What do you think?
Rate this book
Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World
In Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World , bishop and social activist John Shelby Spong argues that 200 years of biblical scholarship has been withheld from lay Christians. In this brilliant follow-up to Spong’s previous books Eternal Life and Jesus for the Non-Religious , Spong not only reveals the crucial truths that have long been kept hidden from the public eye, but also explores what the history of the Bible can teach us about reading its stories today and living our lives for tomorrow. Sarah Sentilles, author of Breaking Up With A Love Story , applauds John Shelby Spong’s Reclaiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World , writing that “pulsing beneath his brilliant, thought-provoking, passionate book is this can Christianity survive the education of its believers?…A question Bishop Spong answers with a resounding yes.”
432 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
75 people are currently reading
454 people want to read
About the author
John Shelby Spong
42 books302 followersJohn Shelby Spong was the Episcopal bishop of Newark before his retirement in 2000. As a leading spokesperson for an open, scholarly, and progressive Christianity, Bishop Spong has taught at Harvard and at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He has also lectured at universities, conference centers, and churches in North America, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific. His books include: A New Christianity for a New World, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, Resurrection: Myth or Reality? Why Christianity Must Change or Die, and his autobiography, Here I Stand.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
September 14, 2012
This proved to be an unexpected read. I went into the book thinking that it would be a Bible as literature turn, only to discover that the author is a deeply religious man (A bishop in the Episcopalian faith) who approaches the Bible as scripture. His slant on the book was to take each of the sixty-odd books and place each in its historical timeline and context within Judaism, thus giving us more insight to what the writers were saying and whom they were addressing. His primary postulation is not to take these lessons literally (can I get an amen). He argues that God does not change from the vengeful taskmaster of the Old Testament to the loving Father of the New Testament, but instead, that mankind's perception and understanding have changed as we have grown as a people.
Spong is also big on no one being outside God's love AND that the judgmental rhetoric of certain Christian elements has nothing to do with God and everything to do with their failure to understand the big picture. To my surprise (me being a moralistic heathen and all), I thoroughly enjoyed this book both for its fresh take on Christianity and the intellectual exercise of following the author's arguments while re-reading a fascinating book that has been read countless times.
It is NOT a light read, however, it is a very rewarding one.
Spong is also big on no one being outside God's love AND that the judgmental rhetoric of certain Christian elements has nothing to do with God and everything to do with their failure to understand the big picture. To my surprise (me being a moralistic heathen and all), I thoroughly enjoyed this book both for its fresh take on Christianity and the intellectual exercise of following the author's arguments while re-reading a fascinating book that has been read countless times.
It is NOT a light read, however, it is a very rewarding one.
December 14, 2011
Could this be Spong’s best yet? Perhaps not, his books are all so powerful, but it’s definitely my new favorite. I’ve actually been looking for precisely this sort of book, so I was really excited to find it—authored by one of my favorite writers, no less!
Spong goes book-by-book in pretty much chronological order through the Bible, explaining scholars’ best guesses at each book’s origin (place, time, authorship) and the historical atmosphere out of which they were written. The idea for this collection sprang from a series of lectures Spong was invited to give, beginning in the summer of 2006, about how various Biblical books came to be written and regarded as scripture. Much of the information here was known to me already, but there was a host of new insights as well. I’ve got yellow highlighter marks all over the book! Here are some of the more interesting discussions you’ll find:
[1] The formation of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. You’ll learn more about the Documentary Hypothesis, and how scholars believe these five books came together, from the four primary sources. Not the most complete explanation, but surely the easiest to understand I’ve ever read.
[2] The “prophetic principle” (you’ll find out you had no idea what a “prophet” is) and the historic background behind the three “books” of Isaiah. Scholars are coming to the conclusion that Isaiah had not just two authors, but at least three.
[3] The “protest” literature within the Bible, and what stimulated its writing.
[4] The “national mythmakers” who preserved Israel’s history.
[5] The evolution of the Apostle Paul’s beliefs, and how he grew over time from a fiery, apocalyptic preacher into a mellow, thoughtful philosopher.
Of course, you’ll read about the Gospel story, the pastoral influence, the Johannine corpus, it’s all there and it’s all very readable. Highly recommended!
Spong goes book-by-book in pretty much chronological order through the Bible, explaining scholars’ best guesses at each book’s origin (place, time, authorship) and the historical atmosphere out of which they were written. The idea for this collection sprang from a series of lectures Spong was invited to give, beginning in the summer of 2006, about how various Biblical books came to be written and regarded as scripture. Much of the information here was known to me already, but there was a host of new insights as well. I’ve got yellow highlighter marks all over the book! Here are some of the more interesting discussions you’ll find:
[1] The formation of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. You’ll learn more about the Documentary Hypothesis, and how scholars believe these five books came together, from the four primary sources. Not the most complete explanation, but surely the easiest to understand I’ve ever read.
[2] The “prophetic principle” (you’ll find out you had no idea what a “prophet” is) and the historic background behind the three “books” of Isaiah. Scholars are coming to the conclusion that Isaiah had not just two authors, but at least three.
[3] The “protest” literature within the Bible, and what stimulated its writing.
[4] The “national mythmakers” who preserved Israel’s history.
[5] The evolution of the Apostle Paul’s beliefs, and how he grew over time from a fiery, apocalyptic preacher into a mellow, thoughtful philosopher.
Of course, you’ll read about the Gospel story, the pastoral influence, the Johannine corpus, it’s all there and it’s all very readable. Highly recommended!
December 10, 2011
As usual, Bishop Spong has written an incredible readable and thought-provoking book. If you are a person seeking understanding concerning the history of the Bible, the origins of many of the stories and myths found in the Bible, and are a person who cannot seriously read the Bible from a literal point of view, this book is for you. In addition, he sites Biblical scholars as his sources. In my opinion, this book is a breath of fresh air and recommend it highly.
