Bishop Spong Newsletter

In January 2011, ProgressiveChristianity.org took over the management and publishing of the Bishop Spong Newsletter- A New Christianity for a New World.  Each week, Bishop Spong sends out a new essay as well as an answer to reader’s questions. 

We are proud to be able to present this vibrant Progressive Christian voice to the world and partner with such a remarkable person.  Bishop Spong has been an inspiration for hundreds of thousands of people evolving in their faith and we are honored to be working with him.

Click here to subscribe to Bishop Spong’s weekly essays!

Who is Bishop John Shelby Spong?

John Shelby Spong, whose books have sold more than a million copies, was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark for 24 years before his retirement in 2001. His admirers acclaim him as a teaching bishop who makes contemporary theology accessible to the ordinary layperson — he’s considered the champion of an inclusive faith by many, both inside and outside the Christian church. In one of his recent books,The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible’s Texts of Hate to Discover the God of Love (San Francisco: HarperOne, 2005), this visionary thinker seeks to introduce readers to a proper way to engage the holy book of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

A committed Christian who has spent a lifetime studying the Bible and whose life has been deeply shaped by it, Bishop Spong says he was not interested in Bible bashing. “I come to this interpretive task not as an enemy of Christianity,” he says. “I am not even a disillusioned former Christian, as some of my scholar-friends identify themselves. I am a believer who knows and loves the Bible deeply. But I also recognize that parts of it have been used to undergird prejudices and to mask violence.”

A visiting lecturer at Harvard and at universities and churches worldwide, Bishop Spong delivers more than 200 public lectures each year to standing-room-only crowds. His bestselling books include Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, A New Christianity for a New World, Why Christianity Must Change or Die,and Here I Stand.

Bishop Spong’s extensive media appearances include a profile segment on 60 Minutes as well as appearances on Good Morning America, Fox News Live, Politically Incorrect, Larry King Live, The O’Reilly Factor, William F. Buckley’s Firing Line, and Extra.Bishop Spong and his wife, Christine Mary Spong, have five children and six grandchildren. They live in New Jersey.

An Authoritative Voice for Believers in Exile

For those seeking to experience Christianity in a new and vibrant way, Bishop John Shelby Spong offers fresh spiritual ideas. Over the past four decades, he has become one of the definitive voices for progressive Christianity. As a member of Bishop Spong’s online community, you’ll receive insightful weekly essays, access to all of the essay archives, access to Message Boards which will connect you with other believers in exile, and answers to your questions from Bishop Spong himself!

Meet Bishop Spong