JOHN SHELBY SPONG

Academic Credentials:

A.B. University of North Carolina

Degree in Philosophy, Minor in Zoology

Phi Beta Kappa

M.Div. Virginia Theological Seminary

Special Study:

St. Luke’s School of Theology, Sewanee, Tennesse 1961

Union Seminary, New York, 1988

Yale Divinity School, New Haven, 1989

Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1990

Magdalen College, Oxford University, 1992

Fellow, Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, 1992

Elected Quatercentenary Scholar

University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1997

Christ Church, Oxford University, 1997

Scholar in Residence

Honorary Degrees

Doctor of Divinity, St. Paul’s College, 1976

Doctor of Divinity, Virginia Theological Seminary, 1977

Doctor of Humane Letters, Muhlenberg College, 1998

Books by John Shelby Spong:

1973Honest Prayer, Seabury Press, New York

1974This Hebrew Lord,Seabury Press, New York

1975Christpower, Hale Publishing, New York

1975Dialogue: In Search of Jewish-Christian Understanding

Co-authored with Rabbi Jack D. Spiro, Seabury Press, New York

1976Life Approaches Death: A Dialogue on Ethics in Medicine

Co-authored with Daniel H. Gregory, M.D. Richmond, Virginia

1980The Easter Moment, Harper & Row, San Francisco

1983Into the Whirlwind: The Future of the Church, Harper & Row, SF

1986Beyond Moralism: A Contemporary View of the Ten Commandments

co-authored with Denise G. Haines, Archdeacon, Harper & Row, SF

1987Consciousness and Survival: An Innterdisciplinary Inquiry into the Possibility

of Life Beyond Biological Death, Edited by John S. Spong, Introduction by

John S. Spong.An Institute of Noetic Sciences Book, Sausalito, California

1988Living in Sin?A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality, Harper & Row, SF

1991Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning

of Scripture.HarperSanFrancisco

1992Born of a Woman: A Bishop Rethinks the Birth of Jesus,HarperSanFrancisco

1994Resurrection: Myth or Reality?A Bishop’s Search of the Origin’s of Christianity.

Harper San Francisco

1996Liberating the Gospels: Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes, HarperSanFrancisco

1998Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers in Exile.

HarperSanFrancisco

1999The Bishop’s Voice: A compilation of articles by John S. Spong, 1976 to1998, from The Voice, a publication of the Diocese of Newark.

Published Articles Written by John Shelby Spong:

Oct. 1970:“Can We Make Up Our Minds About Overseas?”The Episcopalian

Mar. 1973:“Vietnam Peace; Why Was There No Celebration?” The Virginia SeminaryJournal

April 1973:“The Seagull Within Us” The Living Church

Sept. 1975:“This I Do Believe”The Living Church

Sept. 1975:“Journey”The Virginia Churchman

Sept. 1976:“The Truth of the Word and the Truth of Today”,Seabury Press Symposium

Nov. 1978:,The Virginia Seminary Journal

Jan. 1979:“The Emerging Church: A New Form for a New Era” The Christian Century

Sept. 1980:“The Christian Need for Judaism”, The Christian Century

Nov/Dec ‘80The Ecumenical Bulletin

Nov/Dec ‘81The Journal of Religious Education

Jan. 1981:“Abortion: A Plea for Wisdom” The Living Church

Jan. 1982:“Evangelism, When Certainty is an Illusion”, The Christian Century

Mar. 1982:Cathedral Commentary

Feb. 1982:“Vocation is Stronger than Nationalism” The Witness

July1982:“Ambassador Non-Commital: An Interview with the Ambassador from SouthAfrica About Bishop Desmond Tutu” The Witness

Nov. 1982:“Sexual Stereotypes in the Life of the Church”, Ecumenical Trends

Jan. 1983:Contact

June 1983:“Hope and Fear in the Ecumenical Union” The Christian Century

“Selected Sermons” Seabury Press, annually from 1976 - 1986 (11 times)

Mar. 1984:“Remembering John Robinson - A Theological Mentor” The Christian Century

Mar. 1984:“Our Faith Story - A Many Layered Thing” The Episcopalian

April 1984:“Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land” The Episcopalian

Sept. 1984:“The Urban Church - Symbol and Reality” The Christian Century

Dec. 1984:“Can the Church Bless a Divorce?”The Christian Century

Jan. 1985:“John E. Hines - A Moment of Grace in the Life of the Church” The Witness

July 1985:“Here I Stand - A Believing Doubter” The Episcopalian

Fall, 1985:“Choosing a Vision - Church Sets Its Agenda for the Future” Jubilee

Oct. 1985:“Watching the Tragedy of South Africa” The Witness

Jan. 1986:“Understanding the Gay Reality” The Christian Century

Mar. 1986:“The Powerless Christ” The Witness

Summer 1986:“Worship and the Scientific Revolution” The St. Luke’s Theological Journal

May 1986:“In Many Tongues, with a United Heart” The Episcopalian

Dec. 8 1986:“Women - the Crux of Ecumenism” Christianity and Crises

Jan. 1987:“The Powerlessness of Jesus Christ” International Christian Digest

Feb. 1987:“Sexual Ethics: No Longer a Matter of Black and White” The Episcopalian

Apr. 26, ‘87“Changing Patterns of Sexuality”The Living Church

May 31, ‘87:“The Bible and Sexual Ethics” The Living Church

1987“The Witness of an Easter Faith” an article in a collectionof reflections on the Christian year by bishops of the Anglican communion, You Will Bear Witness, published by Anglican Book Center, Toronto, Canada

Jan. 1988: “A Rok of Ages” Virginia Seminary Journal, Vol. XXXIX, No. 2

Mar. 1988:“Leadership in the Prophetic Church” Evergreen Messenger, (Western Washington State)

Spring 1988:“On Doing Theology with Two Feet” Menorah, #13 - A Review Essay on Discerning the Way by Paul Van Buren, Seabury Press.

July 1988“The Day the Bishop Got Mugged” The Episcopalian

July 1988“Why the Bishop of London Is Wrong” The Independent, London, Eng.

Sept.28,1988“Steps Toward a Fuller Humanity” The Independent, London, Eng.

Spring, 1989“Living in Sin?Revisited!” The Seminary Times,pub.by Wyndham Hall Press, .

April, 1989“An Invasion of Privacy” The Episcopalian

Spring, 1989“In the Limelight” Books & Religion

1989“America’s Survival Depends on Patriotism’s Death” American Values,An Anthology, Greenhaven Press, Inc., San Diego, California

Apr. 18,1990“Breaking Definitions” The Integrater, Newsletter of Integrity, Toronto

Oct. 1990“Dying Priest Wanted Secret Told” The Episcopal Life

Sept. 21,1990“Bishop, Please Tell My Congregation I Was Gay” The Church Times,London

April, 1991“No Outcasts” Update, Presbyterians for Lesbian/Gay Concerns, New Brunswick, NJ

Nov. 1991“The Oldest Debate in Christian History” More Light Update, New Brunswick

Spring, 1992“Anglican/Roman Catholic Union - A Cause I Can No Longer Support” 

The Virginia Quarterly Review, Charlottesville, VA

Mar. 8, 1993“From Waco to the World Trade Center” New York Newsday

Mar/Apr.’93“A Glimpse into the Twenty-First Century” The Human Quest

Feb. 1993“Monogamy” Christian, Guildford, Eng.

Jul/Aug.1993“Essence of Religion: Serving Humanity, Not Fundamentalism” The Human Quest

Sep/Oct.1993“National Health Issues Should Include Human Values.The Debate Is Theological, Not Political” The Human Quest

Sept.16, 1993“In Unity There Is Progress” The Vancouver Sun - Opinion Page, Vancouver, B.C.

Sept. 1993“A Dialogue on Christian Sexual Ethics” with John R. W. Stott, Crux

A Quarterly Journal of Christian Thought and Opinion, Regent College,

Vancouver, B.C. Canada

Nov/Dec ‘93“Christmas Symbols and Jewish Midrash”The Human Quest

1993“Nature and Role of Dissent in the Christian Church” Originally a conversation among Prof. Don Cupitt, Prof. Emeritus Lloyd Geering and Bishop John Spong, and a broadcast on Radio New Zealand, later published in booklet form by St. Andrew’s Trust for the Study of Religion & Society, titled “Frontiers of Faith.”

