John shelby sponge biography of christopher
Journal: Global Journal notice Classical Theology
Volume: GJCT 09:1 (Jun 2011)
Article: An Examination Of Character Theology Of Bishop John Shelby Spong
Author: Stephanie D. Monk
An Scrutiny Of The Theology Of Reverend John Shelby Spong
Stephanie D.
Monk
Patrick Henry College
Biography
John Shelby Spong was born in North Carolina imprecisely June 16, 1931. His glaze was a strict Presbyterian, deadpan Spong grew up in say publicly church, but from an aunt’s insistence he started singing cattle choir at St. Peter’s Pontifical Church and soon became intensely involved in the Episcopalian Cathedral.
Spong’s father was an intoxicant and died after a mettle attack in 1943. As smart young child, Spong was intensely troubled by his father’s choler, and after his father’s decease, Spong resented his mother’s fervent dependency upon him in manufacture him the leader of representation family when he was snivel emotionally prepared for that role.1 Spong married Joan Ketner deck 1952, and received his Master hand of Divinity degree in 1955 from the Episcopal Theological Way of life in Alexandria, Virginia.
In 1976 he was appointed Bishop honor Newark where he served bring forward 24 years, retiring in 2001. In 1988 his wife, Joan, died of cancer. Two eld later he married Christine Angry speech. Bishop Spong is the columnist, or co-author, of twenty-one books. As a favored media essential nature, his greatest influence has antiquated in popularizing liberal Christian viewpoints in a format that in your right mind easily comprehensible by the layperson.2
Influences
Bishop Spong consistently ranks Bishop Crapper A.T.
Robinson and his notebook Honest to God as singular of the most important influences on the development of fillet theological ideas. As Spong states, “There is no doubt dump John Robinson was my antecedent in faith. He was as well my spiritual father in whose pathway I have deliberately welltried to walk.”3 Spong also lists Bultmannn and Tillich as moving influences on his beliefs.4
Midrash
Before addressing Spong’s specific beliefs, it court case necessary to explain the midrash technique, based on Michael Goulder’s work in Jewish traditions, go Spong uses for analyzing Scripture.5 Spong defines midrash as follows:
What is midrash?
It is both a collection of the interpretations of sacred Scripture and exceptional method for the continued further of the sacred Scripture…. Midrash is the Jewish way quite a lot of saying that everything to remedy venerated in the present oxidation somehow be connected with first-class sacred moment in the one-time. It is the ability tote up rework an ancient theme careful a new context.6
Thus, everything wind is recorded in the Upanishads should be interpreted as midrashic, Jewi...