--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My sense is if the Episcopal Church can't…" description: "\"My sense is if the Episcopal Church can't stand challenge within its own ranks, then it is not a church I would want to be a member of anyway.\" — John ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/john-shelby-spong-1488_challenges_my-sense-is-if-the-episcopal-church-can_1232265.png" --- # My sense is if the Episcopal Church can't stand challenge… ![“My sense is if the Episcopal Church can't stand challenge within its own ranks, then it is not a church I would want to be a member of anyway.” quote by John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/john-shelby-spong-1488_challenges_my-sense-is-if-the-episcopal-church-can_1232265.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/john-shelby-spong-1488_challenges_my-sense-is-if-the-episcopal-church-can_1232265.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/john-shelby-spong-1488_challenges_my-sense-is-if-the-episcopal-church-can_1232265.png) > “My sense is if the Episcopal Church can't stand challenge within its own ranks, then it is not a church I would want to be a member of anyway.” [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A church that cannot handle internal challenges lacks authenticity and should be avoided. **In simple terms:** Avoid churches that suppress dissent. Key Takeaway Choose communities that welcome critique. Themes faith integrity community Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical advisory When to use this quote - religious affiliation - leadership decisions Key Concepts institutional health theology Questions to Reflect On - What values matter most in your spiritual community? - How do you address conflict within a group? A Different Perspective Some churches thrive on tradition over challenge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Episcopal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/episcopal/) ## Related quotes > [I am a Christian. My husband and I belong to the Episcopal Church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandy-adams/i-am-a-christian-my-husband-and-i-belong-to-the-episcopal-church/) [Sandy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandy-adams/) > [“In the Episcopal Church I find a healthy sense of unity and diversity. In this tradition we recognize that that which holds the church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-webber/in-the-episcopal-church-i-find-a-healthy-sense-of-unity-and-diversity/) [Robert Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-webber/) > [Greater love hath no man than to attend the Episcopal Church with his wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/greater-love-hath-no-man-than-to-attend-the-episcopal-church-with-his/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [I am a Congregationalist with Catholic sensibilities. Which probably explains how I ended up in a Episcopal church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/i-am-a-congregationalist-with-catholic-sensibilities-which-probably/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [I go to St. Matthews in Pacific Palisades, an Episcopal Church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-collins/i-go-to-st-matthews-in-pacific-palisades-an-episcopal-church/) [Stephen Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-collins/) > [I grew up in the Episcopal Church, went to private school in that church, went to chapel every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-victor-dixon/i-grew-up-in-the-episcopal-church-went-to-private-school-in-that/) [Brandon Victor Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-victor-dixon/) > [The episcopal church was destined, inevitably, to grow further and further away from the Christian teaching of poverty and denial of worldly goods. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-herrin/the-episcopal-church-was-destined-inevitably-to-grow-further-and/) Judith Herrin > [“Where I'm at is a big Episcopal church in downtown Newark, New Jersey, sitting in the dark while I try to rescue the doomed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/where-i-m-at-is-a-big-episcopal-church-in-downtown-newark-new-jersey/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [My mother took us to services at the Episcopal church. Yet she always said that God was not just inside the four walls of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/my-mother-took-us-to-services-at-the-episcopal-church-yet-she-always/) [Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/) > [The three kinds of services you generally find in the Episcopal churches. I call them either low-and-lazy, broad-and-hazy, or high-and-crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-gibbs/the-three-kinds-of-services-you-generally-find-in-the-episcopal/) [Willa Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-gibbs/) > [“I walked back by way of the sea-lions' enclosure to refresh my eyes with the King Penguin's perfect ecclesiastical tailoring. He was pacing moodily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-verrall-lucas/i-walked-back-by-way-of-the-sea-lions-enclosure-to-refresh-my-eyes/) Edward Verrall Lucas > [I am a Protestant. I am a communicant at the Church of the Holy Family, an Episcopal church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/i-am-a-protestant-i-am-a-communicant-at-the-church-of-the-holy-family/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [“The episcopal palace was a huge and beautiful house, built of stone at the beginning of the last century by M. Henri Puget, Doctor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-episcopal-palace-was-a-huge-and-beautiful-house-built-of-stone-at/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [No individual has done more to help me pursue a career in science than my wife of forty-five years. I met Enid Cassandra Morgan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fogel/no-individual-has-done-more-to-help-me-pursue-a-career-in-science/) [Robert Fogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fogel/) > [“...The Presidential election has given me less anxiety than I myself could have imagined. The next administration will be a troublesome one, to whomsoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/the-presidential-election-has-given-me-less-anxiety-than-i-myself/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) ## 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/) [Explore all 236 John Shelby Spong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) ## More Challenges quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/) [Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [I personally think if something's not a challenge, there's no point doing it, because you're not gonna learn much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-personally-think-if-something-s-not-a-challenge-there-s-no-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) Whitney Gaskell > [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/nobody-challenges-me-i-challenge-myself/) [Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/) > [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/) [Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/) [Browse all 8,851 Challenges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My sense is if the Episcopal Church can't stand challenge within its own ranks, then it is not a church I would want to be a member of anyway.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/my-sense-is-if-the-episcopal-church-can-t-stand-challenge-within-its/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Challenges" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/my-sense-is-if-the-episcopal-church-can-t-stand-challenge-within-its/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/john-shelby-spong-1488_challenges_my-sense-is-if-the-episcopal-church-can_1232265.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/john-shelby-spong-1488_challenges_my-sense-is-if-the-episcopal-church-can_1232265.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/john-shelby-spong-1488_challenges_my-sense-is-if-the-episcopal-church-can_1232265.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My sense is if the Episcopal Church can't stand challenge within its own ranks, then it is not a church I…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Shelby Spong", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My sense is if the Episcopal...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/my-sense-is-if-the-episcopal-church-can-t-stand-challenge-within-its/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/my-sense-is-if-the-episcopal-church-can-t-stand-challenge-within-its/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```