Jesus for the Non-Religious
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Narrated by:
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John Shelby Spong
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Alan Sklar
About this listen
Spong challenges much of the traditional understanding, from the tale of Jesus' miraculous birth to the account of his cosmic ascension into the sky. He questions the historicity of the ideas that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, that he had 12 disciples, or that the miracle stories were ever meant to be descriptions of supernatural events. He also speaks directly to those critics of Christianity who call God a "delusion" and who describe Christianity as having become evil and destructive.
Spong invites listeners to examine Jesus in the context of both the Jewish scriptures and the liturgical life of the first-century synagogue. He proposes a new way of understanding the divinity of Christ as the ultimate dimension of a fulfilled humanity. Jesus for the Non-Religious may finally bring the pious and the secular into a meaningful dialogue, opening the door to a living Christianity in the post-Christian world.
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A quick non-technical introduction to the Koran designed to help Christians understand a hidden book revered by 1.3 billion Muslims, covering the background on its writing, a summary of its contents, a perspective on how it’s used and viewed by Muslims, a comparison of differences and similarities to the Bible, and some suggestions on how it should and should not be used in conversations with Muslims.
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Favors Christianity
- By Dianne on 12-18-15
By: Mateen Elass
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Desire of the Everlasting Hills
- The World Before and After Jesus
- By: Thomas Cahill
- Narrated by: Brian F. O'Byrne
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In his subtle and engaging investigation into the life and times of Jesus, Thomas Cahill shows us Jesus from his birth to his execution through the eyes of those who knew him and in the context of his time—a time when the Jews were struggling to maintain their beliefs under overlords who imposed their worldview on their subjects. Here is Jesus the loving friend, itinerate preacher, and quiet revolutionary, whose words and actions inspired his followers to journey throughout the Roman world and speak the truth he instilled.
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Desire Delivers
- By David on 04-18-03
By: Thomas Cahill
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A New Kind of Christianity
- Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith
- By: Brian D. McLaren
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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We are in the midst of a paradigm shift in the church. Not since the Reformation five centuries ago have so many Christians come together to ask whether the church is in sync with their deepest beliefs and commitments. These believers range from evangelicals to mainline Protestants to Catholics, and the person who best represents them is author and pastor Brian McLaren. In this much anticipated book, McLaren examines ten questions facing today's church - questions about how to articulate the faith itself, the nature of its authority, who God is....
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Clear, Careful, Considerate Confrontation
- By Celia on 09-10-12
By: Brian D. McLaren
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How Jesus Became God
- The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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In a book that took eight years to research and write, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Ehrman explores how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty Creator of all things. Ehrman sketches Jesus's transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God exalted to divine status at his resurrection. Only when some of Jesus's followers had visions of him after his death - alive again - did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God.
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Wishing for a bit more meat on the bones
- By Darwin8u on 04-09-14
By: Bart D. Ehrman
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Jesus on Trial
- A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel
- By: David Limbaugh
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In Jesus on Trial, New York Times bestselling author David Limbaugh applies his lifetime of legal experience to a unique new undertaking: making a case for the gospels as hard evidence of the life and work of Jesus Christ. Limbaugh, a practicing attorney and former professor of law, approaches the canonical gospels with the same level of scrutiny he would apply to any legal document and asks all the necessary questions about the story of Jesus....
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What a disappointment
- By JB on 10-07-14
By: David Limbaugh
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The Jesus Dynasty
- A New Historical Investigation of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity
- By: James D. Tabor
- Narrated by: James D. Tabor
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Abridged
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Based on a careful analysis of the earliest Christian documents and recent archaeological discoveries, The Jesus Dynasty offers a bold new interpretation of the life of Jesus and the origins of Christianity. The story is surprising, controversial, and exciting as only a long-lost history can be when it is at last recovered.
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Provocative book
- By Dan on 08-27-06
By: James D. Tabor
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Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Bart D. Ehrman
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Dan Brown's immensely popular New York Times best-selling The Da Vinci Code is one of the most successful books of recent history. It has captivated millions the world over with its enthralling suspense and its provocative questions about the true nature of Jesus' life.
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A historian's approach to the Da Vinci code
- By John Mertus on 01-23-05
By: Bart D. Ehrman
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The Great Shift
- Encountering God in Biblical Times
- By: James L. Kugel
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Why does the Bible depict a world in which humans, with surprising regularity, encounter the divine - wrestling an angel, addressing a burning bush, issuing forth prophecy without any choice in the matter? These stories spoke very differently to their original audience than they do to us, and they reflect a radically distinct understanding of reality and the human mind. Yet over the course of the thousand-year biblical era, encounters with God changed dramatically.
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Changing Conceptions of God and the Self
- By DJ on 10-27-22
By: James L. Kugel
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Reasons to Believe
- How to Understand, Defend, and Explain the Catholic Faith
- By: Scott Hahn
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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In Reasons to Believe, Scott Hahn, a convert to Catholicism, explains the "how and why" of the Catholic faith - drawing from Scripture, his own struggles, and those of other converts, as well as from everyday life and even natural science. Hahn shows that reason and revelation, as well as nature and the supernatural, are not opposed to one another; rather, they offer complementary evidence that God exists. He is someone, and He has a personality, a personal style, that is discernable and knowable.
