Word: spong
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...make matters worse, a kind of liberal racism underlies Spong's frenzied insistence on discarding Christianity in favor of what he (wrongly) perceives to be the demands of modern science. At the 1998 Lambeth Conference in England, the Anglican bishops from Africa and Asia passed several resolutions affirming the traditional Christian stance on sexuality--that sex is best expressed between a man and woman married to each other...
Naturally, Spong would find many at Harvard who would agree with his beliefs. But that is irrelevant. Harvard accepted Nannie Noble's substantial endowment to establish the Noble Lectures and made no complaint about her religious conditions. Spong is singularly unqualified to fulfill Noble's stipulations that the lecture present Jesus as "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," that it inspire people to "the joy of service for Christ," or that it present the "personality of Jesus, as given in the New Testament." Spong is famous only because of his contempt for the New Testament's portrayal of Jesus...
Hardly a ringing defense of Spong's ability to fulfill Noble's conditions. That Spong was able to remain an Episcopal bishop despite his abandonment of every vestige of traditional Christianity proves only that the Episcopal Church will tolerate even those who wish to destroy its heritage...
...Spong was infuriated by Africans overriding his politically correct position on sexuality. He said of the African bishops: "They've moved out of animism into a very superstitious kind of Christianity. They've yet to face the intellectual revolution of Copernicus and Einstein[!] that we've had to face in the developing world. That's just not on their radar screen." (Of course, Spong never explained--because it is unexplainable--how heliocentricity and general relativity could possibly affect traditional Christian beliefs regarding sexuality...
...they feel patronized, that's too bad,'' replied Spong. "I'm not going to cease being a 20th century person for fear of offending somebody in the Third World...