Tradition Quotes by John Shelby Spong

The way that I see Christianity is that its role is to enhance the life of every person.

— 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.

— 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…

— 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…

— John Shelby Spong

The Bible interprets life from its particular perspective; it does not record in a factual way the human journey through history.

— 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…

— John Shelby Spong

I want the traditional family upheld, but I don't want it upheld to the detriment of other people.

— 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…

— 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,…

— 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…

— 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…

— 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…

— 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.

— 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…

— 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?"…

— John Shelby Spong