num_pages: 80
description: "I call upon Christian leaders in all traditions to respond and act with intelligence rather than fear. If Christian leaders cannot do this, then all churches will discover that ignorance, no matter how sanctified with pious words, is still ignorance and the voice of the church will be ignored as irrelevant"— John Shelby Spong  Is celibacy the only moral alternative to marriage? Should the widowed be allowed to form intimate relationships without remarrying? Should the church receive homosexuals into its community and support committed gay and lesbian relationships? Should congregations publicly and liturgically witness and affirm divorces? Should the church's moral standards continue to be set by patriarchal males? Should women be consecrated bishops? Bishop Spong proposes a pastoral response based on scripture and history to the changing realities of the modern world. He calls for a moral vision to empower the church with inclusive teaching about equal, loving, nonexploitative relationships.Author Biography: John Shelby Spong was the Episcopal Bishop of Newark, NJ, for more than twenty years and is one of the leading spokespersons in the western world for an enlightened Christianity. He is currently a visiting lecturer at Harvard University. His previous bestselling books include Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, Living in SW, Liberating the Gospels, and Why Christianity Must Change or Die.
language: English
title: Living in Sin?: A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality : A Study Guide for Individuals and Small Groups
titlecomplete: Living in Sin?: A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality : A Study Guide for Individuals and Small Groups
genres: Sexuality, Queer, Social Issues, Christianity, Religion, Spirituality, Gay, Theology, Nonfiction, Christian
ratings_count: 354
publisher: Harpercollins