Apr. 1994“Most Biblical Interpretation Illogical” The Human Quest

Jan. 1994“From Waco to the World Trade Center”Newsweek Education Program

May/Jun ‘94“Judas Iscariot - A Creation of Prejudice?”The Human Quest

Dec. 1994“Catholics for a Changing Church”Renew

Jul/Aug 1994“United Church of Canada’s Leadership Contrasts with Deadly Traditionalism” The Human Quest

Sep/Oct.1994“Why I Am Not a Unitarian”The Human Quest

Nov/Dec ‘94“Sunset for the Episcopal Synod of America”The Human Quest

Jan/Feb 1995“Mr. Clinton: It’s Time To Name the Demon” The Human Quest

May/June ‘95“Our Moral Breakdown”The Human Quest

Sep/Oct. ‘95“John T. Robinson Remembered” The Human Quest

Nov/Dec. ‘95“Education or Propaganda”The Human Quest

1995“Religion As a Human Creation?”Sea of Faith Quarterly Magazine,

Loughborough, U.K.

Jan/Feb. ‘96“The ‘Christian’ Political Agenda”, The Human Quest

Mar/Apr ‘96“Heresy! This Church Is On Trial”, The Human Quest

Feb. 2, 1996“The Bible Is Wrong to Condemn Homosexuality”,Morristown Daily Record

May/June,’96“In Defense of Assisted Suicide”, The Human Quest

July/Aug,’96“The Graceful Life of Helen Orwig Hines”, The Human Quest

Mar.14,1996“Christian Church Is Heresy Trial’s Real Defendant”, The Star Ledger

Aug. 1996“In Defense of Assisted Suicide”, Prime Time Monthly

Nov/Dec,’96“Being Christian Without Theism”, The Human Quest

Jan/Feb. 1997“Will Christianity Survive the New Millennium?”, The Human Quest

Mar/Apr.’97“On Tour with Liberating the Gospels”, The Human Quest

Spring 1997“The Strange Dance of Religion and Sexuality,” Sea of Faith Magazine

May/June ‘97“Farewell, My Friend - Bishop John Elbridge Hines,”The Human Quest

July/Aug ‘97“Life is Not a Rehearsal,” The Human Quest

Sep/Oct 1997“The Shortness and Uncertainty of Human Life,” The Human Quest

Jan/Feb 1998“If I Have Seen the Future of the Church, I Do Not Like It!”The Human Quest.

Mar/Apr ‘98“A Wee Insight from a Bonnie Land.”The Human Quest.

May/June ‘98“My Cousin Bill.”The Human Quest.

July/Aug ‘98“A Call for a New Reformation” The Fourth R

Jul.18, 1998“Why the Church Is So Irrelevant” The Guardian, London, U.K.

Aug. 13,1998“Anglicans Get Literal” The New York Times

Jul/Aug, 1998“A Call for a New Reformation,” The Fourth R, Polebridge Press, Santa Rosa, CA

Professional Career:

Rector, St. Joseph’s Church, Durham, NC 1955-57

(Chaplain to Graduate Students, Duke University)

Rector, Calvary Church, Tarboro, NC1957-1965

Rector, St. John’s Church, Lynchburg, VA1965-1969

(Chaplain to Randolph Macon Woman’s College)

Rector, St. Paul’s Church, Richmond, VA1969-1976

(Chaplain Medical College of Virginia)

Bishop, Diocese of Newark, 1976-2000)

William Belden Noble Lecturer, Harvard University, 2000

Teaching Positions:

Chautauqua Institution: Chautauqua, NY - (5 times)

Vancouver School of Theology, University of British Columbia (3 times)

Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA, 1999

University of Alberta, Edmonton, St. Stephen’s College (3 times)

Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage, AK, 1998

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, William Belden Nobel Lecturer, 2000

Other:

Humanist of the Year, 1999

Member, The Executive Council of The National Episcopal Church 1973-76

Play by Play Radio Sportscaster, WCPS-FM, Tarboro, NC 1959-65

Play by Play Radio Sportscaster, WLVA, Lynchburg, VA, 1965-66

Keynoter, The Sea of Faith Conference in the United Kingdom

Modern Church Peoples Conference in the United Kingdom

National Television Appearances:

Good Morning America, ABC

The Today Show, ABC

This Morning, CBS

Firing Line with Wm. Buckley - 3 occasions

The Phil Donahue Show

Politcally Incorrect with Bill Maher - 4 occasions

Firing Line, Debate with pat Buchanan

Religion Today with Bob Abernathy

McNeil/Lehrer News Hour - 2 occasions

Larry King Live - 3 occasions 

The O’Reilly Factor with Bill O’Reilly - 2 occasions

The Tom Snyder Show - 2 occasions

The John Ankerberg Show

The Oprah Winfrey Show

Nightline, ABC - 2 occasions

Town Hall, CNN