--- title: "13 Century Quotes By John Shelby Spong" description: "13 Century quotes by John Shelby Spong. Plus more from John Shelby Spong and more Century sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/011/john-shelby-spong-1488_21st-century_i-am-a-child-of-the-21st-century-2896679_2896679.png" --- > [I am a child of the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-am-a-child-of-the-21st-century/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/011/john-shelby-spong-1488_21st-century_i-am-a-child-of-the-21st-century-2896679_2896679.png) > [The church is not going to survive if they are going to tell people that they have to twist their minds into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-church-is-not-going-to-survive-if-they-are-going-to-tell-people/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/john-shelby-spong-1488_century_the-church-is-not-going-to-survive-if-th_1889773.png) > [The demolishment of the power of organized Christianity in the Western world to finally realize the emancipation of women and give them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-demolishment-of-the-power-of-organized-christianity-in-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/john-shelby-spong-1488_19th-century_the-demolishment-of-the-power-of-organiz_2926695.png) > [To have a great university library near you with plenty of archives of all the journals that you want to research in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/to-have-a-great-university-library-near-you-with-plenty-of-archives/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c7/john-shelby-spong-1488_archives_to-have-a-great-university-library-near_2226382.jpg) > [The biblical texts that we Christians have used for centuries to justify our hostility toward the Jews need to be banished forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-biblical-texts-that-we-christians-have-used-for-centuries-to/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/john-shelby-spong-1488_bible_the-biblical-texts-that-we-christians-ha_543080.png) > [ \[Apostol Paul's\] views were translated as, "Your rule is to be kind to black people; you don't beat them." It's very much… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/apostol-paul-s-views-were-translated-as-your-rule-is-to-be-kind-to/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/john-shelby-spong-1488_animal_apostol-paul-s-views-were-translated-as_2766975.png) > [It's the 21st century, and somebody has to rise from within this faith tradition and retranslate it for the post-modern world... The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/it-s-the-21st-century-and-somebody-has-to-rise-from-within-this-faith/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/john-shelby-spong-1488_21st-century_it-s-the-21st-century-and-somebody-has-t_746522.png) > [I'd like to turn the whole Jesus story around and look at it from a different vantage point, to consider that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-d-like-to-turn-the-whole-jesus-story-around-and-look-at-it-from-a/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/john-shelby-spong-1488_century_i-d-like-to-turn-the-whole-jesus-story-a_1952659.png) > [The trouble with Christianity was that by about 150, there were hardly any Jews left in the Christian church, and so from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-trouble-with-christianity-was-that-by-about-150-there-were-hardly/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9e/john-shelby-spong-1488_backgrounds_the-trouble-with-christianity-was-that-b_3047891.jpg) > [In my book, The Sins of Scripture, I traced the development of tribal religion, which included ideas like God's killing the Egyptians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/in-my-book-the-sins-of-scripture-i-traced-the-development-of-tribal/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/john-shelby-spong-1488_bible_in-my-book-the-sins-of-scripture-i-trace_3147281.png) > [You can't go to church without praying ten or fifteen times for God to have mercy on you. You can't sing "Amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/you-can-t-go-to-church-without-praying-ten-or-fifteen-times-for-god/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/john-shelby-spong-1488_able_you-can-t-go-to-church-without-praying-t_235188.jpg) > [The 20th century was a turning point; it freed and emancipated women, broke the back of segregation, and began the struggle to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-20th-century-was-a-turning-point-it-freed-and-emancipated-women/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/john-shelby-spong-1488_20th-century_the-20th-century-was-a-turning-point-it_481834.png) > [The Protestant reformation was an attempt to recast the Christian faith in terms of the new learning of the 16th century, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-protestant-reformation-was-an-attempt-to-recast-the-christian/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/john-shelby-spong-1488_capacity_the-protestant-reformation-was-an-attemp_573031.jpg) ## Other authors on Century ## More by John Shelby Spong > [The way that I see Christianity is that its role is to enhance the life of every person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-way-that-i-see-christianity-is-that-its-role-is-to-enhance-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Sins of Scripture is an interesting title; most people don't put sins and scripture together in the same title. It jars people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-sins-of-scripture-is-an-interesting-title-most-people-don-t-put/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [“When a human life is open to all that humanity can