world periodically to accomplish the divine will".

Yet, Spong admits, "Christianity postulates a theistic God who does supernatural things". Christianity is about God invading the world through Jesus Christ. Christianity is, and has been for 2000 years (give or take), "Emmanuel" - God with us, visibly and dramatically. "Christianity is a THEISTIC religion" said Dr. Sally McFague (Professor of Theology -Vanderbilt Divinity School - author of the pensive and provocative book, 'Life Abundant' - envisioning Christianity for the new century - see my review).

Therein lies the rub. Allow me to digress. A man had a Honda Civic that needed the engine overhauled. He decided to 'radically' change the car and make it a quarter-mile race car. He pulled out the engine and transmission, threw out the brakes, replaced the tires and the suspension. He gutted the interior completely (graciously keeping the windshield and wipers). He then cut away parts of the body to accommodate the new parts and welded the doors shut. He put in a high performance, 400 horsepower engine and modified what was left of the car so that it could reach speeds in excess of 110 mph in 9 seconds. Now, with a great stretch of the imagination you could say this man still had a Honda Civic, but, in reality, he had created a new vehicle.

This book is not a "radically, reformed" car, so to speak, it is a completely different car. Bishop Spong has taken a blow torch and sliced out the parts of Christianity that he no longer believes in or adheres to.

He has not "radically reformed Christianity" he has created a new belief system.

For Spong; God is not a supernatural being, Jesus is not the earthly incarnation of God, the Bible is not the "Word of God", the supernatural miracles of Jesus did not happen and Jesus was not resurrected, nor did he return to God. God, incarnation, atonement, Trinity, miracles, 'Christian' morals, and the Church as it exists today are all replaced. What the title of this book should be, is, "A New Religion for a New World", for that is what Bishop Spong is giving us. T\

This is not to say that he does not have something to say. He does and he says it well.

Bishops Spong radically questions the basic assumptions of conventional Christian theology and attacks the paradigms that ecclesiastical hierarchy find convenient. He rejects: Theism's tribal theology, bibliolatry, Jesusolatry, and Christianity as an exclusive pathway to God. His "beyond theism" theology demands that we stand and embrace our own humanity, not with shame or the stigma of sin, but recognizing that we are unique and full of potential. That we can, without an "eternal and omnipotent protector" and live fully, love fully and be all that we can be.

The God that Spong embraces is "not a being but BEING itself. This God is the source of life, the source of love, the Ground of Being." For Spong God is beyond any limits of our religious systems. God is no longer a being 'external' to life, but the very BEING of life itself. He says, "I have walked beyond theism, but not beyond God". He forewarns that to separate yourself from the belief of a theistic God is painful. Those that do will have to stand without magic or miracles. He writes, "we make no attempt to suggest that life is fair or to defend the theistic deity when life is harsh. We do not cultivate a false security."

Bishop Spong deserves the accolade given to those who push out the boundaries of any rigid system. Especially in religion, those that hold controversial opinions and especially dissenters like Spong, who publicly depart from the officially accepted dogma, are marginalized and labeled. Spong has paid the price of apostasy in his search for truth, life, love and God. This book is required reading for all those searching for the same. Highly recommended

John Shelby Spong does not believe in a Theistic God and he states so forcefully; "Theism is dead, I joyfully proclaim." THEISM as Bishop Spong defines it, is "a being, supernatural in power, dwelling outside this world and invading the world periodically to accomplish the divine will".

Yet, Spong admits, "Christianity postulates a theistic God who does supernatural things". Christianity is about God invading the world through Jesus Christ. Christianity is, and has been for 2000 years (give or take), "Emmanuel" - God with us, visibly and dramatically. "Christianity is a THEISTIC religion" said Dr. Sally McFague (Professor of Theology -Vanderbilt Divinity School - author of the pensive and provocative book, 'Life Abundant' - envisioning Christianity for the new century - see my review).

