The Sins of Scripture : Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love review:5 stars (Spong has a lot to say) - Sadly, there are many hate-filled reviews by people who obviously haven't read this book. Or they have an ax to grind with the bishop. Whatever the case may be, it's to the "reviewers" own detriment. To pursue truth, we must look at all viewpoints, not just one.
The Sins of Scripture is the third book by Spong that I've read. The themes he covers are much the same: that the bible isn't the infallible Word of God; that theism, where God is understood as a person-like being who interacts with the world, is no longer believable; that we should focus on this life, instead of the life hereafter, becasue God isn't the kind of God who literally raises people from the dead; and that the true test of a religion is its ability to engender love in a person's life.
The bible, as Spong shows, is a cultural artifact written by humans at a paticular time and place; they didn't know everything about the world and thus couldn't make "absolute" truth statements for all time and space. The Jews held certain assumptions about the world and the human person that, in turn, shaped their theology and ethics.
But we don't live in that first-century world anymore. If we take the bible literally--with its culturally conditioned ethical and theological pronouncements--we end up with a lot of absurdities, even immoral behavior. Since the world can no longer wear those old Christian clothes, Spong offers an alternative theism that he thinks is a better "fit" for the world.
Bishop Spong is a good man and a good theologian. I've met the bishop, even had dinner with him at Boston University. We talked for an hour, and even though our faith journeys have taken different routes, I still admire his honesty to say things that many Christians don't want to hear but will eventually make the world a place that God wants it to be.
Lee Tasey
Author of "The Gospel of Arnie"4 stars (Rescuing the Bible From Misuse) - Former Bishop Spong doesn't believe in the Bible as the inspired word of God. He doesn't believe Jesus was born of a virgin, that he died in atonement for sin, or that he was physically resurrected from the dead. He doesn't believe in salvation, the second coming or Hell, and sees God more as an internal presence than an external supernatural force. But he loved the Bible as a child and still does as a retired Episcopalean Bishop. This book's purpose is to rescue the Bible from those who first literalize it and then so badly abuse it.
Can the "Word of God" be bound to the levels of knowledge that were transcended centuries ago? Can the writers of these sacred scriptures be expected to think beyond their place in history - or is it time to call the Church and the Bible to accountability? In his own 20 - 25 complete readings of the Bible, in addition to a lifetime of study and instructing others, Spong says the Bible condemns itself with its own words. These "Sins of Scripture" have been quoted throughout Christian history to justify behavior that is simply evil, with parallels in the Muslim Koran.
The most recent obscene justifications invoking God are OBL - 911; the Palestinians - suicide bombers in Israel; and Spong adds, GWB - invading Iraq. From the Bible, the stories of the Old Testament are comparable, dripping with blood and pathos. But even though the Bible is rife with stories justifying murder, rape, war, and abuse of women and children, there are only nine verses in the Bible that deal with homosexuality. The homophobic folks take half of those partially out of context and the other half refer back to the first half. According to Spong, the first line of offense against gays now appears to be the Bible and the argument is "frail, fragile and pitiful," yet the conservative right has made it one of THE self-righteous issues of the day.
Spong says there are minority voices throughout the Bible, less dramatic, that speak of a different understanding of the God experience that make more sense in our era. Proverbs speaks of humanity being part of a "life force." Acts speaks of a "spirit-filled" people that step beyond tribal boundaries and respond to a call for a new humanity...yet institutional Christianity has become so consumed by its quest for power and authority - most of which is rooted in excessive claims from the Bible - that the authentic voice of God can no longer be heard.
Spong claims to have 200 speaking engagements every year - demands on his time probably explain the book's lack of total cohesiveness. It still reads well, however, and I agree with his message and criticisms of fundamentalism. If one goes down the block, across the nation or around the world to each church, synagogue, mosque or holy place, some fundamentalists of each theology will be found. These sub-groups all have the annoying habit of claiming that their group alone, once and for all, has solved the great riddles of life. It seems to me, amongst all that varied dogma, there is only one way in which any one of them or all of them can be right; that being the extent to which that group teaches a theology of tolerance and love.
4 stars (The Sins of Scripture) - The book have really helped me to see how the Scripture has been used incorrectly by many. I have for some time blamed the readers too much and not what's in the Scripture themselves. I still feel that many use the Scripture to make or confirm their bias etc, but many are using bad Scripture correctly for the same reasons.
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