Serendipity enriches life. Yesterday before going to Eucharist, I read several articles by Bishop Spong on Paul and his epistles. Spong’s approach to Paul makes sense. Paul had a mystical experience of the Risen Jesus. When Paul tried to communicate the experience in words, he was limited by his first century worldviews. Thus we have Jesus explained in terms of atonement theory because that was Paul’s background from Yom Kippur. Closer examination makes us wonder what kind of God would demand the death of the only Begotten in order to appease anger over our sinfulness. It just does not make sense under the microscope. Continue reading →