Spong Leads to Hell

“Spong Leads to Hell.” So read a placard carried by someone outside a conference I attended this past weekend, a conference where retired Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong was the keynote speaker. There were two “protesters” outside the conference. The other held a sign that simply said, “Please Repent.”

The conference was called “Opening our Doors, Opening Our Hearts” and was about the church opening its doors and hearts to all people, with a focus on LGBT persons. In addition to Bishop Spong, Phil and Randi Reitan, a couple featured in the movie “For the Bible Tells Me So,” shared the story of their spiritual journey with their son Jake, who is gay. We also heard from a woman from our community, a woman who was hired for a prominent position, but has not always been warmly welcomed to Duluth. When it came out that she is a lesbian, someone in the community decided to vandalize her home and spray painted, “Leave Dike” on its foundation. What these perpetrators had against retaining walls we may never know, but it was clear they did not care for Barb.

Bishop Spong spoke about the Bible and theology and shared a number of personal anecdotes. I have heard Bishop Spong interviewed before and have read some of his books and I find I don’t agree with everything he writes or says. I agree with him that the church needs to be inclusive, inclusive of LGBT people. I don’t always agree with his theology. He has liked to speak about “the God beyond theism.” His criticisms of traditional theism are noteworthy, and he is certainly not the first theologian to make them. But to my mind he moves too quickly from critique to “beyond theism,” without engaging some of the intriguing forms of theism other theologians have proffered – open theism or process theology, for instance. I believe one can speak credibly about God in “theistic” terms, and I am not sure Bishop Spong does.

Even where we disagree, I find Bishop Spong intellectually stimulating. I also think that his openness, his authenticity, his integrity help lead some people to Christ. Imagine that – “Spong Leads to Christ.” The Christ to which Bishop Spong leads people may be different from the Christ of those holding placards outside our conference. Do you suppose that bothers them most of all?

I was privileged to be a part of a small group that had dinner with the Spongs and the Reitans. I left the dinner with a copy of Bishop Spong’s autobiography, Here I Stand, signed. For David, My best for your creative ministry. Jack Spong.

It was a good couple of days and the weather was nice for those who chose to stand outside with their signs.

With Faith and With Feathers,

David