One of the most controversial voices in the U.S. in what he calls "redefining Christianity for the 21st century" will visit Santa Fe next weekend. John Shelby Spong, the retired Episcopal bishop of Newark, N.J., and author of more than 20 books, will highlight a weekend conference at Temple Beth Shalom, sponsored by the Santa Fe Jewish and Christian Dialogue and the David L. Dykes Jr. Foundation of Jackson, Miss.
"John Shelby Spong pushes us to fearlessly reform our faith traditions, and revitalize our witness," the Rev. Holly Beaumont, chair of the Santa Fe Jewish and Christian Dialogue, said. "At a time when religion is increasingly seen as the cause of global unrest rather than the solution, we need to be pushed."
Spong will speak May 16 at Temple Beth Shalom following a brief Shabbat service. His topic will be "How the Synagogue Shaped the Jesus Story." His May 17 lecture at the Synagogue is titled, "What Did Paul Mean When He Said, 'Jesus died in accordance with the Scriptures'?" The lectures are free and open to the public, though donations are welcome. Seating is limited and anyone interested in attending should confirm those plans by calling the Temple, 982-1376, or going online to www.faithandreason.org.
Spong, 76, has challenged traditional interpretations of Scripture and has been an outspoken defender of the role of women and gays in leading the Episcopal Church USA. As an Episcopal bishop he voted for the election of an openly gay priest, Gene Robinson, as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. That decision by the Council of Bishops led some churches and dioceses to break away from the American Episcopal church to follow a more conservative African branch of world Anglicanism.
Spong's views have resulted in his being barred from speaking in many Episcopal churches because he has called for a new Reformation— for new reinterpretations of basic Christian beliefs, including the virgin birth, the miracles described in the Gospels, the resurrection and the notion that Christ's death was a sacrifice to redeem the sins of the world.
Spong is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and studied at the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Va., as well as at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, Yale Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School and universities in Edinburgh, Oxford and Cambridge. He served as a rector at churches in North Carolina and Virginia in the 1950s and 60s before becoming bishop. He retired in 2000.
Spong's latest book, "Jesus for the Non Religious," makes the argument that Jesus has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. Spong currently lectures and writes, including ongoing essays on his Web site, www.JohnShelbySpong.com.
