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That is, Spong leapfrogs from the fundamentalist orientation of his youth to 21st century evangelicalism, without considering the interim. He caricatures evangelicalism, for example, as an intellectual ghetto, thriving on ignorance and unwilling to embrace the advances of biblical criticism.

Overall, The Sins of Scripture comes across as little more than a series of pontifications and ultimatums supported by reasoning that sometimes decays into the platitudes of a village atheist: "It appears to be in the nature of religion itself to be prejudiced against those who are different. … Violence is almost always the result of such prejudice."

One might be tempted to simply dismiss this volume, but Spong's books sell well (which can be the only reason an otherwise reputable publishing house like HarperSanFrancisco would publish something so crude and naïve). And if comments on Amazon.com are any sign, Spong still retains a loyal following. This suggests that Spong's worldview—which amounts to the modern consciousness as the ultimate rule of faith and practice—and his hostility to Christian orthodoxy remain a force for the faithful to contend with.

John Makujina is associate professor of Old Testament at Central Baptist Theological Seminary.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

The Sins of Scripture is available from Amazon.com and other book retailers.

re:generation quarterly reviewed Spong's autobiography, Here I Stand.

More about Spong is available from his website, and his Beliefnet commentaries, including an excerpt on the Apostle Paul's homosexuality, are also online.

For book lovers, our 2005 CT book awards are available online, along with our book awards for 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, and 1997, as well as our Books of the Twentieth Century. For other coverage or reviews, see our Books archive and the weekly Books & Culture Corner.

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March 2006, Vol. 50, No. 3