Rating: 
Summary: I agree ... but now what do I do???
Review: I came across Bishop Spong's books while investigating the Episcopal church. I had gone to that denomination because of the liberal stance they had take on many modern issues, i.e., homosexuality, ordaining women, etc. I still had reservations because of my "off the wall" feelings about God and Jesus. I felt like a hippocrite reciting the litany of the service which porclaimed things I did not believe. When I read this book I understood why ... I was a believer in exile. Spong articulated my questions regarding prayer, my feelings that God is the Life Force that resides in me, not a being "out there", that Jesus was not a literal "Son of God", but a human that had highly developed these inner "God" traits of love, compassion and concern for all humanity. The one thing the book lacked was a plan that would help me, a Believer in Exile, to know what to do to fill the spiritual void I was feeling in my life. If anyone else feels like this, please feel free to email me.
Rating:
Summary: A thinking person's book.
Review: At the beginning of reading Bishop Spong's books, my feet were draging. After a very short time, I was impressed with his honesty and integrity.Christianity has changed, is changing and will change. Too fast for some, too slow for others. The truth contained in Christianity will never die.
Rating: 
Summary: Why the false choice?
Review: I have long admired John Shelby Spong for his courageous commitment to full inclusion of women and sexual minorities in the life of the church. His deep humanity and his decades of work and personal sacrifice have made him a hero in the eyes of many progressive Christians. But I am troubled by this book, more so than any of his other works. Spong, like his fundamentalist counterparts, posits a false dichotomy: One can be theologically conservative and thus politically reactionary, or one can be a political progressive and thus reject the importance of scripture and the divinity of Christ. This is simply a tragic over-simplification. It is possible to be theologically orthodox (recognizing Christ's divinity, recognizing the divine inspiration of scripture, acknowledging Jesus as Redeemer) and politically inclusive (recognizing that scripture does not preclude homosexual unions from being recognized -- ask anyone who REALLY knows the Greek in Romans 1:25-26 or 1 Corinthians 6:9, and they will know what I am referring to). I believe that Jesus is my personal savior, and I believe in justice and full inclusion for all within the loving and accepting arms of the church. I reject Spong's thesis that we cannot have inclusion without theism, that we cannot survive without surrendering our dependence on the living God. I admire his work, both as bishop and teacher, but I respectfully disagree. His book is well worth the read, but I suspect that it will not be of much comfort or consolation to those of us Episcopalians who, while sharing a commitment to political change and full inclusion, have at the core of our lives and our beings a vibrant personal relationship with Christ.
Rating:
Summary: A common sense prescription for a humane, vital Christianity
Review: Abraham Lincoln famously said that the United States could not survive half-slave and half-free, that it would either become all the one or all the other. He was quick to point out that in saying this, he was not stating his desire, but merely observing what had to be. In Spong's case, the Christianity he envisions is part desire and part prediction. His central thesis is probably true: the old, dogmatic Christianity of six-day Creation, woman-from-a-rib, man-swallowing whales, talking donkeys, and (mainly) hellfire and brimstone in the universe of a supposedly loving god cannot thrive amid the scientific and spiritual growth our culture is undergoing. Increasingly we see these rigid, old dogmas losing their vitality in a world in which they have become irrelevant, as well as obviously untrue. Spong is an advocate for what he sees as a more humane Christianity: humane not only in not condemning others for sincerely believing in a different theology, but also in where it places its focus. The narrow-minded fundamentalists who think reality emerges from their opinions do not like it (Read the other reviews!), but if people of different religious faiths are to live together, as we now must, our only hope for religion lies in its humaneness, not its dogmas. This is all the more true in an age when science has long since disproved many of the bedrock dogmas of theistic fundamentalism. Spong spends considerable time exploring several of his pet peeves. Yet he does it with a humor and a pastoral understanding that keeps him on the bright side, and keeps his work inspiring. He acknowledges that some call him a Humanist, a label he does not deny. Is it possible that our common humanity is the bedrock Truth that binds us all together, and that a central and religious commitment to human worth and dignity is the future of religion? Perhaps the better questions are: How can it be otherwise, and why are we taking so long to "get it"? As Gandhi once said of Christianity (I'm paraphrasing), "It sounds great. They should try it!" If Spong's vision helps light the way to a new religion that retains many of Christianity's features, but finally puts what many believe was Christ's central message at the center, then perhaps religion will cease to be just another part of our lives, and become the guiding force of so many sincere people's fondest desire. Perhaps when religion comes to address the real concerns of life with an uncompromised spirituality and an abiding Love for others as ourselves, it can not only regain its place as a central cultural force, but become more powerful than it ever was when it was used to oppress and dictate to people. Perhaps the real power in Spirit is not magical or supernatural --- perhaps it is just a reflection of who we are, and have always been. That, perhaps, is the central revelation of the emerging religion. Spong's book offers us a path toward it. Judged for the quality of its writing alone, this book might have merited only a four-star rating. But considering the importance of Spong's ideas, I consider it essential reading for anyone concerned about these issues.
