Rating: 
Summary: APOSTASY IN A BOOK
Review: Apostasy is a word that comes from the Greek, "apostasia", meaning a falling away from what is established.
Bishop Spong is entitled to his beliefs as much as any other person is. But he is mistaken in trying to couch those beliefs as Christian because they are clearly not. It's not a matter of
fundamentalist Biblical interpretation versus his Biblical interpretation, but a matter of sound reasoning and scholarship. The New Testament record tells us that Jesus was Divinely conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit. And that she was a virgin when she gave him birth. Bishop Spong would have us believe that these accounts of Jesus' conception and birth are metaphors or allegories. And that the writers of these stories were giving us a "midrash" interpretation of events.
Midrash is a Hebrew word that means study or more accurately "interpretation". In Rabbinic Judaism it is used to mean an on-going exposition and ever evolving commentary on the Hebrew Scriptures that particularly examines the meaning of
difficult to understand passages. That's all fine and well. But there are problems with applying this interpretative method to the New Testament. Midrash is an invention of Jewish Rabbis for use on the "Tanakh"-the Hebrew Old Testament - not the New Testament. Additionally, Hebrew is a picture language and midrash is much better suited for it than it is for the koine Greek of the New Testament.
The Greek language is built on lexical roots. It provides a much larger vocabulary and has greater accuracy and precision in it's word meanings than Hebrew does. There is very little ambiguity to be found in it. If anything, Greek gives more insight into what is being said than perhaps any other language on the planet. Believe it, Greek is that unique! And midrash is not suited for it. Case and Point: The prophet Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah of the World would be born of a Virgin. (Isaiah 7:14). The original Hebrew uses the word "almah" that can mean but does not necessarily imply "virgin". When the 72 scholars translated the original Hebrew of Isaiah into the Greek of the Septuagint, occurring long BEFORE Christ's birth, they all used the Greek word "parthenos" for this passage. Parthenos most definitely
means virgin. After Christ's life on earth, the Jews abandoned the use of the Septuagint. And the Old Testament was re-translated from Hebrew and Aramaic into Greek. Aquila who made one of these translations, used the Greek word "neanis" in
Isaiah 7:14 meaning young woman or girl to blunt the point of Christian prophecy pertaining to the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. It is a mistake to believe that the Septuagint scholars were themselves not inspired by God when they translated Isaiah from Hebrew into Greek. They most assuredly were. Could a man conceived by sperm and an egg and having the propensity to sin like the rest of us; take the punishment of billions of people and bring them redemption like Jesus and the apostles alleged? (Mat 20:28; I John 2:2) Common sense tells us that, NO MERE MORTAL was/is good enough to do that. No matter how ethically or morally good they are. How can one possibly redeem billions through their death and resurrection? It can ONLY happen if that ONE was/is God the Son himself in human form - the Supernatural Christ of all Eternity. And that is EXACTLY who Jesus claimed to be again and again . (John 17:5) Jesus' apostles who were eyewitnesses to his life, freely gave their lives for the Gospel message, proving their faith and conviction that their master was who he said he was - God the Son in human form. And if he was God in human form, he came from
above and thus could not have been conceived by a sperm and an egg but by the Holy Spirit in a virgin. Just as the Scriptures say. But if Mary wasn't a virgin, when she conceived and gave birth to Jesus; it would mean that he was conceived by a sperm
and egg. And if Jesus was conceived by a sperm and egg it would mean that he was not the Creator but a Creation like the rest of us. And if he was a creation rather than the Creator in
human form; then he cannot be the Redeemer of the world. Because only God would be good enough to take the punishment for all of humanity's sins. Only God could have been good enough to pay the price and wipe the slate clean for all sinners. Not according to Bishop Spong's work however.
Think about it. What makes more sense; the traditional Christian view or Bishop Spong's ideas?
Christianity demands that it be accepted or rejected on ITS TERMS, as it has been laid out for us from its beginning by Jesus, his apostles and the Old Testament prophecies that Christ fulfilled. Take it or leave it. It's not a pick and choose at the bargain basement. What Bishop Spong has done with this book is re-write central Christian doctrines into illogical and unscholarly nonsense.
My humble advice, Read F.F. Bruce instead.
Rating: 
Summary: My new understanding of what it means to be a Christian
Review: As a child, I was taught that being a Christian meant that a person had accepted Jesus as his Savior. I was also taught that this meant that all non-Christian believing persons were going to Hell. This was something that I couldn't embrace and I turned against as I grew to adulthood. Bishop Spong's books have opened my mind and allowed me to look at what being a Christian really means. Being a Christian doesn't hinge on believing that Mary was a virgin or that Jesus was resurrected. It is based on how you live your life. This book brought tears to my eyes because it affirmed my right to question the things I was told to accept without question.
Rating:
Summary: Faith is all encompassing
Review: Belief and faith in God is a belief in miracles and a belief in a higher power. To believe in a supreme being, but to believe that He could not place a child in Mary's womb seems to be a paradox. The author wants people to believe that the Bible should be interpreted differently because of the times we live in. I submit that we should change the times we live in to fit the ideals that God has set for us.
Rating: 
Summary: Spong technique looks at historical audience.
Review: By looking at the historical and literary purpose of the Gospels rather than forcing it into a Greco-Roman historical context, Spong sheds some insight into the spiritual and political, rather than historical, thrust of Christian Testament.
Rating:
Summary: Yes!