be, humanity and divinity flow together as one. It was and is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/when-a-human-life-is-open-to-all-that-humanity-can-be-humanity-and/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [I don't see Jesus as rescuing the fallen; I see Jesus as expanding the potential of life. The primary reason the old idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-don-t-see-jesus-as-rescuing-the-fallen-i-see-jesus-as-expanding-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Bible interprets life from its particular perspective; it does not record in a factual way the human journey through history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-bible-interprets-life-from-its-particular-perspective-it-does-not/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [My basis of morality is this: does this action enhance life, or does it denigrate life? Does it build up or does it tear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/my-basis-of-morality-is-this-does-this-action-enhance-life-or-does-it/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [I want the traditional family upheld, but I don't want it upheld to the detriment of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-want-the-traditional-family-upheld-but-i-don-t-want-it-upheld-to/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [We live in a very pluralistic society today. There are Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, atheists, Roman Catholics, Evangelical Christians, and Christians like me. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/we-live-in-a-very-pluralistic-society-today-there-are-buddhists/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Bible was written between 3,000 and 2,000 years ago, and it's filled with the knowledge that people had in that period of time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-bible-was-written-between-3-000-and-2-000-years-ago-and-it-s/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [We are in a survival mentality, and that's hard-wired into our humanity, because we are the winners of an evolutionary struggle of millions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/we-are-in-a-survival-mentality-and-that-s-hard-wired-into-our/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [Some people think prayer stops bullets or rockets or land mines. It doesn't. That's magic, that's not God. Sometimes, you're just in the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/some-people-think-prayer-stops-bullets-or-rockets-or-land-mines-it/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Hebrew scriptures say it's okay to enslave anybody except your fellow Jews. It says you should enslave only your neighbors. I say to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-hebrew-scriptures-say-it-s-okay-to-enslave-anybody-except-your/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [ I know Jerry \[Falwell\] fairly well, and he's probably not bright enough to recognize all of the implications of what he said. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-know-jerry-falwell-fairly-well-and-he-s-probably-not-bright-enough/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [Benedict XVI kept saying that homosexuals are deviant. They're not deviant. They're deviant only if you say that anyone who is different from me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/benedict-xvi-kept-saying-that-homosexuals-are-deviant-they-re-not/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [ I find it fascinating that Paul \[the apostol\], writing to the Galatians, responds to the question, "What does it mean to live in Christ?"… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-find-it-fascinating-that-paul-the-apostol-writing-to-the-galatians/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/john-shelby-spong/#itemlist", "name": "13 Century Quotes By John Shelby Spong", "numberOfItems": 13, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am a child of the 21st century.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-am-a-child-of-the-21st-century/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/011/john-shelby-spong-1488_21st-century_i-am-a-child-of-the-21st-century-2896679_2896679.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/011/john-shelby-spong-1488_21st-century_i-am-a-child-of-the-21st-century-2896679_2896679.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/011/john-shelby-spong-1488_21st-century_i-am-a-child-of-the-21st-century-2896679_2896679.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am a child of the 21st century.” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The church is not going to survive if they are going to tell people that they have to twist their minds into 1st century pretzels.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-church-is-not-going-to-survive-if-they-are-going-to-tell-people/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/john-shelby-spong-1488_century_the-church-is-not-going-to-survive-if-th_1889773.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/john-shelby-spong-1488_century_the-church-is-not-going-to-survive-if-th_1889773.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/john-shelby-spong-1488_century_the-church-is-not-going-to-survive-if-th_1889773.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The church is not going to survive if they are going to tell people that they have to twist their minds into…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The demolishment of the power of organized Christianity in the Western world to finally realize the emancipation of women and give them the vote in 1920. Women couldn't even own property in their own names until the last quarter of the 19th century in America.