Dear Friends,
We hope that you are safe and well.
In the face of Biblical texts and Church documents that often were political (seemingly aimed at keeping the masses under control and codependent) rather than theological and spiritual, Bishop John Shelby Spong was a breath of fresh air, helping us pursue our true spiritual calling. Today's Meditation features a taste of his spirit that nourishes us on our quest.
We invite you to join us as we commit ourselves to working tirelessly to end systemic and structural racism in our society, in the church, in healthcare, in the workplace--wherever it shows up so that everyone may come to have more abundant life. May this meditation nourish our contemplative-active hearts and sustain all of us in action.
In the spirit of our philosophy of co-creating community and our awareness that the Spirit speaks through each of us, we invite you to share your meditations with us as well. We truly believe that it is God's economy of abundance: when we share our blessings, our thoughts, our feelings, we are all made richer.
We hope and pray that you find peace, healing, hope and the infusion of joy in your life!
With our love and care,
Ron and Jean
MEDITATION 466: Celebrating Bishop John Shelby Spong
Bishop John Shelby Spong
June 16, 1931 – September 12, 2021
Bishop John Shelby Spong provided a much needed place for those of us who did not connect with traditional theology. He began to awaken within me (and, I suspect, many others) this “thing” that knew much of what I’d been taught in church was not necessarily the actual Gospel even though it frequently was taught as if it were. Spong helped demystify the Bible for me, helped wrestle it from the overtly possessive hands of literalist, and helped reposition it from a rulebook handed down from God to the guidebook from our spiritual ancestors about what a healthy spiritual life looks likes that it was mean to be. He gave us a spiritual home. He gave us permission to ask difficult questions and to expect non-hypocritical answers. He grew our faiths in ways we never could have imagined.
He now joins those who know what is next and most assuredly is experiencing the Divine embrace. I give thanks for his life and how this world is better off because of it. We love you, Bishop Spong. You will be deeply missed.
~ Rev. Mark Sandlin
Martin Luther King said there are two types of leadership: those that are thermometers, which measure the temperature in the room and do nothing, and those that are thermostats, which change the temperature. Bishop Spong was a church leader who unapologetically changed traditional Christian Theology to welcome the dispossessed, the disinherited, the disrespected, and the damned into the Kingdom of God. And in so doing, Spong called attention to biblical eisegesis and agenda-driven theologies that bring about present-day social injustices and institutional ills. Spong’s calling reflected the unending struggle to give voice and visibility to those relegated to the margins of society.
~ Rev. Irene Monroe