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Jesus for the Non-Religious | 
 enlarge | Author: John Shelby Spong
Publisher: HarperOne
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  58 reviews
Sales Rank: 9620
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 0060778415
Dewey Decimal Number: 291
EAN: 9780060778415
ASIN: 0060778415
Publication Date: March 1, 2008
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Product Description
The Pope Describes the Ancient Traditional Jesus; Bishop Spong Brings Us a Jesus Modern People Can Be Inspired By
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| Customer Reviews: Read 53 more reviews...
 Eye Opener June 27, 2008
Bishop Spong expertly separates the myth and mystery that surround the life of Jesus and how he is presented to the world of faith. His masterful examination of history and the need to fulfill a prophecy allowed me to see Jesus as a human being that allowed himself to become totally available to "all that God is'" which lead those that interacted with him to see him as being God.
The myths that surround the virgin birth and physical resurrection have been removed from my thinking and I see an even greater person because Jesus was connected to his God awareness in his humanness. A mental and spiritual state that is available to all of humankind.
His controversial and unconvential approach to this topic has opened my eyes to the systematic oppression of organized religion
 An Important Effort June 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a lapsed Christian, I read Jesus for the Non-Religious with great admiration for what Bishop Spong has done to help us find the Jesus hidden in the first century mythology spun by his early followers. I thoroughly recommend this book not just for those who can no longer believe in the traditional Christian faith, but those who are still in the fold but have doubts and conflicts.
I'm not a theologian, but much of the theology here appears sound - as sound as any other. Spong's theology appears to be based in the "Ground of Being" concept of God developed by Paul Tillich, and he sees Jesus as somehow fully human rather than a supernatural visitor. I have to agree that there must have been something unique and highly appealing about Jesus to have engendered the strong religious community that followed his death. Whether it is possible to resurrect that Jesus from the detritus of 2,000 years of Christian theism is an open question, but Spong's is an admirable attempt.
For me, Spong almost makes his case. I find the book at its weakest when trying to explain what Spong means by God - a task he admits is impossible. It seems to me we can as easily postulate a Ground of Being as not, given Spong's gospel. Is God merely what it feels like to live a fully human life? I'm not at all sure. I am thinking about it again, which is probably the point of the book anyway.
The most troubling chapter for me was the one on the cross. What Spong omits is the idea that when an individual lives boldly, and puts love of others and fidelity to that which is best in us above all else, they inevitably run afoul of authority - particularly religious authority. Jesus death was not merely ignominious, it was a result of who he was, what he said and did. Living this sort of life is dangerous, because those who seek and find power through human institutions fear and hate those who refuse to conform and give them the respect the believe is their due. The Christian church capitulated on this point very early in its existence and allied itself with power to avoid the repression that comes from standing in opposition. Perhaps this is the Jesus we need, more like the Liberation Theology movement than the God is Dead movement.
Spong has written a thoughtful, and challenging book and I cannot recommend it enough. My own reflections are a result of his work, not a complaint.
Jesus for the non-religous May 8, 2008
One of Spong's best books. Great analysis his life's meaning and teachings and very rational explanations of ancient miracles.
 A Deconstructed Jesus May 2, 2008
Following up on his previous book "A New Christianity for a New World," John Shelby Spong puts together the pieces of his 20+ year quest for Jesus.
This book is largely about deconstructing the myths around the historical Jesus of Nazareth. Spong challenges such ideas as the virgin birth, miracle accounts, and resurrection stories. He then relates such ideas to themes in 1st century Jewish culture. Such as Jesus being simultaneously the Passover lamb and the Yom Kippur Scapegoat.
Spong makes no bones about saying that most of the gospels are contrived and based upon earlier stories. He doesn't say that the images from the bible were the only way the Jews of Jesus' day could wrap their heads around his ministry as some other authors have (I'm thinking of N.T. Wright)
After these first two sections of deconstruction and comparison Spong offers a cursory summary of what he thinks Jesus' life was all about. He uses his usual sermon of living fully, loving wastefully, and being all that one can be courageously, which to me seems like a well worn shoe--for those that are comfortable in old shoes it works, for those that get blisters from the same old thing it might be a bit of a yawn to hear Rev. Spong sum up the entire message of the gospels in three catchy phrases.
The book is worth reading if you want to deconstruct the myths centered around Jesus of Nazareth but if you want to put something in its place you're pretty much on your own because Spong really doesn't address that.
Jesus for the Non-Religious March 26, 2008
While any fan of Spong is familiar with his theology and worldview, many new readers might be dismayed or even shocked at his explanation of the scriptures found in the Christian Bible. Despair not, good folks, for Spong does provide a real world and postmodern corrrective for an outdated and often cruel and un-christian interpretation of the faith. This book attempts to put the faith into an honest context of postmodern understanding and takes advantage of the past 200 years of biblical research and scholarship. I highly recommend it for the curious and brave, but not so much for the closeminded or already convinced by literal understandings of ancient scriptures.
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