Hello,
First off, thanks very much for all the help with the stay-at-home dad issue I brought up. It was very helpful to me.
Some people from another church recently gave me some books by a Bishop John Shelby Spong. These individuals say his knowledge of the Bible and Christianity is precise and that I could learn a lot from this man. However, I have just became a Christian 3 months ago and just joined a church. I really do not know much about certain people in Christianity or the various books written about it. I just am reading the Bible now to learn and grow. I would bring this up in my Baptist church but I'm already dealing with the stay-at-home dad issue with them.
Anyway, I was wondering if any Baptist has heard of this Bishop John Shelby Spong and is he a good person to adopt some positions from?
Bishop John Shelby Spong
Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Marco, Nov 1, 2005.
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He is probably the worst person from whom to learn theology.
He is a FLAMING liberal who denies basically all historical doctrines of Christianity. I would say that his theological positions cannot honestly be called Christian. -
Btw, just curious, what books by Spong were you given?
God Bless you as you grow!
In Christ,
Martin. -
Thanks for the advice. I better just stick with the Bible because things are a little wacky for me now - I got people at church telling me how to live my life and now I got these books by Spong who in fact may not be the best person to follow for advice.
So yeah, I'll stick with the Bible and try to work things out with my Church.
The books by Spong I received were: Why Christianity Must Change or Die, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, and Resurrecting - Myth or Reality. -
Since I believe that truth can stand on its own, it is a good thing to read varying viewpoints. If one isolates themself to only confirming authors, how does one understand others. It seems very cultish to cloister one's self into reading only one side of any issue.
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You know, maybe down the road I'll do that - look into diverse opinions. But I so new and to tell you the truth it's a lot to take in now. I've got to slow it down and just read the whole Bible first. I'll read his books once I feel more comfortable and confident as a Christian. Thanks again for all this advice guys.
~Marco -
Joseph Botwinick -
In Christ,
Martin. -
Magnetic Poles, I don't think a new Christian ought to explore the opposing viewpoints of the theologically liberal and extremely unorthodox without first getting some grounding in orthodox belief. -
I agree.
I'm not keen on referring to others as heretics - but Spong is definitely a heretic.
He does not believe in God!!!
And his "scholarship" is along the lines of John Dominic Crossan and the Jesus Seminar. -
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Gold Dragon Well-Known Member
Studying the bible first is good advice. Many study bibles out there provide good helps for beginners for difficult passages and cultural context. Here is one example of an NIV study bible. I would recommend studying with a mature Christian or small group you trust who will not try to push his/her/their theology on to you but be able gently point you in good directions when you have questions.
I don't know about your exposure to the bible but many folks start with the stories of Jesus' life found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Then they move on to Acts and Paul's letters (Romans - Philemon). Hebrews and James are also good letters to read. Then I would recommend some OT history like Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, 1&2 Samuel. Sprinkled with some OT poetry found in Psalms and Proverbs. Before moving into the tough subject of prophecy from Daniel, Isaiah, Revelations and the other prophets. There are a lot of important books I skipped over not because they are less important but because they are less frequently referrenced and sometimes difficult reads.
This could take a while since many mature Christians have not even read the whole bible. There are some good "Read through the bible" checklists that you may consider but I find they often encourage quantity of reading and not necessarily quality of reading. They may be useful after a while to help you discipline yourself to read the whole bible.
Praise God for his reaching out to you and your reaching out to him. I will pray for your continued spiritual growth. -
Just to give you an idea of who Spong is...
CCN (Church Communication Network) recently televised a live debate on the Resurrection of Jesus...
Spong was one of the debators. He took the position that the resurrection was not a literal resurrection.
Personally, I would not read his work at this stage of your new Christian life. Get grounded in the Word... and someday you might be able to help the person would gave you those books to see the truth.
God Bless -
Marco,
Welcome to the faith. I believe the best way to tell a counterfeit is to know that which is genuine. As you begin your walk stay with the Word. As you grow in the Lord you will be able to read others writings and discern whether they are the writings of a person of faith or a heretic.
Now as for Spong----He denies the resurrection and thus denies the Gospel. He shows himself not only to be heretical in his teaching but without biblical salvation according to his own statement of faith and testimony.
God bless you as you grow in Him my new brother in Christ.
Bro Tony