Why Christianity Must Change or Die [Paperback]

Bishop Spong has "Rattled a Few Cages" in his most recent book, cages that needed rattling. No one knows "the truth" of whatever god/gods there be, yet one that is accepting and loving and is within us rather than "out in space" somewhere is certainly an appealing thought to consider.

Don't read this book unless you can handle a challenging read.

Although Bishop Spong's conclusions are not original with his own thinking, he has systematically examined the nature of human sexuality, the Bible, the ideas of virgin birth and resurrection, and the nature of Jesus with the lens of rationality, scholarship, and a concern that the church is perpetuating ideas that make it less possible for people to have a serious commitment to the Christian faith in a modern, technological world. Bishop Spong has asked believers to take seriously the question of why they believe what they believe and to not be cowed when they find that some of what they have taken "for granted" has little else upon which to stand.

With his latest book Bishop Spong has moved beyond the realm of talking to seekers in church and directly addresses those who have left the church behind, even if they're still physically present. Although his critics dispute the claim, Bishop Spong says that the book is, "! ...a work of faith and conviction...as one who desires to w! orship as a citizen of the modern world and to be able to think as I worship." Throughout the 250 pages which follow, Bishop Spong identifies those Christian concepts which he claims are rooted in the "tribal identity" of an earlier time, not in any external or eternal reality. He identifies the ways in which the maintenance of those claims has strained under the history of human thought and scientific discovery. He goes ahead, then, to assert that a living, powerful Christian faith is possible, without the literal acceptance of the ideas that many people would consider to be essential to any religion.

Bishop Spong claims that such deconstruction is necessary because within and without the church there are those who use language which they "know" no longer speaks truth but for which there are few alternatives. Of such believers, he writes, "They refuse to abandon the reality of God, yet they have been driven by forces over which they have ! no control to sacrifice much of the content of that God reality. So they are left with an almost contentless concept, which must be allowed to find a new meaning or it will die."

Bishop Spong's book is not for the "weak of heart!" He consistently overstates his case, in often dramatic terms, leaving himself open to critics who want to literalize the extremity of his views. He also makes sweeping conclusions based on appeals to scholarship that can even leave sympathetic readers scratching their heads at some of his lines of thought. But what Bishop Spong does well, in an engaging and easy to read fashion, is state the case for a "post-Christian" Christian faith that seeks to integrate many of the common understandings of theological and Biblical scholarship with the "facts of life" as we enter the 21st century. What he stops short of doing is providing easy answers for what comes next.

This book is part of a larger effort by Bishop S! pong to engage his church and other concerned persons in a ! new dialogue about what the church is and how Christian faith should be expressed. Coinciding with the release of this book, Bishop Spong also released a "Call for a New Reformation" in which he challenges the church to a new debate over it's fundamental doctrines

Those who are certain of what they believe and feel that "orthodox" Christian tradition has expressed eternal truths for all time and all people will be enraged by this book. Those who find themselves bothered by blanket appeals to "tradition" and "scripture," when those appeals take precedence over rationality and common sense, will likely find Bishop Spong's book an interesting excursion into an "alternative" future for Christianity that they might never have thought possible. Those who have dismissed Christianity as anachronistic may be pleasantly surprised by the future that Bishop Spong envisions. Bishop Spong's own assessment is that, "...the world ca! n judge my contribution as to whether it destroyed the old or created the new...I am content to let the passage of time make that determination."

After reading this book i felt Christianity could perhaps evolve using a blueprint similar to this, and i felt forces within it were moving towards this more logical approach. My recent experience with Christians,however, has shown to me the problems they face without Spong's foward thinking.

Some of Spong's writings related to Jesus dying for the sins of the world, and also the idea of him being God incarnate are very bold and presented in a no-nonsense style. He rejects all these ideas and in very plain terms. His viewpoint on other religions is also very healthy to see and read. His views may annoy and offend the orthodox clergy, but for the people of this world what he says is a relief to hear.

Spong writes towards the end that history may show later that this book of his does not go far enough, to me the book goes a bit too far in places. During his demolition act of Christianity he also does away with a God that influences things in this world, and also does away with heaven and hell. This is my personal view, others may feel his vision should have gone further.

I hope this voice being raised in the Christian world will be listened to.