John Shelby Spong was the Episcopal Bishop of Newark before he retired in 2000. He remains a prolific writer and leading spokesman for an open, scholarly and progressive Christianity, about which he has lectured widely. (For his books I've read, click on his name.)

The back cover introduces this book with: “The Bible contains many passages that believers and nonbelievers alike would reject as appalling theology. Whether these texts are used to discriminate, oppress, or condemn, they distort the truth of Christianity and the love of God. Now, legendary Episcopal bishop and advocate for liberal Christianity John Shelby Spong addresses these passages, shattering our misconceptions and delivering a new vision of how Christians can use the Bible today.” As this suggests, Spong is outspoken and delivers his message with both vigor and decisiveness. His prolific writings and lectures amount to his “quest to rescue the Bible from fundamentalism.”

In this book he covers many of the ways the Bible has been misused in history, such as to support the divine right of kings, to condemn the insights of Galileo and Darwin, to support slavery and later apartheid and segregation. Christian leaders have used the bible to justify the horrors of the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the anti-Semitism of the Holocaust. It is still used today by some fundamentalists to justify abusing children and giving women a second-class status. It is the chief weapon of politicians and preachers to deny justice for gays and lesbians. Spong asks, “How can a book called “The Word of God” leave a trail of such violence, hostility, and death throughout its history?”

John Shelby Spong’s answer to these “Sins of Scripture” is a progressive way of understanding the sacred story of the Judeo-Christian tradition – by reading scripture as epic history. This is quite well summarized by a quote from the book’s flap: “Superceding the world of tribal deities, he points out how the scriptures reveal the deeper understanding of a God of universal holiness who calls us to love even our enemies. Anyone who has ever felt threatened or overrun by a Bible-quoting, religious mentality operating in the political arena will find this book a must read.” For me, there was little new in Spong’s message, as my own spiritual journey has already taken me along the path of understanding he advocates. I found his presentation to be far too strong in places – we must also love our misguided fundamentalists – but he well summarizes all that is misguided in the fundamentalist’s “precritical naiveté” (to borrow a phrase from Marcus Borg).

We had a very good discussion of this book in my church’s monthly Roundable book group. I feel Spong comes on too strong at times because of the battles he has fought. Also, he develops the case against fundamentalism in far greater detail than he presents his progressive vision of our God of love. In this book, his vision takes second place to his condemnation. However, keeping these reservations in mind, I still recommend this book, as some can learn much from the excellent summaries he gives, and he presents them with a vigor that often reaches eloquence (when he doesn't come on too strong).