Can a bishop remain a Christian while rejecting the virgin birth and bodily resurrection?

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: John Shelby Spong, a prominent Episcopal bishop, spent decades arguing that Christianity must evolve or face obsolescence. By challenging core dogmas like theism and literal resurrection, he sought to reconcile faith with modern knowledge, sparking intense debate over whether his radical reforms were a necessary evolution or a total abandonment.

Born in 1931, Spong grew up in a fundamentalist environment before finding a more expansive path within the Episcopal Church. As the Bishop of Newark from 1979 to 2000, he became a lightning rod for controversy. He was an early advocate for the ordination of women and openly gay clergy, famously ordaining Robert Williams in 1989, an act that led to his censure by the House of Bishops in 1990. His career was defined by a commitment to inclusivity, which he believed was essential for the church to remain relevant in a changing society.

Theologically, Spong was a provocateur. He rejected traditional historical truth claims, including the virgin birth and the physical resurrection of Jesus, arguing instead that these narratives should be understood as myths rather than literal events. He called for a new Reformation, urging the church to move away from traditional theism toward a model of Christian humanism. He found intellectual kinship in the existentialism of Paul Tillich and the writings of Anglican bishop John Robinson, both of whom influenced his push for a more nuanced, scholarly approach to scripture.

His ideas were not without fierce opposition. In 1998, Rowan Williams, then the Bishop of Monmouth, characterized Spong’s reform proposals as embodying confusion. Similarly, various archbishops in Australia banned him from preaching in their dioceses, citing the potential for theological disruption. Despite this, Spong remained a prolific author and public figure, appearing on national television and receiving awards from the American Humanist Association. By the time of his death in 2021, his legacy remained a subject of intense discussion, reflecting a deep divide between those who see his work as a vital rescue of the faith and those who view it as a departure from the core of Christian identity.

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