Spiritual Classics – Conversations with Caroline Myss and John Shelby Spong.

Paul notes – On the 2^nd September (2007) The Spirit of Things (ABC Radio) continued its Spiritual Classics series. This time, the books featured were Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle, and John A. T. Robinson’s Honest to God.

Former Roman Catholic, Caroline Myss (pronounced “mace”) explains why she chose the 16th century Catholic saint Teresa of Avila's InteriorCastle is her spiritual classic. And the controversial retired American Episcopalian Bishop, John Shelby Spong, reveals the book that changed his destiny, John T. Robinson's Honest to God.

While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Spong to young Christians (say faith-stages 2 & 3), the interview with him was an interesting listen. First time I’d heard him, but have a couple of friends in ministry in OZ who’ve really appreciated the way Spong challenges and stretches “handed-down” beliefs and understanding that has become comfortable (and in some cases “lazily” unquestioned).

While I don’t go along with his scholarship in many places, he has an interesting way of rearticulating things in ways that breath new possibility into them. I certainly didn’t find the content of his interview threatening to my Christian faith. There are some things I’ll reflect further on. I’ll look at some things from a different, and sometimes more helpful perspective. I’m all for reasoned debate and mutually critical conversation between other perspectives 

John Shelby Spong: I was a very young priest in …North Carolina… [When I first became aware of the] book … He [John Robinson, in Honest to God] quotes Bonhoeffer, and he quotes Tillich… And I've read … those people, so this is nothing new. And I put it on my book reading list, and we went to the beach in North Carolina that summer, and I read that book, and I read it again, and I read it - I couldn't put it down, I read it three times from cover to cover, and what he did was let the cat out of the bag; he put together all of the things that we had just sort of piecemealed, but they suddenly came together in a cohesive whole, and you could no longer say the things you used to say about God with integrity. Your consciousness was raised to a new dimension. And so I had to begin the process of re-thinking what I believed. Not because the experience was changed, but certainly the explanation of the experience had…

And then in 1978 when I was a Bishop I met him at Lambeth and we were both so bored with Lambeth … so John and I began to take walks out in the woods of Kent. Every day we'd take a long 2-hour walk and we would discuss the New Testament… He was probably one of three key mentors in my life and I do quite deliberately feel that I take up his mantle of leadership and play the role that he has played in the life of the church…”

Download (for a limited time) the Mp3 here. The Myss interview is included, and she also has some interesting things to say in conversation with Teresa of Avila.

Comments

[Paul Fromont]

Looking through his latest book, "Jesus for the Non-Religious" only reinforces my disagreements over his scholarship. Is Spong usefully opening up conversation between Christianity and a largely disinterested post-Christendom culture, or ___________________ ?

[Becky]

The largely disinterested have already left the building. Yes I think Spong opens conversation. Non religious friends have picked up on articles (one even went to hear him speak). His book made mostly perfect sense to me. Jesus didn't turn up and fulfill OT prophecy - his followers who met a life so fully human and complete interepreted him to fit. Makes the most sense of just about anything I've ever read and it's hard to believe it wasn't obvious before. No doubt demonstrating my ignorance...

[Paul Fromont]

Hi Becky

Isn't it interesting that many who would call themselves non-religious would read Spong or even go and hear him talk, but would never go to a church?

Yet, so many in certain types of churches are more comfortable "banning" him than asking why the phenomena (above) happens and asking what they might learn from his engagement along the borders of church and culture.

[Timothy Wright]

I think your site, is absolutely brilliant in so many ways. So I must confess my surprise, or maybe shock that you would have anything by Spong. I am not being sarcastic by saying this, that the nicest thing I could say about him, is that there their is still time for him to place his total trust into Jesus and be forgiven of all his sins. Being an American, we hear him all the time on the TV and the radio. I have never read anything he has written, but when he has been interviewed , his statements come out anything but a disciple of the risen Jesus.

This is sarcastic!
Having anything he says on the person of Jesus being valued is like people wanting to read Mao's insights on Agricultural reform.

Tim

[Paul Fromont]

Hi Tim. I agree. I seldom agree with the vast majority of what Spong writes. But, what interests me about Spong is are the ways in which he challenges me to think; to think about what I believe and why. He often forces me to come at things from 'angles' and perspectives I wouldn't have thought of. People like Marcus Borg and Dominic Cross serve similar roles, but I have a higher level of regard for their thinking.

Thanks for your kind words about the blog.