Rating: 
Summary: Food for thought, whatever your leaning
Review: There are hundreds of books decrying mainstream (and even more for fundamentalist) Christianity but what makes this book interesting is that the author isn't just pointing to frequently-mentioned inconsistancies and sometimes appaling parts of the Bible and saying something along the lines of we should just eliminate Christianity because it's so bad and so stupid, but saying that it must be changed -- as well as telling how and why. Spong addresses the important issue that many believers face, which is that they cannot accept many of the things they hear in church, but they are equally unable to throw the whole thing out because they *do* believe. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not (I felt a sort of shock of recognition with some things, while others seemed to be unessesary leaps of logic) it is very provocative reading, especially the study of the Gospels and the sifting through differing accounts to find out what kind of person Jesus really was.
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Summary: The Narcissistic Philosophy of a Would-be Moses
Review: This is a book written by a Bishop of institutionalized religion from one of the most stifling and political of Christian churches - the Episcopal Church. He describes himself as a believer-in-exile. A term which is puzzling at best due to his duplicity of remaining a Bishop in the very church he states as having died. In reality, what are dying are the church traditions for which he is still a leader, not Christianity, for which he is not. While the book is written well, with sincerity, and flows with an easy to read style, the premises and conclusions are merely inconsistent and sad opinion. Spong spends much of the book stating that the theistic God of the Bible is dead, killed by advances in science and knowledge. He erroneously states there is no sin, and therefore no redemption (the very essence of Christianity), there are no morals external to human culture, and the depictions in the Bible are inaccurate. He chooses to "loathe" a deity who would sacrifice that which is most precious to him for our redemption, and otherwise attempts to undermines every aspect of the very creeds which define the institutional religion of Christianity, to which he is a member. He states he believes in Jesus as the path to God, yet attempts to dis-credit nearly every aspect of what Jesus taught. While he does seem to understand the limitations and outdated status of institutionalized religious philosophy, he mistakenly assumes his organized religion is the same theology as the belief in the salvation which comes from Jesus Christ. He closes the book with the amazing revelation that he still leads worship services with the very creeds he depicts as "nonsense", and still prays with his congregation while not believing he is actually praying to God at all. This level of hypocrisy is rarely seen and rarer still boasted about. In short he is not attempting to "change" Christianity, but re-create it in his own image. There are countless other authors who tackle the same questions he does, but with much less arrogance and much more integrity. Skip this book and save your money, the "Religion of Spong" will be thankfully short lived.
Rating:
Summary: Gimme a break! This isn't Christianity!
Review: Christianity--by virtue of its divine founder--cannot change. If it changes, it isn't Christianity any longer. There are certain doctrines which are an integral part of Christianity, and to deny those is to deny the very basis for our faith. Unfortunately, Mr. Spong (who doesn't even deserve to be a bishop) seems to have conveniently forgotten this in order to continue in his own sin.
Rating: 
Summary: Loving Wastefully
Review: This is definitely a book that opened my mind to new views of the Christian Bible. I have long said that while I think there are good lessons in the Bible, it cannot, and should not be taken literally, nor be considered to be inerrant in content. Because I had neither the time nor inclination to become a New Testament Scholar, I had no way to verbalize my belief or argue with those who professed to "Know." Here then, is a book that a lay person can read, understand, and evaluate based on your own common sense.More importantly, this book has given me a whole new way to view Jesus and perhaps be more accepting of his lessons. Bishop Spong uses the phrase "Christian in exile" to describe how he feels. He is in exile because much, if not all, of the organized Christian religion today calls for us to believe in things that require us to suspend our common sense. Yet, many are also not comfortable leaving the faith of their childhood. So perhaps they sit quietly or say the words of the liturgy while footnoting in their minds what the "really" think is true. Bishop Spong also chooses to use the words "Ground of Being" to express more clearly his concept of God. In the preface to the book, Bishop Spong states, "This book has been in progress for more than twenty years. It is a work of faith and conviction. It is my witness as one who desires to worship as a citizen of the modern world and to be able to think as I worship. I write it as a person to whom the Christian Church has accorded honor, rank, and the privilege of leadership in the episcopal office. It comes thus from the life of a bishop whose vows at the time of my consecration included both a promise to defend the faith and to guard the unity of the church. The vocation of doing just that in a rapidly changing world has been my privilege for almost a quarter of a century." And in this book he does indeed defend the faith - against the establishment that tries to keep the faith by ignoring the realities of our modern world. As he states, Christianity must change, or it will, inevitably, die. I would expand that to say any religion today must take into account our growing understanding of our physical world. If, in my youth, I had ministers who thought as clearly as Bishop Spong does now, I might still be in the Christian faith. But, like so many of my friends, even those still attending a Christian church, I refuse to check my brain at the door. Now I find that I have more time to explore my own spirituality, read those who have made theology their life, and further, I am in a position to process all this with a mind free of dogmatic interpretations. It is too late for me to return to Christianity, but I can now reclaim Jesus as a peripatetic sage who has many lessons worth learning. I hope that those still practicing Christian faith will help open the minds of their peers to read the scriptures with new eyes, keeping their faith living and healthy - with no congregants checking their brains at the door. Thank you Bishop Spong for having the courage to write this book, for having the courage to go on saying what you believe despite sixteen death threats from bible quoting Christians, and for loving us wastefully enough to want to bring meaning into our post modern lives.
