Rating: 
Summary: Asks more questions than it answers: perhaps the point?
Review: This book is well written, and a fast, accessible read. It is a tad repetitive, but mostly just one-sentence blurbs restating his primary thesis, which is thus hammered home effectively by the conclusion of the book. If you agree with Spong's conclusions (or even think you may agree upon further reading/research), some profound questions are raised: Do we now proceed as "Christians", albeit without a miracle-giving, resurrected, only-son-of-God Jesus? My inital thought, after reading this book, is a skeptical "perhaps." Jesus as the founder of a new religion (perhaps unintentionally so), Jesus as our Truth that Godliness can be beheld, Jesus as an ideal (let us, as best as we can, imitate Christ): these are all plausible grounds for leaving the Christ in Christianity. Another side of me feels that if all of his conslusions are true, then Christianity might as well be abandoned as an archaic myth-based faith. These are certainly two starkly contrasting conclusions to be considering from a single source, and one of the reasons why this book intrigued me so.
Rating: 
Summary: A whole new perspective on traditional Christian thinking.
Review: Bishop Spong is able to put into words many of the thoughts I've had about my lifetime learnings from a "traditional" Christian upbringing! Finally, my ambiguous thoughts are captured in the words of this deep-thinking and sensitive person. The book has helped me more clearly formulate my own feelings about Christianity -- the "good, the bad, and the ugly". Thankfully, there are those who don't fear change. More thankfully, there are those who insist upon and embrace necessary change!
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Summary: Good popularization of Liberal Protestant theology
Review: Bishop Spong gives a good popularized summary of Liberal Protestant thought similar to what R. McBrien does for Roman Catholic theology. Popularizing the complexities of either development is a skill and a gift to all who are interested.Spong's recent 13 Theses of Reformation drew me to this book because he refers the reader to _Why Christianity..._ for further explanation. The theses are largely negative statements vis-a-vis the historical creedal statements. Spong's reformulation of the creed in the final chapter is an excellent summary of all that comes before it. Spong also provides something rarely found in the Liberal Protestant realm -- an attempt to explore how we might modify our worship/liturgy toward the a-theistic "Ground of all Being" who is our Ultimate Concern. I recommend this book to those who are as convinced as Spong that now is the time to reformulate our expressions of Christian faith, especially if, like St. Paul, we truly want the preach the Good News to all the world!
Rating:
Summary: Take and read.
Review: No surprises here. Readers who already disagree with Spong will see him as a bete noire. Readers who think as he does will see him as the latest salvator mundi. Spong has a large, appreciative audience. He's a best-selling author. If for no other reason, orthodox Christians should read "Why Christianity Must Change or Die" to face squarely what a lot of people, even church people, are thinking. (The five stars, then, reflect not the content of the book but the urgency of reading it.) Not much of what's in Spong's program is new; much of it is quite ancient, actually. But he is a great popularizer. Unfortunately, the bishop and his friends often leave the impression that the only alternative to his views is the harshest fundamentalism. Spong versus Falwell. Newark (the bishop's diocese) versus the back woods. Are those our only choices? Of course not. By all means read Spong. But read, too, the insightful criticisms of him in a book such as "Can a Bishop Be Wrong?" edited by Peter C. Moore (Morehouse). See especially the contributions of C. FitzSimons Allison, Ephraim Radner, and Edith M. Humphrey, who contends that the key problem with Spong's thought lies "not in what the bishop affirms about the nature of God, but in what he thinks must be denied." Further, compare what you find in Spong with, say, N.T. Wright's "Bringing the Church to the World," "Jesus and the Victory of God," and "Who Was Jesus?" There are more theological options open to us in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in Spong's philosophy.
Rating:
Summary: Tells us where we are, but not how to get out of here.
Review: Spong does a pretty good job of demolishing traditional Christian teaching here, but he's writing for people who already know that much of traditional teaching is contrary-to-fact and who wrestle with the fact that their Faith somehow survives this knowledge. Unfortunately, he doesn't tell us what to do about this, but he does do a great job of showing us where we stand, and that should help a number of people clarify their thinking. It sure helped clarify mine!
Rating:
Summary: A real first rate thought provoker
Review: I read the entire book so quickly that I surprised myself. It is so well written and thought out that you just can't put it down. As a christian it really caused me to contemplate things I had never really considered. Spong is definitely on the cutting edge of future theology. This book covers the full range of traditional thought destroying most of them rather easily.
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Summary: At Last!! HOPE!!!! An awesomely inspiring book!
Review: This was the most inspiring book I've ever read concerning Christianity. I have read the bible from cover to cover, more than once. I was raised in the Roman Catholic church and converted to Pentacostal when I was a teenager. In recent years I began to question the teachings of organized religion and as a result developed an interest in religion, philosophy and history. I then identified as an atheist, but more recently have begun to understand myself as a "seeker of truth". As I was reading Bishop Spong's book, I kept thinking, "this is my thought exactly", and "wow, I didn't think there was anyone who would understand where I'm at in my own spiritual journey", and "I have to meet this man". I'm still not quite sure I will ever believe in "God" again; Christianity just does not make any sense at all to me. However, I feel that Bishop Spong is inspiring Hope where there was none. I hope that many people will embrace Bishop Spong and his new insight with a sense of awestruck inspiration and hope. Thank you, Bishop Spong! If a godly man ever lived, you are he. Please continue to write. I intend to read every word you have written thus far. I found this book to be quite readable. Bishop Spong's ideas were presented in a very understandable way, asking very legitimate questions and providing reasonable answers which, at the very least, were thought provoking. Anyone capable of truly thinking for her/himself will find this book a gold mine.
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Summary: Spong masterfully blends Christianity with rational thought!
Review: As a student and a scientist, I have admittedly faced substantial difficulties reconciling spirituality with reason. Spong appeals to Christians to be honest with themselves. The result of his analysis replaces the apparent rigidity of the Church with an image of Christianity as a dynamic faith that is defined at a personal level. As an Episcopalian, I find this especially heartening as the Church evolves to fit modern knowledge and embrace spiritual uncertainty. Of the three tenets of Anglican thought, reason is perhaps the most important, as it challenges Christians to continually seek to understand God in terms of their own truths and perceptions of the world. While a lack of formalized structure and traditional doctrine is undoubtedly unsettling to some, the majority of contemporary thought has antiquated many of the ideas and terms of the past. Spong presents reexamination of one's faith (or lack thereof) as not only a healthy, but indeed a vital process. Spong fundamentally denies the trap of literalism, reaffirming Christian faith by challenging biases of history. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who takes Christianity seriously, as it has provided amazing enlightenment to me.
Rating: 
Summary: Brainless drivel
Review: The book is a shallow attempt to try and explain what the author cannot explain. Simply put, he can not explain God or why what happens, happens. Therefore, Christanity's explantaion can not be true or valid. What is true and valid? The author has no idea. This person demands that God be logical and understandable to HIM or he will not acknowledge the existence or correctness of God. Who is God in this thought process? Spong seems to make himself that, perhaps unconcsiously.
Rating:
Summary: Love it or hate it.
Review: I loved it! Fundies everywhere will hate it. (See the reviews here.) Thank you Bishop Spong, for removing my guilt for years of feeling the way I do about Christianity. I am one of those for whom this book was written. But I wonder... He seems to have stopped about two pages short of calling Christ a Buddha, and for me, that would have made the the book complete.
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