Born of a Woman

Rating:
Summary: Revealed: A way to interpret Biblical meaning
Review: This book gives insight into an interesting way of interpreting the meaning of Biblical content and also provides its authors conclusions. I think that the title "Born of A Woman" characterizes the theme of the author's research pathway regarding the origins of Jesus of Nazereth, the man, as told in the gospels. The title does not reveal much about his conclusions regarding the negative effects of masculine church leadership and perpetuation of the 'Virgin Mary' myths which have dominated the Christian churches since their original formulation.

The reader of this opus does not have to agree with the author's conclusions. For those, like me, who feel the need to embody Christian principles in real life as important contributions to human(e) endeavor but feel skeptical in the face of literal interpretation of Biblical stories, Spong provides a lens to view the information authored nearly two thousand years ago that is refreshing and revealing. Undoubtedly, his perspective is not totally original but it is very useful to me and I think it will be to many others.

I have seen just a bit of the orthodox and fundamantalist critics of Spong's work. I can understand their points intellectually but I cannot agree with some of their intolerence toward adjusting our understanding of Biblical meaning and Christian faith as civilization unavoidably marches on.

For insight as to my thoughts as I read this book: I believe in the approach to the Bible that emphasizes seeking an answer to "What does the story mean?" Personally, I am not very interested (any more) in "Why did it happen?" or "Is it literally true?" Spong's book is aimed at impressing folks who recognize the differences among these questions and want to seek answers to all of them.

Rating:
Summary: Visualizing the reality of Jesus
Review: This is a beautiful, thoughtful book by a man who is not only a bishop but also a scholar. He lets us in on a secret -- ALL serious biblical scholars, including Roman Catholics, understand the birth story of Jesus as a metaphor, not a literal truth. He shows that if we can let go of literalism, we can find the very moving, very human reality of Jesus, his parents, and the circumstances of his birth. This account will increase your wonder, not diminish it.

Rating:
Summary: not a serious scholarly work
Review: This is a highly conjectural work that abuses current biblical scholarship. It is an example of what happens when one no longer believes that Christianity is really true. For a balanced critical account of the infancy narratives in the Gospels, read Raymond E. Brown's "The Birth of the Messiah." I would give Spong's work zero stars if it were possible.

Rating:
Summary: A challenging read!
Review: This is one of the poorest attempts at finding the Historical Jesus ever written, which is why it is so amazing! How did he ever get it published?! If he were not touting his title as "bishop", I doubt the publisher would have seen any value in it. The scholarship is seriously flawed, and the book that I recommend in its place will show why.
I confess-- I have something in common with most of the Rt. Rev. Spong's fans. Like them, I've read very little of what he's written. (For example, "Can A Bishop Be Wrong" has two five-star reviews from Spong fans who are under the impression that Spong wrote this book-- apparently, they feel comfortable praising Spong's work sight-unseen).
Don't get me wrong. I've tried to read Spong. But, alas, the Rt. Rev. S. is a ghastly writer. After a while, the charms of Spong's writing-- his relentless self-congratulation, his presenting of hackneyed 19th-century pop-biblical-criticism as his own daring innovation, his use of the passive voice to hide sweeping and questionable assertions ("...there is surprise at how insignificant were the theological issues dividing the two sides [of the Reformation]"), his utter lack of a sense of humor, his unforgivably poor skill with words-- begin to pall. I haven't yet met someone who can read an entire chapter of Spong at one sitting.

That's where another book comes in handy- "Can a Bishop Be Wrong?". The authors don't exhaustively categorize the intellectual sins of the Rt. Rev. Spong-- such a task could never be worth the trees killed. But they provide a good survey of his looking-glass kingdom. "Can A Bishop Be Wrong" isn't a work of Christian apologetics, because it doesn't have to be. Spong's main contention-- the foundation of all his work-- is his claim that no intelligent person of the twentieth century can be an orthodox Christian. To respond, one doesn't have to prove Christianity-- one just has to provide a counterexample. This book categorizes his errors and logical lapses with admirable thoroughness. Not an exhaustive thoroughness, to be sure, but sufficient to the silly task at hand.

This book has its flaws. As others have noted, it is a collection of essays, and they repeat some of the same points over and over. The authors sometimes let Spong goad them into anger. And they don't argue much against Spong's theological outlook-- but since Spong's outlook is just rehashed nineteenth-century "modernism", you can find plenty of orthodox arguments against heavier intellectual forces than Spong. (Try Chesterton's _The_Everlasting_Man_, for starters.)

This book has a limited market. Spong's fans will not be moved by what they read here, if they were inclined to try reading it. But to the traditional theist of whatever religion, who wonders whether he ought to read Spong and find out what all the fuss is about, this book offers a strong and well-reasoned answer: "Nope."

Rating:
Summary: It was worth it!
Review: This was a very well-written book by a man who has obviously done his homework. Ignore the previous review which was obviously written by a 10 yr. old with Christian "dyslexia" who needs to grow up. What an embarrassment to the entire Fundamentalist Christian world! If he's the best the Christian faith has to offer--God help us all!

I would recommend this book to any serious, sincere scholar who is not content with believing something, simply because it was "taught" to them as "truth" all their lives. I believe this is an author who has truly sought God and found some answers.

Rating:
Summary: Hard questions to face, necessary to expand one's faith
Review: This will be a very difficult book for some people. Even I, as an Old Catholic [Old Catholics do not place as much emphasis on Marian devotion as do our Roman Catholic brethren], was initially uncomfortable with the notion of a non-virgin Mary. Wasn't that essential to the essence of who Jesus was?

Bishop Spong answers an emphatic "No," and then does much more. He gives, in an abbreviated manner, an introduction to the problems of strict literalism when reading the Bible (a condensed version of his book Rescuing the Bible From Fundamentalism). Further, he explores the radical changes in attitude toward women that occurred in the very early church: Hebrew law and custom treated women as little more than property; Jesus treated women as equals (gasp!), and called them to full participation in the Kingdom of God; the early post-Jesus church had, by necessity, many women in positions of authority and leadership; the "later early church" manages to once more put women back in "their place," and Mary becomes the "poster girl" for womanly submission and obedience to male authority.

One area many people will have trouble with is the debate over Mary's perpetual virginity, from Jesus' conception to her death. From Spong's works, as well as other readings and study, I envision something similar to St. Paul's "circumcision of the heart": Mary's "virginity of the spirit." The historical fact of Mary retaining perpetual virginity is less important (unimportant, actually) than the spiritual character she retained. In this way, I can agree with many of Spong's observations, yet still find meaning and truth in Marian devotions (the Rosary, for example).

A useful book, and I recommend it. It's time women once again took their rightful place in the Church, as Jesus (witnessed in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles) intended.

Rating:
Summary: [...] Devil Incarnate?
Review: [...]P>As any one who has studied the Bible knows, Satan is the chief liar, and uses lies to separate people from God. Satan is no doubt extremely pleased when he can get a "man of God" to propagate his lies for him.

[...], we are saved by our faith in God. Being a Christian involves faith in God, and Christ His son as being divine. The first step that Satan takes his getting people to doubt or completely reject the divinity of Christ and God.[...]