Home / Authors / John Shelby Spong

John Shelby Spong

John Shelby Spong Quotes

Author

John Shelby Spong is an American author and theologian known for his modern interpretations of Christian doctrine and his challenges to traditional religious beliefs. His work spans multiple fields, including religion, theology, history, and literature.

Filter quotes by topic

All People Thinking Humans Way Ifs Church Christianity Jesus World Christian Religion Believe Book Giving Century Humanity Religious Want Atheism Different

Famous John Shelby Spong Quotes

“The Hebrew scriptures say it's okay to enslave anybody except your fellow Jews. It says you should enslave only your neighbors. I say to people that means Mexicans and Canadians are a bit at risk if we want to be literal about the Bible.”

People Ifs Want Should Mean Bits Risk Okay Fellows Jew Neighbor Scripture Literal Hebrew

Author:John Shelby Spong

“I look at American Christianity and I'm almost in despair. I don't want to be identified with it. The Christian vote in America is an anti-abortion, anti-homosexual vote. I consider that to be anti-female and anti-gay, and I don't want to be identified with a God who is anti-anything.”

Want Looks Christian America Christianity Gay Despair Female Vote Abortion Homosexual Anti Abortion Anti Gay

Author:John Shelby Spong

“I have no problem with anybody who wants to bear public witness to their religion, but I don't think they can do it on public property. They have to do it on private property. There's nothing unconstitutional about that.”

Thinking Want Problem Can Do Bears Property Witness No Problem Private Property Unconstitutional

Author:John Shelby Spong

“If I want to put a Christmas tree in my yard, or three crosses for the crucifixion story, that's fine. But if I try to use public property or a public school as a way to impress my religion on other people, I think that violates the constitution.”

People Ifs Thinking Way Want Trying Stories Use School Three Tree Fine Crosses Constitution Property Impress Yards Public School Crucifixion Christmas Tree

Author:John Shelby Spong

“I want to see Christianity enhance our humanity instead of rescue us from some fall. I don't want us to be depending on this supernatural God up in the sky; I want us to recognize that God is part of who we are and that we have to live out the meaning of God with other people. That means we must live in mutual respect and interdependence; it means we have to limit our own desires in order for the body politic to survive.”

People Want Mean Body Desire Humanity Order Fall Christianity Sky Limits Who We Are Mutual Rescue Want U Interdependence Mutual Respect

Author:John Shelby Spong

“To have a great university library near you with plenty of archives of all the journals that you want to research in the twentieth century is a remarkable asset, and I spend a day, maybe two days a week in that library. I just plain love it.”

Want Two Week Century Research Library University Plenty Remarkable Assets Journal Twentieth Century Two Days Archives

Author:John Shelby Spong

“If you want to be a Roman Catholic scholar and write, you've got to write in such a way that nobody understands what you're saying, and then you're thought to be profound.”

Ifs Way Want Writing Catholic Profound Scholar Roman Catholic

Author:John Shelby Spong

“I was raised pretty much a fundamentalist, but the one thing that fundamentalism gave to me was the love for that book and a commitment to read and study it. The difficulty is that I've read it all, I didn't skip around, I read it all, and when you read it all, you can't take it literally because you don't want to blame God for a lot of stuff that occurs in that book. There are some pretty violent scenes.”

Want Book Stuff Study One Thing Scene Commitment Difficulty Blame Raised Violent Fundamentalism Skip Fundamentalist

Author:John Shelby Spong

“You can't have a world where 50 percent of the people are dieting and 50 percent of the people are starving if you want stability.”

People Ifs World Want Percent Stability Starving Dieting

Author:John Shelby Spong

“I want the traditional family upheld, but I don't want it upheld to the detriment of other people.”

People Want Traditional Traditional Family

Author:John Shelby Spong

“My sense is if the Episcopal Church can't stand challenge within its own ranks, then it is not a church I would want to be a member of anyway.”

Ifs Want Challenges Church Members Episcopalians

Author:John Shelby Spong

“I don't want a God that would go around killing people's little girls. Neither do I want a God who would kill his own son.”

People Want Littles God Girl Son Killing

Author:John Shelby Spong