August 5, 2012
To use a popular metaphor from recent decades in business training, Spong is one of the best I know at "thinking outside the box." Although I don't recall that he uses the phrase per se, he describes very clearly how many, if not most, of the Christian faithful--the persons in the pews--are boxed in by the ignorant assumptions and emphases of the teachings they get in their church traditions. With numerous examples of scripture which in no way should be revered as "the word of God," he points out the difficulties, issues, and resulting evils from the traditional belief in literal inspiration and inerrancy of the scriptures.
I started reading this book when I was involved in a church school project to read the Bible in 90 Days (Cover to Cover in 12 Pages a Day) . The "90 day" project was a pretty fast pace for me; there seemed to be little time for the deeper, scholarly textual study and the approach of the provided study guide and video materials seemed to me more traditional and devotional in nature. Plowing through the Biblical text had its value, but I confess I wasn't into it really that much. By contrast, trying to keep pace with my reading of Spong at the same time, I continually had the thought: wow...this is helpful...this is what I'm looking for...I'll have to come back and read this again at a more leisurely pace. For instance, I found rather concise and readable his accounting of how the primary textual sources (J, E, P, and D) evolved into what we have today as the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Old Testament.
When Spong gets to the New Testament, in a similar way, he shows in some detail the historical context and the evolution of the New Testament books. He points out, for example, that as earliest of NT sources but writing at least 20 years after the death of Jesus and... [I quote at some length]
"Letter-writer that Paul was, it was not his agenda to relate the words of Jesus, stories about Jesus or even major events of Jesus' life, except inadvertently. Paul reveals no sense, for example, of Jesus having a miraculous birth. He says of Jesus only that he was 'born of a woman' like all human beings and that he was 'born under the law' like all Jews. Paul also indicates that he knows James, the brother of Jesus, but he never mentions the names of Jesus' parents, nor does he tell us anything about them. That is only the first of many ideas that will challenge our traditional assumptions.
"When we come to examine the Pauline corpus we will spend considerable time distinguishing between the few things that Paul appears to know about the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the more numerous traditions that developed by the time the gospels were written . Suffice it now simply to list the things of which Paul does not seem to be aware. They include such things as: any miracle story associated with Jesus or any parable associated with Jesus; the role of Jesus as teacher; the idea that one of the disciples was a traitor; every detail associated with the narrative of the passion, from the Palm Sunday procession through the details of the crucifixion, and any of the content that we now associate with the narrative accounts of the first Easter. Paul simply never refers to these things. How are we to account for this? Did he simply omit them? Did he not know about them? Had they not yet been developed? If the the last alternative turns out to be correct, can we have confidence in the historicity of any of the gospel details? For most people this possibility will challenge deeply and emotionally their understanding, not only of Jesus, but of almost everything they have ever learned about Christianity. Yet no one can today study the New Testament with any integrity and not raise these issues." p. 216f
Continuing the story of the coming together of the NT texts, Spong recounts what Mark, the first-written gospel, introduced that was not in Paul, what Matthew introduced that was not in Mark, what Luke introduced that was not in Mark or Matthew, and finally what John added.
Spong develops the thesis that "the primary place the stories of Jesus were remembered and recalled during the oral period of Christian history was in the synagogue at Sabbath day worship services. In that liturgy, first the Torah and then the prophets would be read, interspersed with psalms. Next, the assembled worshipers would be solicited for their comments on the scripture readings. In this manner the disciples of Jesus recalled events and related some of the teaching they had associated with Jesus' life to the sacred words that had just been read. Soon those scriptures began to be understood by these disciples not only as pointing to Jesus but even as having been fulfilled in Jesus. Inevitably these remembered Jesus stories were also then incorporated into the annual cycle of feasts and fasts regularly observed in the synagogue. Ultimately, these memories and practices formed a consistent and set body of material that was told and retold around the cycle of the Jewish liturtical year. It was this practice that has quite obviously shaped the message we find today in the gospel of Mark." And "with this order established in Mark's gospel, it was destined to dominate both Matthew and Luke, since both of these gospel writers used Mark as the basis of their own volumes." p. 304
If you find yourself boxed in by the traditional thinking and approach to the NT (reading the gospels first and thinking of Matthew-Mark-Luke-John as being the primary sources in that sequence, followed by the Pauline corpus), this is a "thinking outside the box" way to organize your approach to the NT material. It is refreshing!
I started reading this book when I was involved in a church school project to read the Bible in 90 Days (Cover to Cover in 12 Pages a Day) . The "90 day" project was a pretty fast pace for me; there seemed to be little time for the deeper, scholarly textual study and the approach of the provided study guide and video materials seemed to me more traditional and devotional in nature. Plowing through the Biblical text had its value, but I confess I wasn't into it really that much. By contrast, trying to keep pace with my reading of Spong at the same time, I continually had the thought: wow...this is helpful...this is what I'm looking for...I'll have to come back and read this again at a more leisurely pace. For instance, I found rather concise and readable his accounting of how the primary textual sources (J, E, P, and D) evolved into what we have today as the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Old Testament.
When Spong gets to the New Testament, in a similar way, he shows in some detail the historical context and the evolution of the New Testament books. He points out, for example, that as earliest of NT sources but writing at least 20 years after the death of Jesus and... [I quote at some length]
"Letter-writer that Paul was, it was not his agenda to relate the words of Jesus, stories about Jesus or even major events of Jesus' life, except inadvertently. Paul reveals no sense, for example, of Jesus having a miraculous birth. He says of Jesus only that he was 'born of a woman' like all human beings and that he was 'born under the law' like all Jews. Paul also indicates that he knows James, the brother of Jesus, but he never mentions the names of Jesus' parents, nor does he tell us anything about them. That is only the first of many ideas that will challenge our traditional assumptions.
