Other Books by Spong

- A New Christianity For a New World
- This Hebrew Lord
- Resurrection

Spong's Reform

"It is my conviction that such a moment is facing the Christian world todayThe very heart and soul of Christianity will be the content of this reformation. The debate which has been building for centuries has now erupted into public view. All the past ecclesiastical efforts to keep it at bay or deny its reality have surely failed and will continue to do so"

"The need for a new theological reformation began when Copernicus and Galileo removed this planet from its previous supposed location at the centre of the universe, where human life was thought to bask under the constant attention of a humanly defined parental deity."

Christianity - Why Christianity Must Change or Die - Spong

John Shelby Spong is a controversial Episcopalian priest considered by the mainstream as a radical.Spong’s 1998 book, Why Christianity Must Change or Die, is extremely popular. In this book Spong made a call for wide ranging reforms and proposed a blueprint for a 'new' Christianity for the modern age.

Spong calls for many changes to way we view God in the post -Newtonian, post-Galilen world. A reinterpretation of miracles, of the creation of the universe, of the position of God. The areas of interest here are his calls for the shedding of the blood atonment of the Crucifixion and the reformation of the incaranation of God in Jesus.

"It is my conviction that such a moment is facing the Christian world today. The very heart and soul of Christianity will be the content of this reformation. The debate which has been building for centuries has now erupted into public view. All the past ecclesiastical efforts to keep it at bay or deny its reality have surely failed and will continue to do so. The need for a new theological reformation began when Copernicus and Galileo removed this planet from its previous supposed location at the centre of the universe, where human life was thought to bask under the constant attention of a humanly defined parental deity."

Extracts of Spong's writings outlining the main 12 points for his debate with the Christian world can be downloaded and read here

Introduction | Change or Die | Myth of God Incarnate | Conclusion

Bishop John Spong

Key Resource