A netfriend wrote about…

the Diocese of Newark, New Jersey during the Bishop’s Episcopacy…

I quote: “The loss of members was about 25% demographic changes – the influx of Asians, Hispanics and Africans in the metropolitan area and the exodus of Anglo-Saxons from the core cities in New Jersey. Seventy-five percent resulted from churches being made to clean up their very padded rolls.” “Giving doubled in the Bishop’s years and capital assets for the Diocese grew from $4million to $40million. Be assured the Diocese of Newark is very healthy.”

I come across a steady stream of people who have given the church away but they are glad to know that Spong plans to come to Australia again in October 2003. There are also many who maintain an active membership in the church – Catholics, Uniting, Anglicans (even in Sydney Diocese) because they are helped by Spong’s biblical scholarship and his communication of the modern theology of many others.

It takes all kinds, as the saying goes. Have you seen his answer to the question that came with this week’s Essay: “Do you have any advice as to how to deal with minds that are closed to new truths about religion and who refuse to listen to anything that challenges their views?” His answer is: “The most important thing any of us needs to recognize is that religion is a part of most peoples’ security system. That means you are not dealing with rationality when you callenge a person’s religious ideas. People do not give up or alter their security systems easily. So my advice to you first is to love these people just as they are and do not try to change them. If change is to occur they must change themselves. Your task is to be true to yourself and to walk to the beat of your own drummer. You do not have to convert others to your way in order to do that.

If you, as your letter says, “try to teach them new ideas” because you think they need these ideas, you are implying a judgement that is not likely to be popular. So you job is to be loving, to offer your views when requested, to ask questions and to preface your comments by saying “this is the way I see it” not “this is the way it is.” God’s truth is finally not the possession of any of us. A humble recognition of that fact would add immeasurably to all religious conversations.

John S. Spong”