"When we come to examine the Pauline corpus we will spend considerable time distinguishing between the few things that Paul appears to know about the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the more numerous traditions that developed by the time the gospels were written . Suffice it now simply to list the things of which Paul does not seem to be aware. They include such things as: any miracle story associated with Jesus or any parable associated with Jesus; the role of Jesus as teacher; the idea that one of the disciples was a traitor; every detail associated with the narrative of the passion, from the Palm Sunday procession through the details of the crucifixion, and any of the content that we now associate with the narrative accounts of the first Easter. Paul simply never refers to these things. How are we to account for this? Did he simply omit them? Did he not know about them? Had they not yet been developed? If the the last alternative turns out to be correct, can we have confidence in the historicity of any of the gospel details? For most people this possibility will challenge deeply and emotionally their understanding, not only of Jesus, but of almost everything they have ever learned about Christianity. Yet no one can today study the New Testament with any integrity and not raise these issues." p. 216f
Continuing the story of the coming together of the NT texts, Spong recounts what Mark, the first-written gospel, introduced that was not in Paul, what Matthew introduced that was not in Mark, what Luke introduced that was not in Mark or Matthew, and finally what John added.
Spong develops the thesis that "the primary place the stories of Jesus were remembered and recalled during the oral period of Christian history was in the synagogue at Sabbath day worship services. In that liturgy, first the Torah and then the prophets would be read, interspersed with psalms. Next, the assembled worshipers would be solicited for their comments on the scripture readings. In this manner the disciples of Jesus recalled events and related some of the teaching they had associated with Jesus' life to the sacred words that had just been read. Soon those scriptures began to be understood by these disciples not only as pointing to Jesus but even as having been fulfilled in Jesus. Inevitably these remembered Jesus stories were also then incorporated into the annual cycle of feasts and fasts regularly observed in the synagogue. Ultimately, these memories and practices formed a consistent and set body of material that was told and retold around the cycle of the Jewish liturtical year. It was this practice that has quite obviously shaped the message we find today in the gospel of Mark." And "with this order established in Mark's gospel, it was destined to dominate both Matthew and Luke, since both of these gospel writers used Mark as the basis of their own volumes." p. 304
If you find yourself boxed in by the traditional thinking and approach to the NT (reading the gospels first and thinking of Matthew-Mark-Luke-John as being the primary sources in that sequence, followed by the Pauline corpus), this is a "thinking outside the box" way to organize your approach to the NT material. It is refreshing!
July 31, 2022
This book is very good and for anybody interested in theology this book is a must read.
July 1, 2016
I found this very informative, and I liked the chronological view and historical context of the bible. I just found this very dry and less engaging than the rest of Spong's work. Interesting, but not my favorite.
September 21, 2012
Another classic from passionate and always insightful progressive Christian theologian and heretic Bishop John Shelby Spong. In this work, he walks through the Bible book by book and shares his perspective on and insights into each of them. In so doing, for me at least, he brought the Bible alive in a way that motivated me to want to read a text I had long ago begun to use more sparingly. And whether I agree with him or not, his deep, reverent and, at times, irreverent appreciation for the Good Book is infectious, so this is a most worthy and worthwhile read.
It's clear that this is later/recent Spong because he no longer feels the need to justify statements that could be controversial or, at least, contradict orthodoxy. In fact, in spots, he's quite snappish, as when he dismisses some of the books by the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament as well as some of the lesser epistles in the New. And his treatment of the Book of Revelation ... well, let's just say that it's clear that he does indeed find it to be nonsense. In sum, he's a little crankier, but no less insightful and no less passionate about unlocking the timeless wisdom of the Good Book (a term, I'll note, that he doesn't use but that I was taught to many years ago).
And what insights he has to share! In particular, I enjoyed his analysis of how the Bible came to be: from the multiple revisions of the Books of Moses that have resulted in the Torah that we have today to the elucidation of the significance of the Epilogue to the Johannine Gospel and why it is such a meaningful and welcome augmentation. Throughout this book there are piercing scriptural insights - as well as helpful historical context - that figuratively bring the Bible alive and do offer meaningful pathways to a new appreciation of (the depth and breadth of) its wisdom.
The Bishop is also quick to challenge, too. Often he points out how traditional interpretations of various scriptures have served human/political rather than divine purposes and how the needs of the Church (broadly defined) have affected how this wisdom is shared and used. For example, one of his primary motivations in writing the book was to try to close the gap between modern biblical scholarship and the level of knowledge of those in the pews. In fact, he goes so far as to opine that part of the reason for such rampant biblical ignorance is that this serves the interests of the institutional church. (And that isn't even one of his more strident and provocative insights!)
And don't let him get started on the literalism of Christian Fundamentalists....
But I have to say that what I appreciate and will remember most about this book is two things: First, I will remember the myriad piercing insights and transformative illuminations that can be harvested from its pages. Second, I will remember the Bishop's passion for the Bible even as he deconstructs and reassembles it. In so doing, he has inspired me to explore it more and to be patient and sit with its myriad idiosyncracies and inconsistencies (especially when, as happens so often, my modern skeptical and rationalist mind wants to write it off and go find something supposedly more meaningful...). And yet when I do sit with these challenges a little bit more, they do inspire and instruct me, a gift from the Bishop and a legacy of his passion for the Good Book.
So, whether you're a Bible fan looking for a refresher - who remembers who the Major, Minor and Non-Writing Prophets are or which epistles are Pauline or not, anyway? - or you're looking to build your base of biblical knowledge in a meaningful way, this book is for you. Or, if you want to be inspired, to find much deeper and greater meaning in the best-selling book of all time, this book is for you. Or if you just want to be surprised, horrified, tickled and astonished by the Bishop's wit and wisdom, this is a most fruitful investment of your time. Verily, in alignment with his favorite scripture and his Patron's example, in Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World, he does indeed help us to "have life and have it more abundantly."