Review: Even though I have already read three of Spong's books, his scholarship continues to surprise and enlighten me. Each one of his works is a treasure, and "Born of a Woman" proved to be no different. In this book, Spong takes a look at the reasons why Matthew and Luke invented the biologically impossible "virgin birth." He contends that the virgin birth was never an historical event, but merely an attempt to explain the origins of Jesus's divinity. He also stresses the Jewish literary device known as midrash that was used to make an unlikely story out of a simple truth. The simple truth of the Bible's birth narratives is that Jesus was divine in the way that he perfectly embodied God's love. The unlikely story is that God negated physics in order to create Jesus. Spong also explains how this "virgin myth" has resulted in the dehumanization of women and shows how the myth was used to label normal human sexuality as "sinful." Even for those churchmen who still give lip service to the Bible's improbable tales, Spong presents a convincing argument -- one that is certain to make the reader question not only what he believes, but also why he believes it. In the end, the reader will discover that Christianity is not about believing in questionable stories that have no basis in history. Instead, Christianity should be centered in love, the incredible gift of grace that Jesus shared with us! Whether or not one believes in the virgin birth is insignificant and trivial when compared to Christianity's greater truths -- the ones that really count. Even if Spong does not change the reader's belief about the origins of Jesus, he will most certainly bring out the significance of the story -- the meaning behind the midrash. I continue to recommend Spong to everyone that claims to be a Christian. His lucid, down-to-earth, no-nonsense writing style demands attention from those on both sides of the argument. I firmly believe that everyone, regardless of his or her position, has something to learn from this book. That's just the way that Spong is . . . it's no understatement to say that you should read everything that he writes.
Rating:
Summary: Yes!
Review: Even though I have already read three of Spong's books, his scholarship continues to surprise and enlighten me. Each one of his works is a treasure, and "Born of a Woman" proved to be no different. In this book, Spong takes a look at the reasons why Matthew and Luke invented the biologically impossible "virgin birth." He contends that the virgin birth was never an historical event, but merely an attempt to explain the origins of Jesus's divinity. He also stresses the Jewish literary device known as midrash that was used to make an unlikely story out of a simple truth. The simple truth of the Bible's birth narratives is that Jesus was divine in the way that he perfectly embodied God's love. The unlikely story is that God negated physics in order to create Jesus. Spong also explains how this "virgin myth" has resulted in the dehumanization of women and shows how the myth was used to label normal human sexuality as "sinful." Even for those churchmen who still give lip service to the Bible's improbable tales, Spong presents a convincing argument -- one that is certain to make the reader question not only what he believes, but also why he believes it. In the end, the reader will discover that Christianity is not about believing in questionable stories that have no basis in history. Instead, Christianity should be centered in love, the incredible gift of grace that Jesus shared with us! Whether or not one believes in the virgin birth is insignificant and trivial when compared to Christianity's greater truths -- the ones that really count. Even if Spong does not change the reader's belief about the origins of Jesus, he will most certainly bring out the significance of the story -- the meaning behind the midrash. I continue to recommend Spong to everyone that claims to be a Christian. His lucid, down-to-earth, no-nonsense writing style demands attention from those on both sides of the argument. I firmly believe that everyone, regardless of his or her position, has something to learn from this book. That's just the way that Spong is . . . it's no understatement to say that you should read everything that he writes.
Rating:
Summary: How Mary became a Staint in My Eyes
Review: Growing up knowning all the different legels of virgin births in mytholodogy, I never took the virgin birth of Jesus very serious. This book, however, made me think in terms of spritual (not physical) virgin births and the spiritual importance of these births. Thanks Spong
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating... and it leans on Ray Brown
Review: I enjoyed this book; was disappointed it did not go further in depth, but still, found much to ponder on. Coming from a Catholic background, though, I have never taken anything in the Bible completely literally so was not put off by the idea that certain things in the Bible may be just there to tell a story to a certain audience (and, I might add, a 1st-century audience, at that!)
It's ironic that the reviewer below says Raymond Brown's THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH is the one to read, as Spong highly credits just that very book in helping him come to his conclusions. He says, "in many ways this volume leans heavily on Ray Brown's insights" and "the very thoughts I seek to popularize in this book [have their roots] in Raymond Brown['s book]".
Rating:
Summary: How to read this.
Review: If we are men, do we not think of our mothers as sacred and virginal (pure)? As women we shall think likewise, or aspire to become one, even if we live in the shadow of a patriarchical society. Remember how during the Passion, Jesus insisted that we practice tolerance and forgive those who offend us, even if we are on the verge of death? Our customs, Church history, and Church orthodoxy have not led us in this path. Instead, we are bigots, intolerant, racist, paranoid, cannot accept someone else's opinion, xenophobic and egocentric. To sum it up, we're typical Americans. BRAVO Bishop Spong, you are an enlightening force, sowing the change with great courage and love!
Rating:
Summary: APOSTASY IN A BOOK
Review: If you have read the other reviews, you already know that Bishop Spong quckly sets aside the literal "Christmas Story" and the "Virgin Birth" in this book. Much more intersting to me, however, was his careful tracing of the crafting of what we know today as the "Christmas Story" in the order the various references were written, starting with Paul (I didn't realize his account was written earlier than the gospels).
The core of this book is Bishop Spong's combination of the few clues in the Bible with the intellectual and political currents of the day in the early church, and how they effected the moulding of the traditions we know today as the "Christmas Story" and the "Virgin Birth".
When he has finished his interesting analysis, he then adds a final chapter to discuss how he feels the developing concept of the "purity of Mary" has influenced the state of women in the centuries since, to the present day. While this is somewhat disconnected from the rest of the book, it builds on the lessons of the previous chapters, and opens up the possibility of dialog on the subject.
There is no question that this book has and will offend many Christians, but for those who are intellectually curious and like to think "out of the box", this book is a treat.
| 
