1931-
Episcopal Bishop of Newark

Stirring the Waters.

Had John Shelby Spong not been an Episcopal bishop, his challenges to traditional Christian belief and practice would still have sparked controversy. Coming from the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, New Jersey, Spong's unapologetic rejection of some of Christianity's fundamental assumptions, and his willingness to use his Episcopal office as a bully pulpit for his message of postmodern Christian faith, made him a favorite target for conservative Christians. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Spong attended the University of North Carolina and Virginia Theological Seminary before being ordained to the Episcopal priesthood in 1955. He served as rector of churches in Durham and Tarboro, North Carolina, and in Lynchburg and Richmond, Virginia. A popular speaker and writer, he had already provoked controversy when he was elected Bishop of Newark, New Jersey, on 6 March 1976. Some years earlier, while...