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-demolishment-of-the-power-of-organized-christianity-in-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/john-shelby-spong-1488_19th-century_the-demolishment-of-the-power-of-organiz_2926695.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/john-shelby-spong-1488_19th-century_the-demolishment-of-the-power-of-organiz_2926695.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/john-shelby-spong-1488_19th-century_the-demolishment-of-the-power-of-organiz_2926695.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The demolishment of the power of organized Christianity in the Western world to finally realize the…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To have a great university library near you with plenty of archives of all the journals that you want to research in the twentieth century is a remarkable asset, and I spend a day, maybe two days a week in that library. I just plain love it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/to-have-a-great-university-library-near-you-with-plenty-of-archives/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c7/john-shelby-spong-1488_archives_to-have-a-great-university-library-near_2226382.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c7/john-shelby-spong-1488_archives_to-have-a-great-university-library-near_2226382.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c7/john-shelby-spong-1488_archives_to-have-a-great-university-library-near_2226382.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To have a great university library near you with plenty of archives of all the journals that you want to…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-biblical-texts-that-we-christians-have-used-for-centuries-to/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/john-shelby-spong-1488_bible_the-biblical-texts-that-we-christians-ha_543080.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/john-shelby-spong-1488_bible_the-biblical-texts-that-we-christians-ha_543080.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/john-shelby-spong-1488_bible_the-biblical-texts-that-we-christians-ha_543080.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The biblical texts that we Christians have used for centuries to justify our hostility toward the Jews need…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[Apostol Paul's] views were translated as, \"Your rule is to be kind to black people; you don't beat them.\" It's very much the way we treated women in the 14th and 15th centuries. A woman was not human, and you should be kind to your wife like you are to all dumb animals. That was the mentality.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/apostol-paul-s-views-were-translated-as-your-rule-is-to-be-kind-to/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/john-shelby-spong-1488_animal_apostol-paul-s-views-were-translated-as_2766975.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/john-shelby-spong-1488_animal_apostol-paul-s-views-were-translated-as_2766975.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/john-shelby-spong-1488_animal_apostol-paul-s-views-were-translated-as_2766975.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[Apostol Paul's] views were translated as, \"Your rule is to be kind to black people; you don't beat them.\"…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's the 21st century, and somebody has to rise from within this faith tradition and retranslate it for the post-modern world... The Earth is not the center of the universe, therefore, God is not a being who lives above the sky, who splits the Red Sea from time to time, or creates a miracle, or whatever.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/it-s-the-21st-century-and-somebody-has-to-rise-from-within-this-faith/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/john-shelby-spong-1488_21st-century_it-s-the-21st-century-and-somebody-has-t_746522.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/john-shelby-spong-1488_21st-century_it-s-the-21st-century-and-somebody-has-t_746522.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/john-shelby-spong-1488_21st-century_it-s-the-21st-century-and-somebody-has-t_746522.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's the 21st century, and somebody has to rise from within this faith tradition and retranslate it for the…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'd like to turn the whole Jesus story around and look at it from a different vantage point, to consider that he was a human being who achieved such promise of humanity that he entered into what I think God is: mainly, the power of life, the power of love and what Paul Tillich, a German theologian of the mid-twentieth century, called \"the ground of all being.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-d-like-to-turn-the-whole-jesus-story-around-and-look-at-it-from-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/john-shelby-spong-1488_century_i-d-like-to-turn-the-whole-jesus-story-a_1952659.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/john-shelby-spong-1488_century_i-d-like-to-turn-the-whole-jesus-story-a_1952659.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/john-shelby-spong-1488_century_i-d-like-to-turn-the-whole-jesus-story-a_1952659.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'd like to turn the whole Jesus story around and look at it from a different vantage point, to consider…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The trouble with Christianity was that by about 150, there were hardly any Jews left in the Christian church, and so from that time until the last part of the twentieth century, the only people reading the gospels and interpreting the gospels and writing commentaries on the gospels were gentiles who were simply ignorant of the Jewish background, and I just thought they were prejudiced.