It's clear that this is later/recent Spong because he no longer feels the need to justify statements that could be controversial or, at least, contradict orthodoxy. In fact, in spots, he's quite snappish, as when he dismisses some of the books by the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament as well as some of the lesser epistles in the New. And his treatment of the Book of Revelation ... well, let's just say that it's clear that he does indeed find it to be nonsense. In sum, he's a little crankier, but no less insightful and no less passionate about unlocking the timeless wisdom of the Good Book (a term, I'll note, that he doesn't use but that I was taught to many years ago).
And what insights he has to share! In particular, I enjoyed his analysis of how the Bible came to be: from the multiple revisions of the Books of Moses that have resulted in the Torah that we have today to the elucidation of the significance of the Epilogue to the Johannine Gospel and why it is such a meaningful and welcome augmentation. Throughout this book there are piercing scriptural insights - as well as helpful historical context - that figuratively bring the Bible alive and do offer meaningful pathways to a new appreciation of (the depth and breadth of) its wisdom.
The Bishop is also quick to challenge, too. Often he points out how traditional interpretations of various scriptures have served human/political rather than divine purposes and how the needs of the Church (broadly defined) have affected how this wisdom is shared and used. For example, one of his primary motivations in writing the book was to try to close the gap between modern biblical scholarship and the level of knowledge of those in the pews. In fact, he goes so far as to opine that part of the reason for such rampant biblical ignorance is that this serves the interests of the institutional church. (And that isn't even one of his more strident and provocative insights!)
And don't let him get started on the literalism of Christian Fundamentalists....
But I have to say that what I appreciate and will remember most about this book is two things: First, I will remember the myriad piercing insights and transformative illuminations that can be harvested from its pages. Second, I will remember the Bishop's passion for the Bible even as he deconstructs and reassembles it. In so doing, he has inspired me to explore it more and to be patient and sit with its myriad idiosyncracies and inconsistencies (especially when, as happens so often, my modern skeptical and rationalist mind wants to write it off and go find something supposedly more meaningful...). And yet when I do sit with these challenges a little bit more, they do inspire and instruct me, a gift from the Bishop and a legacy of his passion for the Good Book.
So, whether you're a Bible fan looking for a refresher - who remembers who the Major, Minor and Non-Writing Prophets are or which epistles are Pauline or not, anyway? - or you're looking to build your base of biblical knowledge in a meaningful way, this book is for you. Or, if you want to be inspired, to find much deeper and greater meaning in the best-selling book of all time, this book is for you. Or if you just want to be surprised, horrified, tickled and astonished by the Bishop's wit and wisdom, this is a most fruitful investment of your time. Verily, in alignment with his favorite scripture and his Patron's example, in Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World, he does indeed help us to "have life and have it more abundantly."
January 12, 2012
This is an accessible and well written introduction into contemporary thinking among biblical scholars. It serves to dispel many misconceptions about the Bible. For example, only some of the letters usually attributed to Paul were actually written by him. Even though these various correspondences are placed after the synoptic gospels in the Bible, they were actually written long before Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Pauline letters reflect the thinking of a small sect within Judaism. Orthodox Jews were of the opinion that the teachings of someone known as Jesus should only be accessible to those who were first Jewish. Paul, on the other hand wanted these teachings to be made available to Gentiles as well and this led to conflict between the Jewish establishment (represented by James, presumed brother of Jesus) and the emerging Christian church.
The books of the New Testament were written between the years 51 and 135 CE. There are no original words of the man known as Jesus recorded in the language which he would have spoken (Aramaic). There are no first hand accounts of what he is supposed to have done. The earliest narrative description of the crucifixion …”is a creation of at least the second generation of Jesus’ disciples, and it is constructed not on eyewitness testimony, but on the interpretive use of the Hebrew scriptures to portray Jesus as the fulfillment of Jewish expectations.” If the books of the New Testament were placed in the order in which they were written, the first one would be I Thessalonians.
This book places the components of the Bible in historical context and makes clear their relationship to Jewish history. It makes clear that the concept of God and the spiritual and ethical basis of Jewish and early Christian religion were rooted in a particular time and place and reflected that context. It also makes clear that these concepts were in constant evolution. It argues against the idea that the Bible is the literal Word of God and cannot be changed and only allows for one interpretation. In this regard this book goes well with Karen Armstrong’s book The Age of Transformation, Charles Freeman’s The Closing of the Western Mind: The Rise of Faith and the Fall of Reason, and Brian McLaren’s A New Kind of Christianity.
None of this is to denigrate the Bible, a book that has had such enormous influence on human history, but rather to recognize that it is not the final “Word of God” or the only way to come to understand the relationship of God to men and women.
My main disappointment in the book is that the author does not deal with the issue of how and why the particular books that make up the Bible were chosen for inclusion from a much larger number of possible manuscripts. It is strange that in a book dealing with biblical scholarship, no mention is made of the so-called gnostic gospels, those that were not included and, now that they have become available, overturn some of the fundamental tenets of mainstream Christian teaching.
The books of the New Testament were written between the years 51 and 135 CE. There are no original words of the man known as Jesus recorded in the language which he would have spoken (Aramaic). There are no first hand accounts of what he is supposed to have done. The earliest narrative description of the crucifixion …”is a creation of at least the second generation of Jesus’ disciples, and it is constructed not on eyewitness testimony, but on the interpretive use of the Hebrew scriptures to portray Jesus as the fulfillment of Jewish expectations.” If the books of the New Testament were placed in the order in which they were written, the first one would be I Thessalonians.
This book places the components of the Bible in historical context and makes clear their relationship to Jewish history. It makes clear that the concept of God and the spiritual and ethical basis of Jewish and early Christian religion were rooted in a particular time and place and reflected that context. It also makes clear that these concepts were in constant evolution. It argues against the idea that the Bible is the literal Word of God and cannot be changed and only allows for one interpretation. In this regard this book goes well with Karen Armstrong’s book The Age of Transformation, Charles Freeman’s The Closing of the Western Mind: The Rise of Faith and the Fall of Reason, and Brian McLaren’s A New Kind of Christianity.
