A Peronal Invitation
You are invited to participate in the Inaugural CGCC/UCC Theologian in Residence Program, led by Bishop John Shelby Spong, Episcopal Bishop of Newark for 24 years before retiring in 2000. As a visiting lecturer at Harvard and at universities and churches throughout North America and the English-speaking world, he is one of the leading spokespersons for liberal Christianity. His books include Sins of Scripture, A New Christianity for a New World, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, Resurrection: Myth or Reality?, Why Christianity Must Change or Die, Jesus for the Non-Religious, and his autobiography, Here I Stand. He has initiated landmark discussions of controversies within Christianity and has become an outspoken advocate for change.

In this challenging, intellectually rigorous culmination of his body of theological work, Eternal Life: A New Vision: Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell, Bishop Spong provides a lucid historical analysis of the development of human religious thought from the onset of self-conscious awareness to the present, and a compelling argument for the creation of a new religious paradigm. Offering deeply personal reflections on his own Christian journey and priestly career, Spong reviews a lifetime of passionate engagement with biblical study and with questions of faith. This work, bound to be influential, offers new insights into religion’s big questions about life and death, making an invaluable contribution to both religious scholarship and faithful exploration.

Bishop Spong will be preaching at our 11:00 worship services on Sunday, January 10, and Sunday, January 24. All are invited!

Lecture Series Schedule
All lectures are held in the Sanctuary from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Monday, January 4: Lecture 1 – “Why Belief in Life after Death is Fading”
Wednesday, January 6: Lecture 2 – “Rethinking God”
Monday, January 11: Lecture 3 – “Rethinking Christ”
Wednesday, January 13: Lecture 4 – “What Does it Mean to be Human?”
Monday, January 18: Lecture 5 – “The Drive to Survive—A Mark of Life Itself”
Wednesday, January 20: Lecture 6 – “Going Deeply into Life and Consciousness”
Monday, January 25: Lecture 7 – “Reading the Bible with the Eyes of a Mystic”
Wednesday, January 27: Lecture 8 – “A New Vision of Eternal Life”