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An international gathering of religious progressives to affirm
the contribution of reasonable and tolerant religion to public discourse in our society.
The pre-eminent voice for liberal Christianity, John Shelby Spong, was the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark for 24 years before his retirement in February 2000. His admirers acclaim his legacy as a teaching bishop who makes contemporary theology accessible to the ordinary lay person— he’s considered a champion of an inclusive faith by many both inside and outside the Christian church.
His challenges to the church have also made Bishop Spong the most vilified of modern clergyman. The target of hostility, fear, and death threats, he has been called anti-Christ, hypocrite and the devil incarnate. In what may come as a surprise to his critics, his new book , A New Christianity for a New World, is a statement of Christian faith and love for the church. Calling himself “ a joyful, passionate, convinced believer in the reality of God,” he seeks not to create a new religion, but to reform the church he loves. “I am a Christian and will go to my grave as a member of this household of faith,” he writes. Bishop Spong challenges the church to move with him, convinced that if the church remains where it is now, the Christian faith will die. “I hold steadfastly to the truth of the assertion first made by Paul that ‘God was in Christ’,” he says. He yearns for the reformation, he says, so that his grandchildren too can say, “God is real to me, and Jesus is my doorway into this reality.”
Since his retirement, Bishop Spong has taught at Harvard University, where he delivered the William Belden Noble lectures; and at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. In demand as a lecturer around the world, Bishop Spong has completed several tours to the U.K., Europe, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, where he delivered lectures based on his books to capacity crowds.
Bishop Spong is the author of several bestselling books which have sold more than 650,000 copies combined, including Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, Why Christianity Must Change or Die, and Here I Stand, a memoir of his journey to the reasoned, loving Christianity he has preached for decades.
His latest book, Jesus for the Non-Religious, was releaed in the US in February 2007.
Bishop Spong has received numerous honours, including being named Quatercentenary Scholar by Cambridge University in 1992 and Humanist of the Year in 1999. His extensive media experience includes appearances on “60 Minutes,” “Good Morning America,” “Fox News Live,” “Politically Incorrect,”“ Larry King Live,” “The O’Reilly Factor,” William F. Buckley’s “Firing Line,” and “Extra.”
Bishop Spong lives with his wife, Christine Mary Spong, in Morris Plains, New Jersey.