None of this is to denigrate the Bible, a book that has had such enormous influence on human history, but rather to recognize that it is not the final “Word of God” or the only way to come to understand the relationship of God to men and women.
My main disappointment in the book is that the author does not deal with the issue of how and why the particular books that make up the Bible were chosen for inclusion from a much larger number of possible manuscripts. It is strange that in a book dealing with biblical scholarship, no mention is made of the so-called gnostic gospels, those that were not included and, now that they have become available, overturn some of the fundamental tenets of mainstream Christian teaching.
August 6, 2023
I have worshipped in the Anglican Christian tradition for most of my life and yet, much of what I will call ‘the Anglican experience’ has never felt quite right to me. Yes, I believe in God. Yes, I find that the liturgy of the church brings me closer to God. Yes, I find the new testament message of love and hope overwhelmingly attractive. But really, as a thinking, modern-day person, how can I give credence to a bible that is clearly ‘directional’ at best and ‘damaging poppycock’ at worst? A bible that is filled with contradictions, which flies in the face of historical and scientific fact and which is continually referenced by far too many as justification to condemn and mistreat others?
Many people I love, respect and admire share my skepticism and, as a result, have come to the conclusion that there is no place for faith in their lives. In recent years, I have pretty much joined their ranks. And yet, there persists a nagging feeling that maybe I’ve thrown the baby out with the bathwater.
So, tired of fence-sitting, I promised myself that I would make the effort to read round the subject a bit and hope to be inspired - one way or the other. For this purpose, I could not have chosen better than “Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World”.
I confess, I’ve never actually read the Bible in its entirety. I’ve tried a few times but its never made enough sense to me to carry on so I’ve given up. This book helped me make some sense of it. In “Reclaiming the Bible…”, the author, a former bishop of the Episcopal Church, takes the bible apart, explains the gist of each of part, puts it into historical context and bravely sifts through all the material, distinguishing between what he (and other Bible scholars) feel is probably fact, what is possibly fact and what is absolutely not fact. It is a fascinating, illuminating and truly entertaining read that I would recommend to anyone interested in the subject, and particularly Jews and Christians (lapsed or not).
With this book, Spong has illuminated the absurdity of a literal interpretation of the Bible yet, strangely, has also convinced me that the Bible is still relevant. Quite a trick! I’m guessing he is not popular with a lot of people (certainly not with the bible thumping fundamentalist set) but, for me, this book resonates.
Do give it a try.
Many people I love, respect and admire share my skepticism and, as a result, have come to the conclusion that there is no place for faith in their lives. In recent years, I have pretty much joined their ranks. And yet, there persists a nagging feeling that maybe I’ve thrown the baby out with the bathwater.
So, tired of fence-sitting, I promised myself that I would make the effort to read round the subject a bit and hope to be inspired - one way or the other. For this purpose, I could not have chosen better than “Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World”.
I confess, I’ve never actually read the Bible in its entirety. I’ve tried a few times but its never made enough sense to me to carry on so I’ve given up. This book helped me make some sense of it. In “Reclaiming the Bible…”, the author, a former bishop of the Episcopal Church, takes the bible apart, explains the gist of each of part, puts it into historical context and bravely sifts through all the material, distinguishing between what he (and other Bible scholars) feel is probably fact, what is possibly fact and what is absolutely not fact. It is a fascinating, illuminating and truly entertaining read that I would recommend to anyone interested in the subject, and particularly Jews and Christians (lapsed or not).
With this book, Spong has illuminated the absurdity of a literal interpretation of the Bible yet, strangely, has also convinced me that the Bible is still relevant. Quite a trick! I’m guessing he is not popular with a lot of people (certainly not with the bible thumping fundamentalist set) but, for me, this book resonates.
Do give it a try.
June 26, 2015
This book repeats themes from Spong's other books, but in a format that systematically covers the entire Bible. Every book is addressed at least briefly. As with his other works, there is an underlying assumption that *obviously* no laws of science were actually broken, so there is a literary or political or metaphorical explanation for every story in the Bible. Sometimes this makes his tone condescending, and some might find his world view lacking in faith or imagination. The exciting part is that the literary, political, or metaphorical explanation can actually turn out to be just as stunning as the literal interpretation, only in a way that is relevant to our modern world. For example: set aside the question of whether a person could actually live inside the body of a fish, and consider Spong's scholarly position on the story of Jonah. He believes the author of the story disapproved of the ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by the Jews after returning from Babylonian exile, and used the story to suggest indirectly that this was not in line with God's way of thinking. Who knew the Old Testament was so progressive? I also found the correlation between the Gospel narratives and the Jewish liturgical year fascinating.
The amount of information presented is overwhelming and things don't always flow well from chapter to chapter-- just as with the Bible itself. I wish he had included a timeline showing when different portions were written relative to major events in history (e.g. fall of Jerusalem). Also perhaps a visual summary of the Jewish holidays as they match up with Gospel events. Spong appears to have been studying this stuff for a long time; in the course of reading one book, it's a lot to absorb.
The amount of information presented is overwhelming and things don't always flow well from chapter to chapter-- just as with the Bible itself. I wish he had included a timeline showing when different portions were written relative to major events in history (e.g. fall of Jerusalem). Also perhaps a visual summary of the Jewish holidays as they match up with Gospel events. Spong appears to have been studying this stuff for a long time; in the course of reading one book, it's a lot to absorb.
September 5, 2012
He takes each chapter of Old and New Testament, gives overview of the books, showing the narrative of what was, has been and is a story of Judaism. Demonstrates Jesus as being born a Jew, and lived his life in accord with the Jewish law of the time, and thus places the teachings in a framework not as well understood in today's Christianity interpretations of the gospel books. At the time, and after the death of Jesus, what is referenced as early Christianity looked more like reformed Judaism, and did not much resemble Christianity as it is known today. Within a couple of generations, having broken from Synagogue as central to the religion, the church calling itself Christianity forms giving yet another branch to the tree of Judaism.
