Don't we just hate those Christians who attack the radical ideas of Bishop
John S. Spong when they have not a clue about what he really believes.
Every day someone on alt.christnet, soc.religion.christian or aus.religion.
christian charges the good bishop is creating a new religion and/or wond-
ers, publicly, why the Episcopal Church (U.S.A. Anglican) ever made
such a "heretic" a bishop in the first place.

Of course, as expected, two lines into their hate e-mail, you suspect the
fundie author hasn't even read one page of Rescuing the Bible from
Fundamentalism or Born of a Woman. And, since the Bishop does not
take the Virgin Birth story literally, accuses him of thereby forfeiting any
right to the label Christian.

(Of course, today there are millions of Christians in Europe and North
America whose Christian thinking pretty well coincides with the Bishop's.)
Mine does.

In the final analysis, Bishop Spong IS a Christian. He believes in God.
He makes clear his acceptance of the central reality of Christianity -
God has raised Jesus of Nazareth to eternity (in much the same way
the Resurrection is described by the earlier writings of the New Testa-
ment, Mark and the epistles of St. Paul.) And the Bishop is on to the
process whereby the early Christians historicized the early tradition
and developed the story of the empty tomb and other "physical" post-
cross appearances of Jesus. This is not heresy but reality and historical
reality at that..

So, the good Bishop is definitely not among those fighting to preserve
an unchanged understanding of the writings (canon) and doctrines of the
early church (or medieval Church for that matter) And, it seems to me,
this is the way modern Christianity has to go. It's simply a matter of survival.

For many the God of 1^st Century Christian theology has passed away.
"We don't need that hypothesis." Modern man has indeed come of age and,
for the most part, can live quite successfully without a God who controls that
rain valve up there, fights with our warriors to assure victory for the
"good guys", or fills in the gaps in our knowledge of the world and universe.
Or frames our moral laws and through his many spokesmen guarantees for
the civil authorities a civil body which is docile, compliant if not pliable.
(Today, for the most part, the Church is not into this losing game but, as you all know,
 there are still notable exceptions everywhere).

Now, my main point. At the end of the day, all we Christians really have is a
risen Jesus who dwells among us. I mean it's not ideas or scripture that's
primary Of course, this living Christ is a testimony to God's love and power.
It is the basis of our fellowship with one another and with Him who is alive
forevermore (Mass, Communion or whatever you call it). As individuals we
enjoy this spiritual Presence. And as St. Paul and Christian theology has
insisted from the beginning, this experience of the Spirit is really defined in
the congregation, the gathering of Christians. It is here the writings, myths,
parables and God-thinking of Christianity originates, is sifted and blessed
as "kosher." This means we are blessed with a dynamic developing tradition
(these things do not come to us from some small corner). It also means
doctrine has to stand the hard test of publishing, either in books, pulpit
or internet.

So it's very clear to me Bishop Spong, who makes no claim to
theological perfection, stands squarely in the ongoing development
of New Testament studies and Christian Creeds - i.e. God is still
alive and, as before leading his people out of the slavery of the past
and the passe, constricting, if not imprisoning, ideas of old.

So if you happen to be a Christian turkey, it's time to gobble up some
modern theology.