Unbelievable: Why Neither Ancient Creeds Nor the Reformation Can Produce a Living Faith Today

by John Shelby Spong

Overview

Five hundred years after Martin Luther and his Ninety-Five Theses ushered in the Reformation, bestselling author and controversial bishop and teacher John Shelby Spong delivers twelve forward-thinking theses to spark a new reformation to reinvigorate Christianity and ensure its future.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Christianity was in crisis—a state of conflict that gave birth to the Reformation in 1517. Enduring for more than 200 years, Luther’s movement was then followed by a "revolutionary time of human knowledge." Yet these advances in our thinking had little impact on Christians’ adherence to doctrine—which has led the faith to a critical point once again.

Bible scholar and Episcopal bishop John Shelby Spong contends that there is mounting pressure among Christians for a radically new kind of Christianity—a faith deeply connected to the human experience instead of outdated dogma. To keep Christianity vital, he urges modern Christians to update their faith in light of these advances in our knowledge, and to challenge the rigid and problematic Church teachings that emerged with the Reformation. There is a disconnect, he argues, between the language of traditional worship and the language of the twenty-first century. Bridging this divide requires us to rethink and reformulate our basic understanding of God.

With its revolutionary resistance to the authority of the Church in the sixteenth century, Spong sees in Luther’s movement a model for today’s discontented Christians. In fact, the questions they raise resonate with those contemplated by our ancestors. Does the idea of God still have meaning? Can we still follow historic creeds with integrity? Are not such claims as an infallible Pope or an inerrant Bible ridiculous in today’s world?

In Unbelievable, Spong outlines twelve "theses" to help today’s believers more deeply contemplate and reshape their faith. As an educator, clergyman, and writer who has devoted his life to his faith, Spong has enlightened Christians and challenged them to explore their beliefs in new and meaningful ways. In this, his final book, he continues that rigorous tradition, once again offering a revisionist approach that strengthens Christianity and secures its relevance for generations to come.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062641298
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/13/2018
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	1,082,211
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

John Shelby Spong, the Episcopal Bishop of Newark before his retirement in 2000, has been a visiting lecturer at Harvard and at more than 500 other universities all over the world. His books, which have sold well over a million copies, include Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy; The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic; Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World; Eternal Life: A New Vision; Jesus for the Non-Religious, The Sins of Scripture, Resurrection: Myth or Reality?; Why Christianity Must Change or Die; and his autobiography, Here I Stand. He writes a weekly column on the web that reaches thousands of people all over the world. To join his online audience, go to www.JohnShelbySpong.com. He lives with his wife, Christine, in New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Part I Setting The Stage