Therein lies the rub. Allow me to digress. A man had a Honda Civic that needed the engine overhauled. He decided to 'radically' change the car and make it a quarter-mile race car. He pulled out the engine and transmission, threw out the brakes, replaced the tires and the suspension. He gutted the interior completely (graciously keeping the windshield and wipers). He then cut away parts of the body to accommodate the new parts and welded the doors shut. He put in a high performance, 400 horsepower engine and modified what was left of the car so that it could reach speeds in excess of 110 mph in 9 seconds.

Now, with a great stretch of the imagination you could say this man still had a Honda Civic, but, in reality, he had created a new vehicle. This is not a "radically, reformed" car, it is a completely different car. Bishop Spong has taken a blow torch and sliced out the parts of Christianity that he no longer believes in or adheres to. He has not "radically reformed Christianity" he has created a new belief system.

For Spong; God is not a supernatural being, Jesus is not the earthly incarnation of God, the Bible is not the "Word of God", the supernatural miracles of Jesus did not happen and Jesus was not resurrected, nor did he return to God. God, incarnation, atonement, Trinity, miracles, 'Christian' morals, and the Church as it exists today are all replaced. What the title of this book should be, is, "A New Religion for a New World", for that is what Bishop Spong is giving us.

This is not to say that he does not have something to say. He does and he says it well. Bishops Spong radically questions the basic assumptions of conventional Christian theology and attacks the paradigms that ecclesiastical hierarchy find convenient. He rejects: Theism's tribal theology, bibliolatry, Jesusolatry, and Christianity as an exclusive pathway to God.

His "beyond theism" theology demands that we stand and embrace our own humanity, not with shame or the stigma of sin, but recognizing that we are unique and full of potential. That we can, without an "eternal and omnipotent protector" and live fully, love fully and be all that we can be.

The God that Spong embraces is "not a being but BEING itself. This God is the source of life, the source of love, the Ground of Being." For Spong God is beyond any limits of our religious systems. God is no longer a being 'external' to life, but the very BEING of life itself. He says, "I have walked beyond theism, but not beyond God".

He forewarns that to separate yourself from the belief of a theistic God is painful. Those that do will have to stand without magic or miracles. He writes, "we make no attempt to suggest that life is fair or to defend the theistic deity when life is harsh. We do not cultivate a false security."

Bishop Spong deserves the accolade given to those who push out the boundaries of any rigid system. Especially in religion, those that hold controversial opinions and especially dissenters like Spong, who publicly depart from the officially accepted dogma, are marginalized and labeled. Spong has paid the price of apostasy in his search for truth, life, love and God. This book is required reading for all those searching for the same. Highly recommended.

The Epsicopal Church's main proponent of blessing homosexual unions basically justifies his view by trying to discredit or at least minimize the interpretation of Paul's writings by painting him as a self-hating, repressed homosexual. Typical agenda driven liberalism - not theology.

While this book is mainly a collection of the epistles, which can be found in any New Testament, it is worth purchasing for Spong's lengthy introduction in which he presents a radical but nevertheless fascinating theory concerning the first published theologian of the Christian church. Even though Spong's theory concerning the Apostle Paul cannot be proved or disproved based on New Testament evidence alone, it can also not be dismissed out of hand based on that very same evidence.

A refreshing way to read the first Christian author! Bishop Spong in his introduction offers challenging consideration and surprising insight into the person of Paul of Tarsus. Putting the Epistles into their probable chronological order offers further enlightenment on them.

I have enjoyed Spong's writings ever since I found Why Christianity Must Change or Die at the bookstore. Reading that book changed my entire outlook on religion and Christianity. I read several other books by Spong after that. This book, a very early writing from him back in the early 70's, is certainly not up to the same caliber as his more current books. Spong attempts to take apart the Lord's prayer section by section and try to explain what he really means when he says the words. He does not take time to go into depth with his re-wordings, just briefly tells you what he thinks and expects you to believe it as well. This is a recent printing of the book and I was very disappointed to see that one set of pages was printed upside down and backwards and that the last chapter was printed twice! After taking so long to reprint the book you would think they would've taken the time to examine it for errors. Overall, I think the book has some interesting basic concepts, but I would recommend reading Why Christianity Must Change or Die to get all of Spong's beliefs in a more concise format.