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-trouble-with-christianity-was-that-by-about-150-there-were-hardly/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9e/john-shelby-spong-1488_backgrounds_the-trouble-with-christianity-was-that-b_3047891.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9e/john-shelby-spong-1488_backgrounds_the-trouble-with-christianity-was-that-b_3047891.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9e/john-shelby-spong-1488_backgrounds_the-trouble-with-christianity-was-that-b_3047891.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The trouble with Christianity was that by about 150, there were hardly any Jews left in the Christian…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In my book, The Sins of Scripture, I traced the development of tribal religion, which included ideas like God's killing the Egyptians because they hated the chosen people. Then a God of love finally appears in the Book of Hosea, about the 8th century. A God of justice appears in the Book of Amos in the late 8th century or early 7th century.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/in-my-book-the-sins-of-scripture-i-traced-the-development-of-tribal/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/john-shelby-spong-1488_bible_in-my-book-the-sins-of-scripture-i-trace_3147281.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/john-shelby-spong-1488_bible_in-my-book-the-sins-of-scripture-i-trace_3147281.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/john-shelby-spong-1488_bible_in-my-book-the-sins-of-scripture-i-trace_3147281.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In my book, The Sins of Scripture, I traced the development of tribal religion, which included ideas like…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't go to church without praying ten or fifteen times for God to have mercy on you. You can't sing \"Amazing Grace\" without reminding yourself that the reason God's grace is amazing is it saves a wretch like you. This self-denigration stuff - Jesus died for my sins - is nothing but a guilt message. That's the thing we've got to get out from under. That's not Christianity. That's sort of fourth-century Christianity that got turned into doctrines and dogmas that we've never been able to escape.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/you-can-t-go-to-church-without-praying-ten-or-fifteen-times-for-god/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/john-shelby-spong-1488_able_you-can-t-go-to-church-without-praying-t_235188.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/john-shelby-spong-1488_able_you-can-t-go-to-church-without-praying-t_235188.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/john-shelby-spong-1488_able_you-can-t-go-to-church-without-praying-t_235188.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can't go to church without praying ten or fifteen times for God to have mercy on you. You can't sing…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The 20th century was a turning point; it freed and emancipated women, broke the back of segregation, and began the struggle to give justice to gay and lesbian people. But the Christian church, in both Catholic and Protestant forms, resisted every one of those humanizing developments. The church was on the wrong side of all three of those fights.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-20th-century-was-a-turning-point-it-freed-and-emancipated-women/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/john-shelby-spong-1488_20th-century_the-20th-century-was-a-turning-point-it_481834.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/john-shelby-spong-1488_20th-century_the-20th-century-was-a-turning-point-it_481834.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/john-shelby-spong-1488_20th-century_the-20th-century-was-a-turning-point-it_481834.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The 20th century was a turning point; it freed and emancipated women, broke the back of segregation, and…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 13, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Protestant reformation was an attempt to recast the Christian faith in terms of the new learning of the 16th century, the enlightenment learning. It was the first time that the Christian church did not have the capacity to keep itself unified as it recast itself, so it split into Protestant and Catholic traditions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-protestant-reformation-was-an-attempt-to-recast-the-christian/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/john-shelby-spong-1488_capacity_the-protestant-reformation-was-an-attemp_573031.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/john-shelby-spong-1488_capacity_the-protestant-reformation-was-an-attemp_573031.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/john-shelby-spong-1488_capacity_the-protestant-reformation-was-an-attemp_573031.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Protestant reformation was an attempt to recast the Christian faith in terms of the new learning of the…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/john-shelby-spong/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/john-shelby-spong/", "name": "Century Quotes by John Shelby Spong", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/john-shelby-spong/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/011/john-shelby-spong-1488_21st-century_i-am-a-child-of-the-21st-century-2896679_2896679.png" }, "description": "13 Century quotes by John Shelby Spong. 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