Rating:
Summary: Important issues are raised here
Review: Although the title of this volume may seem shocking to some of my fellow Christians, Bishop Spong is to be congratulated for raising the important issues discussed in this book. The section on theism, which is arguably the central theological issue of the 21st century, would alone make this book worth the read. But I would commend the entire book to anyone who wants to discard the dysfunctional elements of Christianity and move beyond them to "the truth as it is in Jesus" (Ephesians 4:21). Spong admits he doesn't have answers to all of the questions he has raised, but we can all be grateful to him for raising them. The fact that an Episcopalian Bishop has dared to speak out in this way is really quite wonderful -- it gives one some hope for the Church of the future.
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Summary: Read it if you dare!
Review: Bishop Spong scares a lot of people, but not me. I think his ideas are interesting and appreciate his saying out loud what others are thinking, but afraid to say. This book is taboo to most Christians, but go ahead and read it if you like to break the rules. I didn't agree with a lot of what he said, but appreciated his attempt to "shake" up the believers.
Rating: 
Summary: Unfair and Inaccurate
Review: This book is not accurate and full of contradictions. The author tries to say that he is for the good christianity, which is according to his wish is to be free to do all and live as you wish where everything is permissible, but most of the times, he argues as an Athiest. The Bishop give himself the right to speek as a biologist one time then as an physicist at other and take on all these roles to try to say that the bible is wrong. I think that the author don't have enough qualifications to talk about evolution or the age of the universe ..etc because simply most of the so called facts that he is using are not FACTS. He likes them to be facts but this does not make them truthful facts. Then he presents himself as an insider to the faith and If anyone reads the book not knowing that the author is a bishop will say he is a non beleiver in God or any relgion but a straight athiest. So writing a book and giving it the name that was given as if the author is burdened by the love of God and Christ in a way that he wants to serve God by changing his laws and rules so he can survive the new modern hi-tech society is the ultimate pride and biggest lie. I myslef is a highly educated person and was an athiest at one point then got converted to christianity and let me say it bluntly... If we don't change we will die and our anti God ideas will die .. Christianity went through a lot of tougher times and had more powerful enemies internal and extenal but always came out victorious and all the enemies vanished. All God's enemies will vanish and that is the ultimate truth in life. Even though Reading this book was a waste of time, but it definetly saved me from buying the rest of his books!
Rating: 
Summary: Why Christianity Must Change or Lose the Intelligentsia
Review: Bishop Spong should have named this book "Why Christianity Must Change or Lose the Intelligentsia." Another reviewer is correct in stating that Christianity is growing (and that the mainline Christian churches are shrinking). Christianity is not in danger of dying, but it is in danger of losing the intellectual classes. Fundamentalist Christianity and academic intellectualism are antithetical: one provides dogmatic, unquestionable answers; the other continually asks questions and is open to debate. There are two possible outcomes to this impasse: 1) The intelligentsia can become completely irreligious and unchurched. 2) A new flavor of Christianity can be developed that is reconcilable with modern science and mores. Spong's short-sightedness is in declaring that this new flavor of Christianity should become THE Christianity for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing!
Review: For years I have believed that Biblical literalists have failed to get the true message of Christ. That is, that God is to be found within ourselves and that the true meaning of Christian love embodies unconditional tolerance for diversity (as in the parable of the Good Samaratan), and the revelation of God to others through the example of how one lives his/her life -- not through proselytization and judgemental dogma. Fundamental Christianity has always frightened me a bit. To assert that one must conform to the tribal beliefs of a given church to be worthy of the grace of God is only a breath away from stating that if one differs from those beliefs, then one is not worthy of life. History has shown us time and again the tragic outcome of this mentality, and sadly we humans seem bent on repeating it. This book does not answer all qustions concerning the nature of God. It cannot because God is internal to all of us, and because of our diversity, each one of us will experience God in different ways. Therefore, each of us has a personal responsibility for getting in touch with the spirit of God that graces every living being and allowing it to guide us in the realization of our fullest potential as unique instruments of God's peace. This is something that is a lifetime effort. It is not realizable through the spoon-feeding (or force-feeding) of creedal dogma from those external organizations or individuals that have annointed themselves as proxies to God. If you read this book, and then re-read the books of the New Testament, I have no doubt you will definitely see the teachings of Christ in a new and refreshing light!
Rating:
Summary: For those unaware of their own exile
Review: Regardless of the criticism that Spong is simply trying to popularize pre-conceived notions of liberal Christianity, I believe this book can resonate with the most conservative Christian to the non-commital agnostic. This is not to say you will agree with all his thoughts, but for anyone who understands that questioning faith is fundamental to the existence of faith, he asks the questions many have been afraid to.
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