For me this book went a great distance to putting together the puzzle for me in a way that finally yields an imagery I can follow in tracing the roots of Christianity back to it's origins in Judaism, it's evolution into Christianity and the many branchings that morphed out of that Christianity. I found his perspective in providing an ongoing narrative for the books of the bible to be animating for me. Having read, seen, heard enough to know that it is wise to re-examine the bible and unpin it from it's Protestant Christian definitions. In my opinion, I found the progression as John Shelby Spong demonstrated it in this book to be intuitive and lines up well with my own intuitions. I will keep and refer back to this books as a useful reference book.
For me this book went a great distance to putting together the puzzle for me in a way that finally yields an imagery I can follow in tracing the roots of Christianity back to it's origins in Judaism, it's evolution into Christianity and the many branchings that morphed out of that Christianity. I found his perspective in providing an ongoing narrative for the books of the bible to be animating for me. Having read, seen, heard enough to know that it is wise to re-examine the bible and unpin it from it's Protestant Christian definitions. In my opinion, I found the progression as John Shelby Spong demonstrated it in this book to be intuitive and lines up well with my own intuitions. I will keep and refer back to this books as a useful reference book.
August 30, 2013
This is a great survey of the Bible for those who, like me, who have never taken on the task. Spong reorders the books chronologically. There are two paragraphs (p.364) that are take-aways:
"Someone once said that Christianity probably would not have survived had it not become institutionalized and that it might not continue to survive because it did become institutionalized. Institutions, certainly including the Christian church, always subvert truth to institutional needs. That is why the various factions within Christianity have developed irrational power claims such as, "My pop is infallible," or "My Bible is inerrant," or "There is only one true church, and it is mine" or "No one comes to the Father except through my church or my faith tradition."
"These assertions always arise in religious movements when the decision is made that the wonder, truth and mystery of God can in fact be captured inside human words that originated inside human minds. God and my understanding of God become the same. The power needs of religious institutions become identified with the truth of God and the well-being of church leaders. This mentality almost inevitably produces religious wars and religious persecution, resulting in atrocities such as the Inquisition and other incredible cruelties that we Christian people have inflicted on our victims over the centuries. It also finds expression in the rudeness frequently seen in religious debate."
"Someone once said that Christianity probably would not have survived had it not become institutionalized and that it might not continue to survive because it did become institutionalized. Institutions, certainly including the Christian church, always subvert truth to institutional needs. That is why the various factions within Christianity have developed irrational power claims such as, "My pop is infallible," or "My Bible is inerrant," or "There is only one true church, and it is mine" or "No one comes to the Father except through my church or my faith tradition."
"These assertions always arise in religious movements when the decision is made that the wonder, truth and mystery of God can in fact be captured inside human words that originated inside human minds. God and my understanding of God become the same. The power needs of religious institutions become identified with the truth of God and the well-being of church leaders. This mentality almost inevitably produces religious wars and religious persecution, resulting in atrocities such as the Inquisition and other incredible cruelties that we Christian people have inflicted on our victims over the centuries. It also finds expression in the rudeness frequently seen in religious debate."
October 18, 2022
Since I was a child, I wanted to understand how the bible came together as we currently know it. Who wrote these books? What motivated them? What was influencing them? "Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World" answers these questions for me. To paraphrase Spong's own words, the intention of this book is to bring the academic knowledge among biblical historians to the people "in the pews". Spong goes through each book of the bible, detailing when it was written, who wrote it and the context in which it came into being. I realize now how many misconceptions and misunderstandings I had about the bible; what I thought was truth isn't necessarily so and I am even more aware of the human influence on "God's Word". I find all of this fascinating; this book is like VH-1's old t.v. program, "Behind the Music", where you find out what the musician was feeling/going through when they wrote their songs. My word of caution is this book will take you down the proverbially rabbit hole. If you are open to questioning and possibly rethinking your perception of the bible, then this is an great source. If not, keep it on the shelf. For now.
December 23, 2013
Good stuff. Typical Spong, and an excellent survey of the Bible. I really liked the order of the books and the historical insights Spong has.
I gave it 3 stars because at times Spong is definitely rushing through the material and relying on his own bias. This is merely a methodological deduction.
My main beef with this book is that Song doesn't ever really affirm the Bible as the word of God. I get that Song is against fundamentalism and literalism, but why can't the Bible in the same light Spong sees it in be the word of God? Spong seems to think, as best as I can tell, that because the Bible cannot be read literally then it can't be the word of God, but this seems to be trapped in the same kind of literalist thinking Spong wishes to avoid.
It might help if Spong clarified his position on Inspiration. The book gives us no indicators as to why the Bible ought to be studied by Christians.
I gave it 3 stars because at times Spong is definitely rushing through the material and relying on his own bias. This is merely a methodological deduction.
My main beef with this book is that Song doesn't ever really affirm the Bible as the word of God. I get that Song is against fundamentalism and literalism, but why can't the Bible in the same light Spong sees it in be the word of God? Spong seems to think, as best as I can tell, that because the Bible cannot be read literally then it can't be the word of God, but this seems to be trapped in the same kind of literalist thinking Spong wishes to avoid.
It might help if Spong clarified his position on Inspiration. The book gives us no indicators as to why the Bible ought to be studied by Christians.
January 2, 2018
I was thoroughly impressed by this book. I have said in other reviews that “A New Christianity for a New World” is my favorite Spong book. This book now competes very closely. Granted, a few of his views are dated here and there - everyone is a reflection of what was popular when they were in seminary.