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Summary: Falsehoods, intolerance, sophistry, casuistry...truth
Review: FALSEHOODS. Spong's most important falsehood is the book's nominal premise--its title. Christianity won't die if it doesn't change. Religions can remain static, or change minimally, and remain viable for millennia. Islam in particular comes to mind. Relatedly, the theistic God has not been "cast aside" because human beings have "evolved" (p 54). Positing that humans can/do/will evolve either physically or mentally in the space of a few years is an error made by many, including Marx, Lenin, Lysenko and Hegel. Theism developed due to human nature (pp 51- 52), and Spong shows no evidence that acquisition of knowledge changes our nature. INTOLERANCE. For a guy who seeking to "love wastefully and abundantly," (p 68) Spong has a hell of a long way to go. He commits an unpardonable hypocrisy when he calls his critics peddlers of "premodern literalizations that so frequently masquerade as Christianity" (p xvi). Besides being intolerance bordering on bigotry, wouldn't you agree that Spong calling others' Christian credentials into question is a little ironic? SOPHISTRY. Why does Spong resist being called a pantheist or even a "panentheist" (p 62)? Is there really any difference between "God is in, but not necessarily the sum of, all things" (panenetheism) and "God is the inescapable depth and center of all that is" (Spongism) (p 70)? And...Christianity without Christ. Think about that. Sam Kinison would have correctly pointed out that Christianity without Christ is like rock 'n roll without drugs. Spong's Jesus is not Christ. He is a "spirit person" (ch 7). He doesn't save (pp 179-180). He didn't atone (p 84). He will not resurrect us (p 116). I could believe an oak tree is Christ; does that make me a Christian? CASUISTRY. Spong uses the new testament to make his argument that Jesus was a "spirit person" at the same time he belittles the primitive Christians' ability to correctly state their spiritual experiences (p 106). Spong's phony reasoning is obvious when contrasting his religious and political views. Take a look at his view of Jesus and his favorable view of abortion (p 6). In chapter 8 Spong sets forth Jesus as the alpha-exemplar of selflessness and defender of the defenseless and excluded (pp 128-9). Contrast that ideal with abortion. Abortion is almost always selfish; actually, it's difficult to think of something more selfish. It also is an act that by definition rejects (kills) the defenseless. But Spong puts abortion before his Jesus. TRUTH. Admittedly, Spong breaks wide open some of Christianity's most glaring problems and fallacies. Among the best explained are: how the Enlightenment and modern science attack God (pp 31-40); how the need for religion comes from our nature instead of an external source (pp 51-52); the illogic of "religious truth" (p 52); the function of guilt as part of religious control (p 95); the inherent injustice of prayer (p 142); the immorality of the law of Moses (p 153); and the contemporary selective obedience to biblical laws (pp 156-158).
Rating: 
Summary: News to me
Review: Did I miss something? Since when is Christianity dying? The latest world statistics show it to be making steady growth (Buddhism is deteriorating, however). The figures on the Epsicopal church, however, are revealing. Spong's own diocese has lost at least half its members and the Episcopal church in the USA continues to lose members to a dramatic degree. Pentecostal churches are surging, Catholicism is showing steady growth, etc. It is only the most theologically liberal churches which are hemorrhaging members. When you lose theological content, disaster results. God as "an immanent Hummmm-m-m-m" isn't going to sustain anyone's faith - and won't keep the pews filled. Give it time and Spong and his followers will be an obscure footnote to the history of late 20th century Christianity.
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Summary: Spong's church already exists...
Review: Spong wants major junking of essential Christian dogmas. The resulting church already exists. It is called the Unitarian church. You are all welcome to go there if you wish. No one will care what you say or do or believe there as - anything goes there and it is the last stop before being completely unchurched. Those who believe, however, that the Church properly is built on the foundation of the apostles and creeds should allign themselves with the Anglican continuing wing of the church. Better yet, find a church in the Anglican Province of Christ the King (they have a website) and leave the spongites to themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Bad theology from a Heretic
Review: And yes, I am not ashamed to call Mr. Spong (he does not deserve the title of Bishop) a heretic. He has denied all the major tenants of the Christian faith, and it seems the only reason that he remains a Bishop is so that he can sell more books. His so called theology is nothing more than a nebulous regurgitation of 19th Century Protestant Liberalism. The "New Christianity" that Spong proposes is NOT Christianity at all. I would urge you to read this book, and then read the books of actual Christian Scholars (i.e. Karl Barth, Gordon Fee) --Mr. Spong is NOT a scholar--and see the difference in the truth that you find. The Episcopal Church should be ashamed of itself for tolerating Spong this long.
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Summary: Thinking Christians Take Note
Review: As a 27 year old Roman Catholic male frustrated with less than satisfying answers, Spongs book, Why Christinity Must Change Or Die has struck a chord so deep, it has given me a renewed HOPE. His solution is simple: The Christian faith must continue to evolve as our advances in technology and science have. Spong states that a 2000 year old understanding of God has not been able to keep up with our modern day understanding. As our understanding of God continues to expand, so too must our Christian religion. For some reason his opinion upsets alot of people. Must be true. Oh well.
Rating:
Summary: A better title...
Review: Where is the book titled, "Why the Episcopal church must reclaim the apostolic faith or die?" It isn't Christianity which is dying, just the Episcopal church - which seems to be about nothing - absolutely nothing- and this book is further evidence of that fact.
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