- Hardcover: 267 pages
- Publisher: Harpercollins (Mar 1991)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060675098
- ISBN-13: 978-0060675097
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 14.2 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,182,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism
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Product Description
Synopsis
Drawing on recent scholarship and personal studies, an Episcopal bishop argues against interpretation of the Bible as literal truth and explains how to make it vital and relevant to twentieth-century life.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
From the Back Cover
RESCUING THE BIBLE FROM FUNDAMENTALISM
In this provocative best-seller, the outspoken and controversial Bishop John Shelby Spong reveals how literal interpretations of Scripture have been used to justify slavery, ban textbooks, deny the rights of gays and lesbians, subordinate women, and justify war and revenge. Spong combines current biblical scholarship, modern science, and, most of all, his deep love and respect for Scripture, to lift the Bible out of the prejudices and cultural biases of bygone eras. Eloquent, forthright and compassionate, Spong liberates the Bible’s message of hope for all people.
“I hold the Bible before my readers seeking boldly to free it from the clutches of a mindless liberalism and, at the same time, presenting it as a dramatic and exciting document whose relevance for our day is both mighty and real.”
John Shelby Spong
John Shelby Spong is the Episcopal Bishop of Newark and is also the author of 'Living in Sin?', 'This Hebrew Lord, Beyond Moralism', and other books.
“Throughout his career as an Episcopal priest and bishop, John Shelby Spong has been surrounded by controversy as he has laboured on the leading edge of movements to bring blacks, women and homosexuals into the full life of his church.”
'The New York Times'
“[Spong] is striving to revive the imaginative possibilities of ancient Scripture for the women and men of today.”
'Mirabella'
“[Spong] wants to bring [the Bible] into the twentieth century by focusing on its eternal truths rather than the historical, philosophical, and scientific aberrations that have caused some to discount it entirely … Spong offers interesting, well thought-out ideas that should do what he intends – get people thinking about the Bible.”
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First Sentence
Sex drove me to the Bible! Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Sex drove me to the Bible! Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At the outset of RESCUING THE BIBLE FROM FUNDAMENTALISM John Shelby Spong points out that the subject of Biblical inerrancy is a popular topic of debate among Bible scholars but goes largely unnoticed by the general public. The author is interested in taking this discussion to the people in the church pews. His particular target seems to be the mainline liberal Christian churches whose membership is shrinking due to the apparent apathy of many of its adherents. For the people who are turned off by what they see as an irrelevant message Spong wants to rework the Christ story so that it makes sense in terms of this century. At the present time the Bible remains a prisoner of fundamentalist Christians.
Believing in the inerrancy of the Bible has always presented special problems according to Spong. For instance, Biblical writers did not posses any idea of the grand sweep of history. They also had no knowledge of distant lands, oceans or continents. In addition, they were very dependent on oral tradition.
The Bible does contain much truth and it is our challenge now to lift that truthfulness out of the confining structure of the ancient world.
Beneath the literalistic framework of the Bible lie some powerful messages. In the Old Testament stories of the prophets we can see attempts to remedy human problems of injustice and the later influence of the prophets on secular social reforms in Western countries. The gospels of the New Testament tell about the love of God visible in the life of Jesus who is able to break all human barriers of race, sex and nationality. The main message of Christ seems to be in fact all about destroying the barriers of our prejudices and becoming truly inclusive Christians.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Excellent summary of the reasonable reasearch of the last century or so. Spong shows himself to be a very intelligent, liberal minded, free thinking and sensitive man in his approach to scripture. If you are sick of a religion cast in iron with it dogmas set in stone, anachronical and inflexible, then this book and others by this author will be a breath of fresh air for you. Spong shows us intelligently and sensitively that to be critical is not to be impious.
Conversely if you are on the fundamentalist spectrum, or if you call yourself a Bilical/catholic/Orthodox traditionalist have a look at the arguments in contra to your own worldview. That's very healthy and I don't think you'll get punished for it, not if God is a true pedagogue anyway!
Conversely if you are on the fundamentalist spectrum, or if you call yourself a Bilical/catholic/Orthodox traditionalist have a look at the arguments in contra to your own worldview. That's very healthy and I don't think you'll get punished for it, not if God is a true pedagogue anyway!
38 of 48 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This a fantastic, uplifting basic introduction to modern biblical scholarship. For the lay person in the pew, this book spells out current knowledge about biblical authorship and about what is known and not known about the environment in which the authors lived, worked and believed. Spong's book is engaging and easy to read while still providing good references and bibliography. Most importantly, Spong presents biblical scholarship in an uplifting faith-filled context.
Why the reference to fundamentalism in the title? The whole intent of Spong's book is to answer the question: "How can Christians have a relevant, faith-filled approach to the bible if they can no longer accept the bible as literally true?"
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