As a person who grew up in a very strict fundamentalist pentecostal church and have serious questions about fundamentalism I have enjoyed reading Spong's other books especially "Living in Sin?" and "Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism". I don't agree with everything Spong says in these books but at least they have given me a different perspective. However, I found this book to be weak in argument and poorly written. What I don't understand about Spong's argument against the resurrection is he thinks its physically impossible for Christ to rise from the dead. If God is God then why should s/he be confined by natural laws. A God who has to conform to the laws of the natural universe is not truly God. This book has made me realise that Spong is not a Christian as he claims but a humanist, or worse, a Christian who has lost faith in God.

This book has an unfortunate title. It must have been titled by the greedy publishing company in an attempt to sell more books. Most of the book doesn't directly address the dilemma "Myth or Reality".

The book views the resurrection as the crowning moment for Christianity, but in a larger sense it examines the New Testament gospels as being understood as midrash--a Judaic form of sermon and storytelling. Indeed, one of the obstacles in my faith was the fact that so much that the traditional church views as "history" is merely copying from the Old Testament Torah.

Unlike G.A. Wells, or Earl Doherty, Spong does not want to dispel the entire Jesus episode as legend or myth, but rather he wants to distill the non-literal spiritual "truths" of Christ from the sermons that are Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. From those truths, he looks back and reconstructs some historical possibilities, but still doesn't view the historical literalism as a good foundation for faith.

All in all, this is a well-written book and will give the reader something new to consider. Although I suppose those who claim the literal resurrection as truth will mark Spong's theology as some sort of modern-day gnosticism, his viewpoint is a good compromise for those of us who find it intellectually irresponsible to view the New Testament as historical.

As a liberal Christian, I have always had quite a few unanswered questions about the event that is commonly known as Easter. Growing up in a conservative household, I was raised to believe that Easter meant a literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ that occurred on the third day after he gave himself up to be executed for the sins of the world. Although I had long ago dismissed the theory that Jesus died for the sins of the world, Spong changed my opinions drastically as I read "Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism." In this previous book, Spong convinced me that a physical resuscitation of Jesus had never taken place at all; he argued that the resurrection stories are heavily symbolic and must not (along with the rest of the Gospels) be taken literally. Still, the event called Easter remained shrouded in my mind. It wasn't until I read "Resurrection: Myth or Reality" that I began to realize what Easter is all about. Spong took me on a thrilling journey through history and beyond Scripture as I arrived at an understanding of why the resurrection stories were written, why certain symbols were used, and most importantly, what this all means to Christians today.

In order to reconstruct the Easter moment, Spong employs a Jewish literary device known as midrash. Much like a parable, midrash uses supernatural or otherwise incredulous events as symbols for a timeless truth. In essence, it captures the present inside the symbols of yesterday, preserving the inner meanings of the faith story for current and future generations. Midrash cannot be found in a literal reading of the text; one must read between the lines to capture the hidden (true) meaning of what is being said. When the traditional Easter story is examined under this midrashic lens, a whole new story emerges.

The story that Spong recreates is much more believable and appropriate than the traditional tale. Spong's rendering of Easter begins when Jesus and the disciples travel to Jerusalem for Passover. During the Passover celebration, Jesus is recognized by the Jewish authorities as a rebel and a political threat, for which he is put to death. The disciples, shocked, flee to their homes in Galilee to mourn their loss. Over the course of the next six months, however, Peter and his companions realize that there was something about the life of their rabbi that made him divine. They understood that the spirit of Jesus transcended death because the way Jesus died was exactly like
they way he lived. He gave his life to others and for others. He loved wastefully and selflessly. In that living and
dying, the disciples concluded that Jesus revealed the meaning of God. God is not victory, their point of view stated. God is the presence of transcendent meaning in the midst of human defeat. God is not the promise of an infinite reward. God is the meaning that is present in the face of fate, tragedy, and undeserved pain. God cannot be seen in Jesus's escape from death at Easter until God is first seen in the crucified one who gives life as he dies, who offers forgiveness as he is victimized, who shows love as he is hated.