1 Why Modern Men and Women Can No Longer Be Believers 3

Part II Stating The Problem

2 How the First Reformation Began 17

3 Differentiating the Experience from the Explanation 23

Part III Thesis 1: God

4 The Challenge of the Copernican Revolution 33

5 The Impact on Theism from Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin 41

6 Dealing with the Insights of Freud 49

7 A Place to Begin-Being Not a Being 55

8 The Quest for God: A New Form 61

9 Our Definition of God: Evolving, Never Fixed 69

Part IV Thesis 2: Jesus The Christ

10 Escaping the Idolatry of the Incarnation 77

11 The Collapse of the Salvation Story 83

Part V Thesis 3: Original Sin

12 The Garden of Eden 93

Part VI Thesis 4: The Virgin Birth

13 The Story of the Virgin Birth 103

14 The Actual Details Behind Jesus' Birth 111

Part VII Thesis 5: Miracles

15 When Miracles Entered the Bible 121

16 The Miracles in the Moses/Joshua Story 129

17 Elijah and Elisha-Miracles Expanded 135

18 The Miracles of Jesus 141

19 Messiah Miracles-The Final Clue 149

Part VIII Thesis 6: Atonement Theology

20 Renouncing "Jesus Died for My Sins" 155

21 Incomplete-Not Fallen 161

Part IX Thesis 7: Easter

22 The Resurrection 169

23 Paul's List of Resurrection Witnesses 177

24 The Gospels' Understanding of Easter 183

Part X Thesis 8: The Ascension

25 Elijah Magnified 191

Part XI Thesis 9: Ethics

26 Finding the Basis for Ethics 199

27 How the Ten Commandments Have Changed Through History 207

28 Meet Moses' Father-in-Law 215

29 The Questionable Relevance of the Ten Commandments Today 221

30 Modern Ethics 227

Part XII Thesis 10: Prayer

31 The Death of Prayer 237

32 Prayer: An Act of Being or of Doing? 243

33 Driving Prayer Toward a New Understanding 249

Part XIII Thesis 11: Life After Death

34 Life After Death-Still Believable? 257

35 A New Perspective on Eternity 263

Part XIV Thesis 12: UNIVERSALISM

36 The Marks of Tomorrow's Christianity 273

Part XV Epilogue

37 My Mantra: This I Do Believe 283

Bibliography 289

Scripture Index 299

Subject Index 303

Editorial Reviews

★ 12/11/2017
Theologian Spong (Jesus for the Non-religious), the retired bishop of Newark, issues 12 theses for radically reforming Christianity in this provocative call for a modern Christian faith. Rejecting a traditional image of the supernatural and omnipotent God of theism, Spong declares that God is the name of the power and source of all life, and though God is ungraspable by human cognition, God’s force can be witnessed when living fully. Spong challenges the idea of original sin, claiming that Christians are not fallen creatures in need of salvation but are in fact evolving creatures always yearning for wholeness and seeking to be loved and empowered. This striving toward further evolution is the essence of grace, Spong argues, as it allows people to embrace all that we are capable of being. Resurrection, for Spong, is not some supernatural resuscitation of Jesus’s physical body, but God calling Christians forth into “our essential oneness, our universal consciousness, our interconnectedness.” Spong’s stimulating call for a newly revitalized Christianity will appeal to contemporary Christians who view traditional Christianity as dismayingly outmoded. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

2017-12-05
A call for a new reformation casting aside the beliefs of Christianity.Episcopalian bishop and prolific writer Spong (Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy, 2016, etc.) has penned what he declares to be his final book, encapsulating a lifetime of thinking and teaching in order to call upon Christianity to undergo a transformation. Echoing Martin Luther, he offers 12 "theses" upon which to build his argument. Spong asserts that the entirety of traditional Christian theology has been debunked by science and reason, leaving the church intellectually bankrupt. The only answer is to turn toward a new understanding of God and of Jesus, salvation, and every other pillar of Christian thought and belief. The author sees God not as a being, but as "Being itself." Indeed, "God is not a noun we are compelled to define; God is a verb that we are invited to live." Similarly, Spong asserts that Jesus was not a supernatural being in any way but rather someone who demonstrated a new way of living and a higher plane of ethics. The author believes that the resurrection has been misinterpreted and that the New Testament authors did not expect their accounts to be taken literally. "Resurrection was…a moment of new revelation," writes Spong, "that occurred when survival-driven humanity could transcend that limit and give itself away in love to others, including even to those who wish and do us evil." Leaving the author's theology aside, his view toward modern Christianity is regrettably smug. Having made his home in the declining Episcopalian denomination, he seems to look at the "church" and see only his reflection: Western, highly-educated, and skeptical. Throughout his 12 theses, Spong speaks only for his own brand of waning Christianity, excluding even from consideration the tens of millions of Christians worldwide who may not share his views but indeed still believe in what he rejects.A Western elite's dream for a new Christianity.