This book would pair well with “What is the Bible?” By Rob Bell if the Bible has recently fallen apart for you. Spong is still somewhat cynical at parts, which I try to be sympathetic and/or empathetic toward, especially since he grew up in the south as a fundamentalist. But his cynicism is probably what I find most discouraging in his writing - I don’t really care in principle that he doesn’t believe in miracles or things like that. The reason I mention this is because he will sometimes say that certain books of the Bible are more or less worthless. Like 1 and 2 Timothy, which of course were not written by the historical Paul, and reflect a much more institutional form of Christianity. But does that mean they are little more than expensive toilet paper? I don’t think so. I think they still have echoes of Paul’s radical vision, even though they are packaged in a more patriarchal framework. I think there is still wisdom and guidance to be found in books like the pastoral epistles or 1 Peter or Jude, even though they seem to be more dogmatic and institutionalized - we just need to be more diligent in our interpretive processes.
But as I mentioned throughout my activity, Spong does great work in explaining the JEDP theory and setting up probabilities of what we can be confident of history-wise. He also does an absolutely wonderful job with most of the prophets of the OT, as well as the Wisdom literature. His treatment of the (synoptic) Gospels are being organized liturgically is great, an astounding idea and a very Jewish reading. His treatment of Paul was pleasantly surprising, he doesn’t think (here) that Paul was a barbaric and misogynistic swine (which, in my experience, many liberal Christians tend to do), but sees him more as a radical visionary.
Once you get past Paul, the book sort of trails off and doesn’t present as much penetrating material. Don’t forget that once you get past Paul and the Gospels, you are about 80% through this 400 page book anyway. But all in all, this is a helpful and enriching book. Some of Spong’s best in my opinion. Pick up a copy if you can, it is a lucid read.
This book would pair well with “What is the Bible?” By Rob Bell if the Bible has recently fallen apart for you. Spong is still somewhat cynical at parts, which I try to be sympathetic and/or empathetic toward, especially since he grew up in the south as a fundamentalist. But his cynicism is probably what I find most discouraging in his writing - I don’t really care in principle that he doesn’t believe in miracles or things like that. The reason I mention this is because he will sometimes say that certain books of the Bible are more or less worthless. Like 1 and 2 Timothy, which of course were not written by the historical Paul, and reflect a much more institutional form of Christianity. But does that mean they are little more than expensive toilet paper? I don’t think so. I think they still have echoes of Paul’s radical vision, even though they are packaged in a more patriarchal framework. I think there is still wisdom and guidance to be found in books like the pastoral epistles or 1 Peter or Jude, even though they seem to be more dogmatic and institutionalized - we just need to be more diligent in our interpretive processes.
But as I mentioned throughout my activity, Spong does great work in explaining the JEDP theory and setting up probabilities of what we can be confident of history-wise. He also does an absolutely wonderful job with most of the prophets of the OT, as well as the Wisdom literature. His treatment of the (synoptic) Gospels are being organized liturgically is great, an astounding idea and a very Jewish reading. His treatment of Paul was pleasantly surprising, he doesn’t think (here) that Paul was a barbaric and misogynistic swine (which, in my experience, many liberal Christians tend to do), but sees him more as a radical visionary.
Once you get past Paul, the book sort of trails off and doesn’t present as much penetrating material. Don’t forget that once you get past Paul and the Gospels, you are about 80% through this 400 page book anyway. But all in all, this is a helpful and enriching book. Some of Spong’s best in my opinion. Pick up a copy if you can, it is a lucid read.
September 20, 2019
Excellent. But the title is misleading. What he does is to expose the problems with a literal interpretation and instead offer his own analysis. He was a respected Biblical scholar so his interpretations are in line with current thinking. For example he analyzes the Synoptic Gospels to show that they are intended to correspond with the Jewish liturgical year. He believes that these stories were offered by congregants as commentary in the Sabbath services to relate Jesus to the readings for the day.
July 22, 2014
What a wonderful book. Who would think that a Bible study book would be one I couldn't put down, but this one was. Bishop Spong has clearly spent a lot of time researching and studying for this book. One will have to have a completely open mind and be ready, as St. Paul says, to leave childish ways behind and embrace a mature faith. While I don't agree with all of his conclusions, his scholarship cannot be denied. I know this is one I'll have to read again, preferably side by side with the books of the Bible he is exploring. Well done.
June 5, 2012
This is a lucid, refreshing, and surprisingly savory retelling of the stories from the Judeo-Christian scriptures from one of America’s strongest voices for reclaiming the Bible from those who have used it to imprison, enslave, and abuse. Though he condemns a simplistic, literal reading, Spong helps readers recover the Bible’s depth, beauty, and guidance as a sacred book.
July 8, 2012
This book didn't really go into a lot of detail on the origins of the ideas presented therein, but that was OK. It was really designed to be a quick overview of scholarship on the entire Bible, and as such it was excellent. I have been reading the Bible and about the Bible for over 30 years, yet there was quite a bit in this book that was new to me.
May 28, 2012
This is a good book for those who have not read any Spong. It's nice to have the various materials collated into one volume. For those of us who've read his corpus it might be a little shallow and repetitive.
September 6, 2012
This is a really good book about the Bible - its history, how it was written, why. not for conservative believers, but great for believing skeptics like me. Did not change my faith but made some things that have bothered me about the Word understandable.
January 24, 2014
A scholarly and historically-based look at the Bible. Very interesting and readable. Highly recommended to anyone feeling a bit jaded about Christianity! Not only does Spong approach this study with great intelligence, but his deep-rooted spirituality comes across in an inspiring fashion.
October 22, 2013
One if my favorite books. Goes from genesis to revelation ... Spong is a liberal theologian so don't be surprised that he takes most of Bible stories as metaphor. But WOW will you learn a lot. Each chpt will only take you 15 min to read .
September 14, 2012
This book really got me to thinking. It has opened up new possibilities for me.
