John Shelby Spong Quotes

John Shelby Spong
John Shelby Spong
American Clergyman
Born: Jun 16, 1931
Bible Church God Life People You
Related authors: Billy Graham Charles R. Swindoll Henry Ward Beecher Jim Elliot Joel Osteen John C. Maxwell Norman Vincent Peale Thomas S. Monson
Christianity is, I believe, about expanded life, heightened consciousness and achieving a new humanity. It is not about closed minds, supernatural interventions, a fallen creation, guilt, original sin or divine rescue. John Shelby Spong
Life Humanity Guilt Closed Creation Believe Christianity Minds About Supernatural Divine Sin New Fallen Achieving Rescue Original Original Sin Consciousness
All religion seems to need to prove that it's the only truth. And that's where it turns demonic. Because that's when you get religious wars and persecutions and burning heretics at the stake. John Shelby Spong
Truth Religion You Religious Religious Wars Seems Only Because Demonic Prove Get Where Burning Stake Turns Wars Need
When I grew up in the South, I was taught that segregation was the will of God, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. I was taught that women were by nature in inferior to men, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. I was taught that it was okay to hate other religions, and especially the Jews, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. John Shelby Spong
God Nature Bible Women Hate Will Men Other Jews Okay Religions Segregation Prove Were South Up Inferior Taught Grew Quoted
The audience that I try to reach are members of what I call the church alumni association. Now they are people who have not found in institutional religion a God big enough to be God for their world. John Shelby Spong
God Religion People World Try Church Big Enough Members Institutional Reach Call Alumni Audience Big Enough Who Found Now Association
My basis of morality is this: does this action enhance life, or does it denigrate life? Does it build up or does it tear down? John Shelby Spong
Life Build Action Down Morality Does Denigrate Up Tear Enhance Basis
The Bible tells me that every life is holy; the Bible tells me that every life is loved; the Bible tells me that every life is called to be all that it can be. John Shelby Spong
Life Me Bible Every Tells Loved Holy
Whatever diminishes life is evil, and whatever enhances life is good. John Shelby Spong
Life Good Evil Whatever Diminishes Enhances
A lot of people hear me attacking their certainty. I don't have any interest in doing that. I'm interested in penetrating the meaning of certainty. John Shelby Spong
Me People Penetrating Attacking Doing Hear Lot Any Interest Interested Meaning Meaning Of Certainty
We've got to deal with the fact that the church has been violently prejudiced against gay people. We've murdered them; we've burned them at the stake; we've run them out of town for something over which they have no control. And that's immoral. John Shelby Spong
Gay People Church Control Out Has-Been Run No Control Immoral Something Fact Over Town Deal Got Been Burned Which Against Stake Them Prejudiced Violently
If you begin to give people hope that there is a brighter future, there is a new tomorrow, then the people who were yesterday's terrorists become tomorrow's elected officials and they're part of the system. John Shelby Spong
Hope Future You People Tomorrow Become Yesterday System Give Part New Terrorists Were Begin Officials Elected Then Elected Officials Who Brighter Brighter Future
I live on the other side of Charles Darwin and I can no longer see human light as having been created perfect and falling into sin, I see us rather emerging into higher and higher levels of consciousness and higher and higher levels of complication. John Shelby Spong
Light Live Other Side Complication Charles See Darwin Emerging Rather Having Perfect Higher Higher Levels Sin Longer Falling Been Human Us Created Consciousness Levels
In academia, I discovered that issues and insights, commonplace among the scholars, are viewed as highly controversial and even as 'heresy' in the churches. John Shelby Spong
Churches Insights Scholars Highly Academia Issues Discovered Controversial Commonplace Viewed Even Among Heresy
I don't think much about my physical body going off into the long, green fairways of Heaven to play golf. John Shelby Spong
Long Think Physical Physical Body About Off Green Going Heaven Golf Much Body Play Play Golf
I am trying to understand what it means to be a Christian without being religious. John Shelby Spong
Christian Religious Without Understand Am Trying Being Means
I believe God is real, but I believe God calls me beyond myself to take responsibility for my life and to try top work to allow other people to be themselves and to take responsibility for their lives. John Shelby Spong
Life Work God Myself Me People Try Responsibility My Life Believe Other Top Take Allow Beyond Calls Real Themselves Lives
Oh the Christian church has encouraged enormous immaturity among the peoples who are its primary adherence. John Shelby Spong
People Church Christian Enormous Immaturity Adherence Primary Encouraged Oh Who Among Christian Church
Inequality for gay and lesbian people is no longer a debatable issue in either church or state. John Shelby Spong
Gay People Church Lesbian State Longer Inequality Issue Debatable Either
I admire our ancestors, whoever they were. I think the first self-conscious person must have shaken in his boots. Because as he becomes self-conscious, he's no longer part of nature. He sees himself against nature. He looks at the vastness of the universe and it looks hostile. John Shelby Spong
Nature First Think Universe Our Ancestors Boots Must Admire Shaken Sees Vastness He Hostile Part Self-Conscious Longer Looks Himself Because Becomes Were His Person Against Whoever
Terrorism is a real despair. These are people for whom life has been so negative that they're willing to die if they can take down some of their enemies. John Shelby Spong
Life Terrorism People Enemies Negative Down Despair Has-Been Willing Some Take Real Been Die Whom
I learned early in life that you get places by having the right enemies. John Shelby Spong
Life You Enemies Having Learned Get Places Right Early
It's just not easy enough to say that I pray and God will accomplish. John Shelby Spong
God Will Enough Say Easy Pray Accomplish Just
Religion is a mixed blessing. John Shelby Spong
Religion Blessing Mixed
I experience God as the power of love. John Shelby Spong
Love God Experience Power
The way that I see Christianity is that its role is to enhance the life of every person. John Shelby Spong
Life Every Christianity Way See Role Person Enhance
The biblical texts that we Christians have used for centuries to justify our hostility toward the Jews need to be banished forever from the sacred writings of the Christian church. John Shelby Spong
Bible Church Christian Jews Our Sacred Writings Hostility Toward Texts Forever Banished Justify Centuries Used Christian Church Christians Need
Many of the characters who appear in the pages of the Fourth Gospel are literary creations of its author and were never intended to be understood as real people, who actually lived in history. John Shelby Spong
History People Characters Never Gospel Real Understood Were Author Real People Intended Literary Creations Pages Who Many Appear Lived Actually Fourth
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