Kirkus Reviews

In his final climactic book, Bishop Spong provides us with a primer on his core ideas, a courageous agenda for the future of the Jesus tradition, and some provocative proposals for pursuing that agenda. Essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of humanity and Christianity.” — The Very Reverend Gregory C. Jenks, Ph.D., Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Grafton

“For those seeking to extricate themselves from the confusion of conventional Christianity’s creeds and dogmas, Unbelievable distills an honest and demanding vision for a 21st Century faith.” — Rev. David M. Felten, co-author of Living the Questions

“Bishop Spong has created just what we needed if we are going to save intelligent Christianity from extinction. I love this book.” — Fred C. Plumer, President of The Center for Progressive Christianity

“If you choose just one book of Spong’s, then choose Unbelievable. This final book is not only a summation of his life’s teaching but a contemporary catechism that addresses the real questions and profound hesitations contemporary people have about Christianity.” — Peter Francis, Warden of Gladstone’s Library

“Episcopalian bishop and prolific writer Spong has penned what he declares to be his final book, encapsulating a lifetime of thinking and teaching in order to call upon Christianity to undergo a transformation.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Spong makes his arguments in the manner of a cogent, smart preacher or lecturer speaking to all who want to keep Christianity while dispensing with miracles, dogma, and blind faith. Luther launched a reformation with 95 theses. Spong would launch another with 12.” — Booklist

“Spong’s stimulating call for a newly revitalized Christianity will appeal to contemporary Christians who view traditional Christianity as dismayingly outmoded.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[Spong] takes readers back to Martin Luther’s original questioning of the Church, asking them to ponder whether or not the idea of God still has meaning. It’s easy to understand why his previous books have been best sellers. This one will be no exception.” — Retailing Insight

“A hard-hitting critique of traditional Christianity and as a final attempt by Spong to convince believers to explore their beliefs in new and poignant ways…We stand beside him and all who thirst for a church that is not fearful of inquiry, freedom, and knowledge.” — Spirituality & Practice

“His best book . . . He doesn’t just tear down; he seeks to put something viable, even substantial in its place.” — Insights

From the Publisher

His best book . . . He doesn’t just tear down; he seeks to put something viable, even substantial in its place.

Insights

Spong makes his arguments in the manner of a cogent, smart preacher or lecturer speaking to all who want to keep Christianity while dispensing with miracles, dogma, and blind faith. Luther launched a reformation with 95 theses. Spong would launch another with 12.

Booklist

Bishop Spong has created just what we needed if we are going to save intelligent Christianity from extinction. I love this book.

Fred C. Plumer

A hard-hitting critique of traditional Christianity and as a final attempt by Spong to convince believers to explore their beliefs in new and poignant ways…We stand beside him and all who thirst for a church that is not fearful of inquiry, freedom, and knowledge.

Spirituality & Practice

In his final climactic book, Bishop Spong provides us with a primer on his core ideas, a courageous agenda for the future of the Jesus tradition, and some provocative proposals for pursuing that agenda. Essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of humanity and Christianity.

The Very Reverend Gregory C. Jenks

If you choose just one book of Spong’s, then choose Unbelievable. This final book is not only a summation of his life’s teaching but a contemporary catechism that addresses the real questions and profound hesitations contemporary people have about Christianity.

Peter Francis

For those seeking to extricate themselves from the confusion of conventional Christianity’s creeds and dogmas, Unbelievable distills an honest and demanding vision for a 21st Century faith.

Rev. David M. Felten

[Spong] takes readers back to Martin Luther’s original questioning of the Church, asking them to ponder whether or not the idea of God still has meaning. It’s easy to understand why his previous books have been best sellers. This one will be no exception.

Retailing Insight

Spong makes his arguments in the manner of a cogent, smart preacher or lecturer speaking to all who want to keep Christianity while dispensing with miracles, dogma, and blind faith. Luther launched a reformation with 95 theses. Spong would launch another with 12.

Booklist

A hard-hitting critique of traditional Christianity and as a final attempt by Spong to convince believers to explore their beliefs in new and poignant ways…We stand beside him and all who thirst for a church that is not fearful of inquiry, freedom, and knowledge.

Spirituality &Practice