Okay, so I have spent a bit more time looking into these Jesus Seminar folks...not so much as an alternative to atheism but out of pure intrigue since they appear to be freethinking intellectual types some of whom have somehow managed to justify continued belief in "God" in some form or fashion. It just seems so odd that I can't help wanting to get my head around where they are coming from.
One of the more known names among the "fellows" of the Westar Institute is retired Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong. He wrote a "call for a new reformation" ten years ago and the link is available below.
In it, he asserts several theses in the spirit of Martin Luther's Protestant "95 Theses", hoping to provoke debate and conversation. Here are a couple:
Theism, as a way of defining God is dead. So most theological God-talk is today meaningless. A new way to speak of God must be found.
Since God can no longer be conceived in theistic terms, it becomes nonsensical to seek to understand Jesus as the incarnation of the theistic deity. So the Christology of the ages is bankrupt.
The view of the cross as the sacrifice for the sins of the world is a barbarian idea based on primitive concepts of God and must be dismissed.
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE WITH SEVERAL OTHER THESES HERE:
John Shelby Spong: Call for a New Reformation
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2 comments:
Well, of course he's right... but he doesn't tell us what to do with "god" instead. It sounds like he is on the track of Deism, which was the god of most of our brightest founding fathers. If you have to have the universe as god, I guess it's the best way to go. But why do you have to do that? It still makes sense to take the atheist position. Why would you LIVE as if there is a god? Naturally, Spong doesn't clear this up.
Over the next couple of days (as time permits), I'll be listening to a lecture on CD from Spong titled something like "Calling Jesus Lord in the 21st Century". Based on the opening remarks I've heard, I expect him to make the positive case for his position, rather than just tearing down traditional Christianity (which he really is good at). I'll make a point to report on my findings here. Frankly, I think it is going to basically boil down to the sort of spirituality that Sam Harris has an affinity for. I could be wrong though.
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