Spong's rendering of Jesus as one who gave his life away to others also reveals the true meaning of Easter. Easter is not about believing in incongruent stories that have been disproved by the laws of science. Easter is about realizing that Jesus is the meaning of God. It is Easter that caused the disciples to travel back to Jerusalem six months later during the feast of the Tabernacles to proclaim that "He has risen!" and "Death cannot contain him!". Easter also caused the need for early Christian writers to capture the sentiments in subjective, nonliteral words so that we, too, can enter the text and experience the moment anew every day. We, too, can proclaim that Jesus lives on in each one of us as Easter becomes a timeless invitation to enter the meaning of God by living for others, expecting no reward, loving wastefully no matter what the cost. When we do that, we are Easter people and resurrection becomes real.

I have the distinct pleasure of saying that "Resurrection: Myth or Reality?" is one of the most influential, spirit-giving books that I have ever read. Each time I read Spong, I marvel at the way that this one man can shatter all of tradition and yet make the new experience even more sincere and invigorating. I highly recommend Spong's books to all Christians searching for a new way to approach the Scripture. "Resurrection: Myth or Reality?" and "This Hebrew Lord" are the best two of the ones that I've read so far. But make no mistake, everything he writes is a gem and I can't thank him enough for giving me a religion and a strong sense of spirituality that I otherwise wouldn't have. All of Spong's writing is nothing short of an extraordinary blessing.

Spong has the courage to review the Bible and find areas that need to be discussed . The Bible was written by a society who stoned women , thought the world wes flat, thought the earth was the center of the universe . Anyone who would say the earth was round could be put to death by the Pope of ancient times . Left handed or people who had an original idea were burned by puritans in the name of God . The same christians who hate and I men hate Spong are of that same school. If you know people so shallow do not drink the coolaide as this is the same people Jim Jones would have as friends . Jerry Farwell and his crowd have become millionaires tickling your ears and I don't think people want to know . The truth that the bible gives you the right to kill your first child , remove any woman's right to even speak in a house of worship as well as give a man the right to kill his wife if he becomes jealous should . People who think it is OK to kill and danm in the name of a god should move to Pakistan and never read Spong as it take 3 digits in your IQ to understand his work . Stupid people should read books written for their level of thinking and enjoy it as entertainment .
Rev. John Evers

The book, a collection of essays from many different Episcopal Bishops, takes on the task of refuting some of the wild and unscholarly writings of Retired Bishop John Shelby Spong. The book receives an average rating because the writing styles from so many different writers (10) doesn't flow naturally.

Further, while some authors do a good job refurting Spong's theology, others are not as good at communicating their position. The book does a good enough job in refuting "Spong theology", but lacks a coherent focus because of the many different authors. The book would have been better if only two of the Bishops wrote this book seeking editing and assistence from the others.

I confess-- I have something in common with most of the Rt. Rev. Spong's fans. Like them, I've read very little of what he's written. (For example, "Can A Bishop Be Wrong" has two five-star reviews from Spong fans who are under the impression that Spong wrote this book-- apparently, they feel comfortable praising Spong's work sight-unseen).

Don't get me wrong. I've tried to read Spong. But, alas, the Rt. Rev. S. is a ghastly writer. After a while, the charms of Spong's writing-- his relentless self-congratulation, his presenting of hackneyed 19th-century pop-biblical-criticism as his own daring innovation, his use of the passive voice to hide sweeping and questionable assertions ("...there is surprise at how insignificant were the theological issues dividing the two sides [of the Reformation]"), his utter lack of a sense of humor, his unforgivably poor skill with words-- begin to pall. I haven't yet met someone who can read an entire chapter of Spong at one sitting.

