Scan barcode
juliaeditrix's review against another edition
5.0
Very provocative. Each chapter is deeply researched and reasoned, and led me to a thoughtful understanding of the content and the spirituality behind it. I'm new to John Shelby Spong but will look out more of his work.
poirotketchup's review against another edition
4.0
The book is a hybrid - part Biblical criticism and part devotional. Spong goes through the Gospel in the order it was written. He pauses at the beginning of each episode to briefly summarize current scholarship as to its historicity and context. He goes on to explain why he believes it was written, and how we can learn from the Gospel today.
Bishop Spong describes how Biblical criticism made it tough for him to embrace the Gospel of John. Because it describes things that did not literally happen, he kept his distance from it; preferring Mark, as many scholars do. He wrote this book after re-examining his own attitudes, and came to love the work as a mystical telling of Jesus and the sacred experiences he and his movement created.
My criticism of this book is that Spong's frequent reminders (averaging about one per page) about the Gospel's non-literal nature become tedious and distracting. Few fundamentalists are going to buy a book written by him - and those that do will understand his perspective after the first chapter.
Bishop Spong describes how Biblical criticism made it tough for him to embrace the Gospel of John. Because it describes things that did not literally happen, he kept his distance from it; preferring Mark, as many scholars do. He wrote this book after re-examining his own attitudes, and came to love the work as a mystical telling of Jesus and the sacred experiences he and his movement created.
My criticism of this book is that Spong's frequent reminders (averaging about one per page) about the Gospel's non-literal nature become tedious and distracting. Few fundamentalists are going to buy a book written by him - and those that do will understand his perspective after the first chapter.
tericarol21's review
4.0
Sure to spark discussion, that's for certain!
Some great thought provoking moments, and some moments of "really, you're going to reiterate *again*?" And a few of "that's all you have to say about this one?" But overall I think Spong opens up John to a breath of fresh air.
The parts most likely to cause trouble are in the Easter narrative. I'm pretty darn liberal and I'm not sure i'd go for his conclusions. I enjoyed the treatments of the characters and learning why they would be written as they are--what they point to both in history and theology.
Bonus: short chapters make for easy use in an adult class at church, as long as people are prepared that Spong may feel outside the norm and they need to read with a mind open yet ready to ask questions and dialogue.
Some great thought provoking moments, and some moments of "really, you're going to reiterate *again*?" And a few of "that's all you have to say about this one?" But overall I think Spong opens up John to a breath of fresh air.
The parts most likely to cause trouble are in the Easter narrative. I'm pretty darn liberal and I'm not sure i'd go for his conclusions. I enjoyed the treatments of the characters and learning why they would be written as they are--what they point to both in history and theology.
Bonus: short chapters make for easy use in an adult class at church, as long as people are prepared that Spong may feel outside the norm and they need to read with a mind open yet ready to ask questions and dialogue.
cookingwithelsa's review against another edition
4.0
This book made me fall in love with the Gospel of John all over again. Spong pushes on some great edges that speaks to much of the work I did in seminary. He rambles a bit more than I would like and repeats himself when it seems unnecessary (though he seems to be preaching in these moments which may explain this tendency). There are parts of this text I wish he'd explored more deeply but it was a good read and a wonderful companion for Lent Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
More...