It can be hard to get a handle on who exactly John Shelby Spong is and what he believes. There is certainly lots of hysteria around what he believes and a lot of misunderstanding. If your both confused and curious Richard Fidler recently interviewed John Spong for about 50 minutes on Brisbane ABC radio. It's a good intro for anyone who doesn't know much about him and what he believes. Fidler's lack of a theological agenda and lack of detailed knowledge means that he is an impartial and starts with some of the basic questions about his beliefs and history. If you were ever a Doug Anthony All Stars fan you might find it hard to take Richard Fidler seriously if you remember him singing songs like this (link contains rude words and descriptions of unpleasantness).
4 comments:
You're being very non-commital about Spong, Chris! :) I think it's a pity that he's the most popular christian thinker of recent times... there are more accurate critiques of contemporary christianity that offer positive alternatives built on orthodox faith - like Rob Bell and N.T. Wright. What do you think?
Indeed I am being non-committal. I'm a big N.T Wright fan and I'm currently working my may through New Testament and the people of God (to be followed by Jesus and the Victory of God and The Resurrection of the Son of God). I think Spong asks some great questions and he's not someone I like to dismiss just because he doesn't fit into orthodox Xy. He's the kind of theologian who is pigeon holed a bit too quickly in my experience. I've only read the his book the sins of scripture and I wasn't a big fan of that but I'm keen to read his new book to see what that is like. It sounds like it is a summary of all his thinking over the years.
I think Spong is a mixed bag. I don't agree with everything he says and he tends to go off the deep end some times, but I also think he raises important questions that are worth considering.
A lot of people who don't take well to Spong seem to like Marcus Borg a lot better, even though Borg like Spong rejects traditional theistic ideas about God. But Borg is less abrasive and more conciliatory in tone, so religious moderates who might not agree with him still find him more palatable.
Hey there Mystical Seeker,
"A mixed bag" is a great way to describe a lot of theological thinkers. Just because one thing they say we don't agree with doesn't mean we should write off everything and just because we don't agree with the answer doesn't mean they have raised a valid question. In my opinion no matter what people may think of Spong's answers he is certainly raising some great questions.
Oh and I'd recommend the Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions by Marcus Borg and Tom Wright if anyone wants to know what the difference between more orthodox evangelical thinking is and more liberal thinking. It's a good read as both men have a gentle respect for each other.
Thanks for reading.
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