Bishop for the non-religious

Bishop John Shelby Spong is in Melbourne this week, promoting his new book, Jesus for the Non-Religious, explaining again why he discounts almost everything in the Bible as unreliable but still believes Jesus has much to offer.

Bishop Spong, 76, the retired Episcopalian (Anglican) Bishop of Newark in New Jersey, has published some 20 mostly controversial books trying to construct his version of Christianity for the 21st century. The trouble for many Christians is that it doesn't contain anything recognisable as God, let alone a traditional Jesus. Spong admits that he is not a theist and rejects the idea of a personal God, but says that doesn't make him an atheist either. He dislikes simple categorisations.

Nevertheless, Bishop Spong addresses important questions for all people of religious faith - including those of a more traditional bent who should be prepared to examine and defend their beliefs. the rest