Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World

October 10, 2011
Episcopal bishop Spong, author of more than 20 books, may be retired, but he hasn’t stopped. His newest grows from a series of summer lectures that clue the people in the pews on the kinds of topics biblical scholars discuss among themselves: for example, biblical characters such as Judas and Joseph, Jesus’ earthly dad, appear to be literary creations. Everybody who hasn’t abruptly left the room on hearing it suggested that the Bible may not be literally true is in for a wonderful ride as Spong tours Christianity’s sacred text, leaving little unexamined and demythologized as he urges Christians to grow up and take the Bible seriously—just not literally. Spong’s arguments aren’t new, but he has the gift and motivation for making biblical scholarship accessible; he writes with charity and clarity. His fans will want this for Bible study groups; his detractors may simply decide that Spong, still unwelcome and still here, is being his heretical self once again.

November 1, 2011
Tiring attack on the "ancient, sacred, and mythological book we call the Bible." Though former Episcopal bishop Spong (Eternal Life: A New Vision, 2009, etc.) claims to have had a "longtime love affair" with the Bible, it is hard to see that in this book-by-book attack upon the Old and New Testaments. The author makes it clear that he sees the Bible as at best a collection of heavily edited myths and allegories, at worst an outright lie. Spong's stated purpose of introducing modern higher criticism of the Bible to ordinary readers seems laudable, but he fails to pull it off. He does not effectively introduce biblical criticism to those who might actually believe the Bible. Instead of building a bridge of understanding, he challenges readers to leap across a canyon from ignorance to enlightenment. Spong shows no interest in compromise; rather, he judges as deluded or silly those readers who believe that anything in the Bible is literal or based on historical fact. The author doesn't seem to comprehend or care that the world is far from "non-religious," and his book is geared toward those who are already at the cusp of disbelief. Though many of his ideas are already well-known arguments, Spong also includes theories of his own--e.g., the Apostle Paul was "a deeply repressed gay man"; basically nothing in the Gospel of John should be taken literally. The author is so lost in refuting scripture that he has forgotten what that scripture's tie to real people even is. Once intriguingly controversial, Spong is now tediously irrelevant.

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November 1, 2011
This book by best-selling author and former Episcopal Bishop of Newark Spong ("Jesus for the Non-Religious") began as a series of articles examining the history, literary origins, and meaning of the Bible from an academic point of view. Among the many topics Spong touches on are the presence of ancient political propaganda in the Bible, the liturgical background of the book of Mark, the incorporation of Jewish heroes' stories into descriptions of the events of Jesus's life, and the possibility that certain characters in scripture, such as Lazarus, Judas Iscariot, and Nicodemus, are literary creations. Targeted toward "inquisitive and educated laypeople" rather than Christian scholars, this volume is meant to introduce ways of engaging with the Bible that are different from the literal interpretation many people are taught in Sunday school. Spong aims to bring biblical scholarship to those who sit in church pews, but without getting bogged down in debates about biblical minutiae—although the text still manages to convey an enormous amount of research. VERDICT This book is well paced, the arguments are easy to follow, and Spong accomplishes exactly what he set out to do. A compelling and thought-provoking read, especially for fans of Spong's work.—Crystal Goldman, San Jose State Univ. Lib., CA

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