John Spong returns to Birmingham with a great message...

[Stuckinthebush]

This from the Birmingham News today:

http://www.al.com/living/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/living/107848205323370.xml

{snip}

"In 1989, Spong ordained the first openly gay priest for the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Newark, N.J. In 1994, Spong wrote a Koinonia statement promoting monogamous same-sex unions as acceptable for clergy: 88 bishops signed it.

The approval last year of New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson, who lives with his male partner, was the final salvo in the debate, Spong said.

"By electing Gene we affirmed the holiness of committed relationships," Spong said. "You can't say it's okay for a bishop and not anybody else. The battle is over."

{snip}

Spong said that's part of a gradual process of old prejudices dying.

"In five to 10 years it's not going to be debated," Spong said. "The issue as far as I can see is over. Nobody ever debates a prejudice and the prejudice wins. Start debating slavery, slavery is doomed; start debating segregation, segregation is doomed; start debating whether women are qualified to be priests, and the old prejudice is doomed."

{end snip}

I love this sentence - "Nobody ever debates a prejudice and the prejudice wins."

[goclark]

1. WoW!

Thanks for sharing--that is such a powerful statement.

[Stuckinthebush]

2. It is powerful

I read it in the paper this morning and had to share.

I love Spong. He doesn't mess around.

[klook]

3. And that's Birmingham, Alabama, not England

...That does take courage. :thumbsup:

[Nomad559]

4. John Spong On Politically Incorrect - Videos

Truth

Heretic

[Az]

5. As Spong said, Christianity must change or die

Religions both guide society and are formed by society. Ours is a society with a multitude of forces changing its direction. One of the stronger forces is the humanist principal.

A religion that does not move to adopt societal principals will die out. People tend to reject things when their mind finds a disconnect. If their sense of tolerance is met with intolerance on an issue one of the views will be dismantled. In religion once a person starts dismantling ideas it truly does become a slippery slope.

Christianity must find a way to reconcile the text they draw their beliefs from with the changing nature of society and our understanding of right and wrong. Believers find themself with their heads in two worlds. One world is made of fixed definitions of right and wrong. The other based on an increasing awareness of the nature of the world around them in which awakening understanding of right and wrong puts the fixed definitions in doubt.

[BeFree]

6. You could say the same thing about 9/11, eh?

"Believers find themself with their heads in two worlds. One world is made of fixed definitions of right and wrong. The other based on an increasing awareness of the nature of the world around them in which awakening understanding of right and wrong puts the fixed definitions in doubt.
"

Indeed, 9/11 has been made into a religon.

And, there being no facts upon which to base this religion, beliefs about what happened that day should be constantly debated so that fixed definitions can be refined?

[kodi]

9. funny, currently i am re-reading that text for the third time.

spong is an inspired author who has important things to say about christianity and religion itself.

i watched him destroy bill orielly in 2002 on the orielly factor

[Rainbowreflect]

7. My brother has worked with Bishop Spong.

He said he is just as wonderful of a person as you would expect him to be.

[supernova]

8. I love Bishop Spong!

:D :loveya:

He is the kind of christian I aspire to be. :thumbsup: