ELMHURST, Ill., March 22, 2011 —Author, biblical scholar and retired Episcopal bishop John Shelby Spong will present "Homosexuality: The Battleground for a Dying Form of Christianity" on Wednesday, April 6, as part of the Still Speaking: Conversations on Faith lecture series.
The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in the Founders Lounge of the Frick Center at Elmhurst College (190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst, www.elmhurst.edu/campusmap).
John Shelby Spong was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark for 24 years, before his retirement in 2001. His admirers acclaim him as a teaching bishop who makes contemporary theology accessible to the ordinary layperson.
As a visiting lecturer at Harvard and at other universities and churches throughout North America and the English-speaking world, Bishop Spong is one of the leading spokespersons for liberal Christianity. He also is considered a champion of an inclusive faith by many, both inside and outside the Christian church.
His best-selling books include Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism; A New Christianity for a New World; Why Christianity Must Change or Die; and Here I Stand.
Spong has initiated landmark discussions of controversies within the Church and has become an outspoken advocate for change.
"I am a believer who knows and loves the Bible deeply," Spong says, at the same time noting that the Bible for centuries "has been quoted to justify anti-Semitism, second-class status for women, slavery, segregation and apartheid. Those who have quoted the Bible in this way have lost on each of these issues. And they have lost on homosexuality also."
To celebrate the graduation centennial of its esteemed alumni Reinhold and H. Richard Niebuhr, Elmhurst College recently launched a yearlong series of dialogues on faithits varieties, contradictions and influence in the modern world.
The series, Still Speaking: Conversations on Faith, includes lectures and cultural events, as well as service and outreach projects, and academic work. Still Speaking draws on the College's deep connection and shared values with the United Church of Christ. The series takes its name from the UCC's "God Is Still Speaking" initiative, an ongoing campaign to reaffirm the Church's role as a welcoming, justice-minded community.
Elmhurst College is a leading liberal arts college located eight miles west of Chicago. The College's mission is to prepare its students for meaningful and ethical work in a multicultural, global society. Elmhurst College fosters learning and enriches culture through innovation, scholarship and creative expression. Approximately 3,400 full- and part-time students are enrolled in its 22 undergraduate academic departments and nine graduate degree programs.