
Jesus for the Non-Religous by John Spong
A Book Study with Rev. Ken
Mondays, March 6th – April 3rd
6:00 – 8:00 PT via Zoom
This five-week book study will be a guided journey into a new way of thinking about and interacting with the teachings of and the stories about Jesus. Rev. Ken will lead us in group discussions and discoveries as well as illuminate how the Unity teachings about Jesus have evolved and changed with the advent of new knowledge and understanding.
The author, Episcopal Bishop John Spong, says that the most important insight that we can take from the life of Jesus is the full expression of his humanity. He was fully human as he lived and worked in the ancient setting of his time and place.
Spong challenges much of the traditional understanding that has for so long surrounded the Jesus of history, from the tale of his miraculous birth to a virgin, to the account of his cosmic ascension into the sky at the end of his life. Spong questions the historicity of the ideas that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, that he had twelve disciples, and that the miracle stories were meant to be descriptions of supernatural events. He also speaks directly to those contemporary critics of Christianity who call God a “delusion” and who write letters to a “Christian nation” and describe how Christianity has become evil and destructive.
Spong invites his readers to look at Jesus through the lens of both the Jewish scriptures and the liturgical life of the first-century synagogue. Dismissing the dispute about Jesus’ nature that consumed the church’s leadership for the first 500 years of Christian history as irrelevant, Spong proposes a new way of understanding the divinity of Christ: as the ultimate dimension of a fulfilled humanity.
Join us to explore, learn and grow.
The book study fee is $100, but no one will be turned away due to a lack of funds. Email office@unitysf.com to make arrangements if you’re unable to pay the full amount.
Please use the button below to register. Once you register, you’ll receive an automatic email containing the Zoom link, which will be the same for each class session.
Note that you must also purchase the book, which you can do here. The office also has limited copies for purchase.