Question & Answer
Andre Heketh from Ocala, Florida, writes:
Question:
Specifically what should I do to “live fully, love wastefully and be all that I can be?”
Answer:
Dear Andre,
One of our Supreme Court Justices, when asked to define pornography, replied that he could not do that, but that he could “recognize it when he saw it.” That is somewhat how I feel when I try to respond to your question.
How does one define selfless love? Is anyone ever free of a hidden agenda? Yet we have had in human history people who have been dedicated to causes that transformed the world and in the service of which their entire lives were expanded. One thinks of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela just to name a few. On a less heroic, but more personal level, we all have known people who have loved others into a deeper, fuller life. It happens in husband-wife relationships. It happens in parent-child relationships. It happens among friends and even among political associates. Without a full analysis of the things that motivated each individual, however, we can never say that some personal agenda was not operating.
I have known gay couples where one partner dealt with the progress of AIDS in the other so lovingly and with such faithfulness as to inspire all who know the two of them. In my own life, I watched my older sister care for my mother until my mother’s death at age 92 in such a way as to give expanded life to both of them.
“Living fully, loving wastefully and being all that we can be” is my definition of seeing the presence of God in human life. To live for another is to escape the natural human drive to survive and to enable us to live for others, to give ourselves away in love for another. It means placing someone beside ourselves at the center of our affections. It is to recognize that God is part of who we are and that we are part of who or what God is. God is the quality of life that I see in the picture and memory of Jesus that transcends the ages. It also transcends the limits of the literal words in the biblical text. That quality is why I assert with St. Paul, that somehow and in the same way God was in this Jesus. That is finally why I am a committed Christian.
~John Shelby Spong
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Announcements
New! The Birth of Jesus essays in book format.
This is an excellent introduction to Bishop Spong's writing for friends and family and will make an excellent addition to your Spong library.
We are excited to announce this just released book of essays* by Bishop John Shelby Spong on Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus. While Luke’s narrative, the most detailed account of the birth of Jesus, is lyrical and inspiring, in The Birth of Jesus, Spong persuasively demonstrates it is allegory. Layer by layer, Spong weighs every element of the New Testament stories against Old Testament legends building a convincing case. Spong’s 16 essays step backward and forward through the scriptures demonstrating why each element was chosen by the early CE writers to establish Jesus’ lineage and divinity. It is a fascinating and persuasive journey and a remarkable illustration of Biblical scholarship.
Bishop Spong’s “Birth of Jesus” essay series* from his weekly newsletter- “A New Christianity for a New World,” has generated more comments from our readers than any other series he has written. As one subscriber wrote, “It all starts with the birth story—get that wrong and we probably get it all wrong.” No one does a better job of getting it right than Spong. And there is always the added bonus with Bishop Spong. He is the consummate teacher. He writes with the primary intention for readers, regardless of their training or background, to get it.
Bishop Spong is a writer for every reader- from the scholar to the lay person. He is clear, concise, inspiring, and vibrant. He is a master at interpretation and elucidation. The Birth of Jesus is an exciting adventure that challenges dominant assumptions and interpretations and is sure to stimulate and liberate readers.
Click here to purchase
Published by ProgressiveChristianity.org 2014
96 pages
*These essays were originally published in the newsletter, "A New Christianity for a New World" and are available individually online at johnshelbyspong.com for current subscribers.
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