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A Catholic for convition and tradition
- By benigno on 05-29-12
By: Scott Hahn
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Reading the Bible Again for the First Time
- Taking the Bible Seriously but Not Literally
- By: Marcus J. Borg
- Narrated by: Maurice England
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Many Christians mistakenly believe that their only choice is either to reconcile themselves to a fundamentalist reading of scripture (a "literal-factual" approach) or to simply reject the Bible as something that could bring meaning and value into their lives. In Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg shows how instead we can freshly appreciate all the essential elements of the Old and New Testaments - from Genesis to Revelation - in a way that can open up a new world of intelligent faith.
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Marcus Borg's level of scholarship
- By Diana Johnson on 11-08-24
By: Marcus J. Borg
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The Misunderstood Jew
- The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus
- By: Amy Jill Levine
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Misunderstood Jew, scholar Amy-Jill Levine helps Christians and Jews understand the "Jewishness" of Jesus so that their appreciation of him deepens and a greater interfaith dialogue can take place. Levine's humor and informed truth - telling provokes honest conversation and debate about how Christians and Jews should understand Jesus, the New Testament, and each other.
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Courageous
- By Tad Davis on 07-27-17
By: Amy Jill Levine
What listeners say about Jesus for the Non-Religious
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sarah Sullivan
- 04-18-17
great
great - enjoyed the unconventional path the author takes you down and is well informed
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- Robert
- 04-10-09
Compelling but ultimately disappointing
Two foci for this review: the text itself, and the narration.
First, narration. God save us. Bishop Spong reads the preface and epilogue, and I found myself wishing he would have read the entire book. His true sincerity, humanity and humility come through in his voice when he reads.
The narrator, however . . . slow, portentous, with odd emphases and ill-timed pauses . . . a real chore to listen to this fellow. He manages to inject a note of contemptuous sarcasm into passages, which seems often at odds with Bishop Spong's words. The narration almost put me off finishing the book.
Now, the text. Bishop Spong makes a compelling case for his vision of Christian scripture as liturgical in nature, freighted with symbolic references to Jesus' Jewish context. I couldn't wait for the final chapters, in which Bishop Spong would tell us how he specifically engages Christ in the modern age; how worship can (or should) be done; what is the nature of God as revealed through Jesus and Jesus' relationship with God - is God truly personal? Is Christ a person to this day, or simply a memory, the acheivements of which we should aspire to?
In essence, Bishop Spong spends a great deal of time methodically deconstructing Christianity in the modern age, but then replaces it with nothing - not even a suggestion on which we can build. I came away with the strong impression that Jesus was just a "really good guy".
Oddly, the resurrection gets short shrift in the concluding chapters. It's as if Bishop Spong doesn't know what to make of it - so he chooses not to deal with it at any length. But the resurrection, arguably the linchpin of Christology, deserves a fair assessment, because it is our understanding of the resurrection that will inform whatever relationship we have with the person of Christ.
I am ultimately frustrated and disapointed; that said, this worthy effort is still worth the listen.
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12 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Stephen
- 07-23-08
Blilliant
Very eye opening and educational. He brings up and answers a lot of questions that I often had but was unwilling to think about too long. Great for understanding religion better.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Lynn
- 05-31-15
A much larger view of God than most religions dare
This work is a culmination of a life's work and search for God who is not made in the image of man. For years I have struggled with the institutional view of God, especially those who worship the scriptures at the expense of God and Jesus. Spong demonstrates how radical and remarkable Jesus was in his time while glimpsing a loving God through him. Spong's love of God and Jesus is palpable. As you can tell by the title, an extensive background in theology or religion is not necessary. However, I highly recommend this book to anyone who considers themselves an expert in Christianity or who think they have all the answers.
If you begin this book, commit to finishing the book.
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2 people found this helpful
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- John
- 05-28-13
WILL CHANGE YOUR VIEWS OF THE FOUR GOSPELS
Where does Jesus for the Non-Religious rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
The subject matter is of great interest to me; hence, the works of John Shelby Spong ranks highest in my library of books.
What other book might you compare Jesus for the Non-Religious to and why?
I am only aware of course material through the Teaching Company that could come close to the academic study of the New Testament.
What about John Shelby Spong and Alan Sklar ’s performance did you like?
Clear and concise
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Chapter by Chapter there were learning experiences but I suspect the realization that the chapters that talked of the authors of the Gospels using the events that were claimed would happen on the return of the Messiah as recorded in the Old Testament to expand their Gospels after Mark was available really floored me.
Any additional comments?
If you wish to do a detail comparative analysis of the Gospels and the "why" then this book is great. Those that view the Bible as the true word of God should avoid this reading.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Shanario
- 01-24-21
very relevant and thought provoking
I loved the rich content of the book. It frees one to embrace the love of God and to give it out freely.
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- no1uknow
- 04-25-21
made a non believer out of me.
loved how it was able to keep me interested the entire time. th! a has been my first audiobook I have ever f!finished and I have 80. ty
if rather read a book.
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- Starwheel
- 12-17-22
Renewing, Refreshing, Reviving
John Shelby Spong’s investigation into Jesus is eye opening and powerful. Jesus is resurrected from a dying religion.
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- Lawrence R. Clark
- 08-24-18
I have received Christ power
I truly enjoyed the audiobook. It gave me a deeper understanding of what I already believed. Better yet, John articulated what I could not. I struggled because I thought that one day soon I would totally reject God and Jesus, but now i have an understanding that I can keep them with me and yet not bowing down to the mythology of Jesus. Thank you.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 11-30-10
Where is Selby?
Provocative & absorbing.Why didn't Selby do the reading? he is the one to read his work.
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3 people found this helpful