I do not think of God theistically, that is, as a being, supernatural in power, who dwells beyond the limits of my world. I rather experience God as the source of life willing me to live fully, the source of love calling me to love wastefully and to borrow a phrase from the theologian, Paul Tillich, as the Ground of being, calling me to be all that I can be.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes a non-theistic understanding of God as a source of life and love, urging individuals to live fully and authentically.
John Shelby Spong expresses a view of God that transcends traditional theistic interpretations, highlighting the idea of God as an essential force in life that encourages us to embrace our full potential and to love unconditionally. Instead of perceiving God merely as a distant, powerful being, Spong invites us to understand God as an integral part of our existence, rooting us in 'the Ground of being' which calls us toward an expansive experience of life and love.
In practice
In a speech about personal growth and spirituality.
When I grew up in the South, I was taught that segregation was the will of God, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. I was taught that women were by nature in inferior to men, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. I was taught that it was okay to hate other religions, and especially the Jews, and the Bible was quoted to prove it.
The church is like a swimming pool. Most of the noise comes from the shallow end.
Christianity is not about the divine becoming human so much as it is about the human becoming divine. That is a paradigm shift of the first order.
I would like the church to be a place where the questions of people are honored rather than a place where we have all the answers. The church has to get out of propaganda. The future will involve us in more interfaith dialogue. ... We cannot say we have the only truth.
It appears to be in the nature of religion itself to be prejudiced against those who are different.
The cross reveals that we're called to a deeper, fuller experience of what it means to be alive and open to new dimensions of life which our religious boundaries - creeds, atonement theologies - have kept us from experiencing.
One feels as if it could never, never be less. And yet all griefs, when there is no bitterness in them, are soothed down by time.
Or hast thou known the world so long in vain?
In order to deal with reality successfully - to pursue and achieve the values which his life requires - man needs self-esteem; he needs to be confident of his efficacy and worth.
What is it the Bible teaches us? -- rapine, cruelty, and murder.
Life is the dancer and you are the dance.
You wake up white, and you think about certain things every day. You wake up black, and you think about certain things. You wake up Chinese, and you think certain things - but those things aren't major. What's major is that you are good at your craft.
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