I was saddened to hear about the passing of John Spong, on September 13, 2021. Here’s his obituary. He had an indirect impact on me many years ago.
When my father ended his marriage to my mother after 38 years together, he was shunned by everyone at his church. This made him realize that the “we love everyone” lines that he’d heard his whole life were mostly lies in the hearts of many of the people he’d previously worshiped with.
I won’t say he was shaken to the core. But just as he was taking his first tumultuous steps toward a new life, he was unexpectedly plunged into an existential crisis of faith as well.
My brother sent him Spong’s Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, and this was a huge help to Dad. It allowed him to hold onto the meaningful parts of his lifelong beliefs while purging the parts that were doctrinal crap. Spong’s books provided a turning point for me as well, helping to provide a view of religion that allowed me to exist in a world surrounded by Christianity without feeling constant and inappropriate bitterness about it.
I wrote most of this down on that very day in September 2021, but I wanted to say so much more and so saved this as a draft. Looking at this now and tweaking it here and there, I think it says what I need to say after all.
Thank you for your wisdom, Bishop Spong, and bon voyage. And good for you for making it to age 90!