John Shelby Spong

“I do not believe that the cross is a sign of God's wrath or displeasure. I believe that it is a sign of our inhumanity and hatred.”

“Theism, as a way of conceiving God, has become demonstrably inadequate, and the God of theism is dying.”

“The virgin birth, understood as literal biology, makes Christ's divinity, as traditionally understood, impossible.”

“God is not a Christian, God is not a Jew, or a Muslim, or a Hindu, or a Buddhist. All of those are human systems which human beings have created to try to help us walk into the mystery of God.”

“The resurrection of Jesus was not a physical resuscitation of a deceased body.”

“I'm not trying to destroy Christianity. I'm trying to save it.”

“Theism, as a way of conceiving God, is bankrupt.”

“The cross is not a sign of God’s wrath, but a sign of God’s love.”

“Prayer is not a way of making things happen. It is a way of being with what is.”

“The words of the Bible are not the words of God. The words of the Bible are the words of people who have experienced God.”

“To love is to be vulnerable. You can't be vulnerable and you can't love if you're not willing to be changed.”

“Guilt is the gift that keeps on giving.”

“The way we tell our sacred story is the way we form our people.”

“I don't think God is a being. I think God is the ground of all being.”

“God is not a Christian, God is not a Jew, or a Muslim, or a Hindu, or a Buddhist. All of those are human systems which human beings have created to try to help us walk into the mystery of God.”

“The church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners.”

“Prayer is not a way of making use of God; prayer is a way of offering ourselves to God in order that He should be able to make use of us.”

“I don't think that the Bible is a book of answers. I think it is a book of questions.”

“Certainty is the enemy of truth.”

“When the institution becomes the primary focus, you have entered the religion business.”