That's where this book comes in handy. They don't exhaustively categorize the intellectual sins of the Rt. Rev. Spong-- such a task could never be worth the trees killed. But they provide a good survey of his looking-glass kingdom. "Can A Bishop Be Wrong" isn't a work of Christian apologetics, because it doesn't have to be. Spong's main contention-- the foundation of all his work-- is his claim that no intelligent person of the twentieth century can be an orthodox Christian. To respond, one doesn't have to prove Christianity-- one just has to provide a counterexample. This book categorizes his errors and logical lapses with admirable thoroughness. Not an exhaustive thoroughness, to be sure, but sufficient to the silly task at hand.

This book has its flaws. As others have noted, it is a collection of essays, and they repeat some of the same points over and over. The authors sometimes let Spong goad them into anger. And they don't argue much against Spong's theological outlook-- but since Spong's outlook is just rehashed nineteenth-century "modernism", you can find plenty of orthodox arguments against heavier intellectual forces than Spong. (Try Chesterton's _The_Everlasting_Man_, for starters.)

This book has a limited market. Spong's fans will not be moved by what they read here, if they were inclined to try reading it. But to the traditional theist of whatever religion, who wonders whether he ought to read Spong and find out what all the fuss is about, this book offers a strong and well-reasoned answer: "Nope."

I was very disappointed by this self-indulgent, self-engrandizing piece of pulp. Mr. Ferry obviously wrote this as an antidote to his insecurity and it expresses a poor attempt at both self-examination and historical analysis. This product is an insult to the reader's intelligence; a grand waste of time to read. I don't think the Anglican church got rid of Mr. Ferry for the reasons he would have us believe. I think it was his apparent obstinacy, and inability to subject himself to the authority of the church! There are many gay priests in the Anglican church who have not left their lovers (of which the church is aware). Mr. Ferry was obviously looking to grand stand at the time, and to create a name for himself! This is a sad testament and not worthy of a major motion picture.

I for one was not interested in his vanity, misrepresentations, half-truths, and rantings.

There are three parts to this book: Anglican (Episcopalian) priest Jim Ferry describes his spiritual and personal journey, and his attempts to find fulfillment as a gay Christian while active as the rector of a Toronto-area parish, and an ecclesiastical trial to remove him from his parish. He describes how a homophobic parishioner reports him to the Bishop of Toronto, and the ensuing complicated ecclesiastical trial (the Courts of the Lord, of the title). Parishioners' reactions to his situation range from the homophobic to the fearful to the affectionate and supportive and we see how this diversity of opinion both distresses and comforts him. We also see how the stress of the canon-law process destroys his relationship with a man and places him under much strain, without destroying his personal faith. While it is, perhaps of necessity, a self-centred document (some might even say self-serving or confused), it is a measured and thoughtful exposition of a situation in which many clergy have found themselves. For them's of us who are into canon law, it is an indictment of a basic weakness in Anglican practice and approach, confusing the bishop's role of pastor of pastors, and judge, and prosecutor. One can have very different (indeed, warring and contradictory) opinions of Fr Ferry, and the issues of gays in the clergy, homesexuality and Christianity, but still benefit from reading his perspectives. This is Food for thought stuff, and an important document in a debate which is far from over.

Clear as crystal, I can remember the hug goodbye I got from Jim at his farewell 'party' in some fellow St. Philips-on-the-Hill Church-goer's backyard. It was the last I was to see of him, and at the age of ten, found the reasons for his departure from the church to be thoroughly incomprehensible. Some years later I stumbled across his book on my parents' bookshelf and sat down for a good, long read. Giving little regard to the usual technicalities your average book critic sits and festers over, I was able to embrace the book from a unique perspective, enabling me to travel in the passenger's seat through Jim's life and through the catastrophe that was to be his forced removal from our church. While disappointed with the lack of reference to his friendly, Old English Sheepdog, "Maybe" (and his understandable failure to mention me!) I still highly recommend this book to anyone who's willing to open their eyes (and hearts) for an encounter with a touching story of a priest's battle with a belief system that guided him, yet at the same time, prosecuted him.