September 11, 2019
What I liked
I read Spong's book concurrently with the Bible. My thinking was that I would need some help to put the Bible in context, so I tried to find another book that would give a somewhat secular, fairly thorough critical commentary of the Bible. For this purpose, I think Re-Claiming the Bible is a reasonable option. Spong is an educated Biblical scholar who has purportedly read the Bible cover-to-cover more than twenty-five times. Here, he discusses every single individual book of the Bible, in roughly chronological order according to date of composition.
There's a lot of historical context that I would not have known without his help. For instance, he explains the significance of the civil war that split Judah from Israel, the Babylonian exile, and the destruction of the Second Temple.
Translating the Bible involves a lot of interpretation, and Spong drew attention to several places where the original text reveals details that were missing from my translation. For instance, look at his discussion of the phrase "I am" in the gospel of John.
Finally, it turned out to be very interesting that Spong is an actual, believing Christian. He takes a scientific approach to Biblical study, emphasizing that the Bible was written by humans, is riddled with mistakes, and mustn't be interpreted literally. But he nonetheless stresses his love for the book, drawing attention to the parts that can teach us all to respect one another---so that we may "escape the survival-oriented reality of humanity" in order to "have life and have it abundantly".
What I did not like
Spong uses the words "clearly", "obviously", and "certainly" too much. He has some very interesting theories about the Bible, and he does indeed find intriguing textual support for them. But he jumps a bit too quickly to the assertion that his theories must therefore be correct. I wish he treated them more like he treats the birthdate of Jesus: "here's a range of possibilities and here's the evidence we have; let's acknowledge our uncertainty and move on".
In the end, I would have preferred a more encyclopedic text, one that explained the evidence available to Biblical scholars and a few of the most plausible theories---that focused more on history and less on theology. But the theological perspective was interesting, and I certainly don't regret reading this book.
I read Spong's book concurrently with the Bible. My thinking was that I would need some help to put the Bible in context, so I tried to find another book that would give a somewhat secular, fairly thorough critical commentary of the Bible. For this purpose, I think Re-Claiming the Bible is a reasonable option. Spong is an educated Biblical scholar who has purportedly read the Bible cover-to-cover more than twenty-five times. Here, he discusses every single individual book of the Bible, in roughly chronological order according to date of composition.
There's a lot of historical context that I would not have known without his help. For instance, he explains the significance of the civil war that split Judah from Israel, the Babylonian exile, and the destruction of the Second Temple.
Translating the Bible involves a lot of interpretation, and Spong drew attention to several places where the original text reveals details that were missing from my translation. For instance, look at his discussion of the phrase "I am" in the gospel of John.
Finally, it turned out to be very interesting that Spong is an actual, believing Christian. He takes a scientific approach to Biblical study, emphasizing that the Bible was written by humans, is riddled with mistakes, and mustn't be interpreted literally. But he nonetheless stresses his love for the book, drawing attention to the parts that can teach us all to respect one another---so that we may "escape the survival-oriented reality of humanity" in order to "have life and have it abundantly".
What I did not like
Spong uses the words "clearly", "obviously", and "certainly" too much. He has some very interesting theories about the Bible, and he does indeed find intriguing textual support for them. But he jumps a bit too quickly to the assertion that his theories must therefore be correct. I wish he treated them more like he treats the birthdate of Jesus: "here's a range of possibilities and here's the evidence we have; let's acknowledge our uncertainty and move on".
In the end, I would have preferred a more encyclopedic text, one that explained the evidence available to Biblical scholars and a few of the most plausible theories---that focused more on history and less on theology. But the theological perspective was interesting, and I certainly don't regret reading this book.
September 9, 2024
What a wonderful book! I read this alongside Borg’s Readjng the Bible Again, and it was an excellent companion piece (sitting a little farther to the left, of course). You don’t have to agree with Spong on every single point to appreciate the value of a volume like this, that goes through each book and part of the Bible and provides an introduction for the progressive-minded. People have said a lot about Spong, but I found him so endearing throughout this book. His voice is delightfully witty, and his thesis is clear. No one can say that Spong didn’t revere the Bible. He closes this volume with the words, “Underneath the time-bound and time-warped words of the Bible, I still find in the words of this book a sense that all life is holy, that all life is loved and that each of us is called to be all that we are capable of being. Those are the biblical themes I hope our world never loses” (pg. 410).
July 14, 2017
This book will not appeal to those who do not want to consider or entertain the inerrancy of The Bible. From the scholarly perspective, I think some citations would have been helpful in the examination of the Old Testament, but Bishop Spong does a better job citing and pointing out what are his own theories in the New Testament section. Some of those theories-whether one chooses to believe in them or not- are compelling and I certainly found this a worthy read. Again, more citations befitting of a scholarly Biblical examination would have gone a long way for me. The writing style is however engaging, and the man is obviously knowledgeable whether one agrees with him or not. As a Christian, it is I believe a book worth challenging yourself with.
March 2, 2022
I read this with a group from Unity as a book study. Amazing information and background about the books in Old Testament and the New Testament. I realized how little I knew about this important book and about the roots of Christianity. Bishop Spong had done so much research and had so much knowledge of the details of each part of the Bible. For me, this was a fresh look. Now I can appreciate the wisdom in the Bible without worrying about it being literal history. I hadn't realized how the Torah is actually the early Old Testament. The stories imbeded in the Bible are meant to teach lessons, not to be seen as actual recording of what happened or what was actually said by each of the disciples or Jesus. Most of the people of that time and place could not read or write.
February 12, 2023
Beautiful and refreshing new perspective on a book which people have used and abused for thousands of years to bias their causes. Someone told me that John Spong is controversial in a lot of church circles, and for me that’s the biggest green flag I could find. Like a grandparent not approving your fashion sense, you know you’re on the right track.
June 19, 2024
Very readable for a text that is about explaining the books of the Bible - on a timeline and in historical context. Extensive research by the author is used to reorder some books of the Bible and challenge our traditional belief in authorship of much of the writing. This book will be challenging for many readers but I found it fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews