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Christopher's Eclectic as Hell's avatar

That's a lovely story. It's comforting to know saints can be a little testy!

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Dr SL's avatar

Re: Virgin birth

A few years ago at my university I was on the committee that invited Episcopal Bishop Spong (John Shelby Spong) (1931-2021) to visit and give a few talks. He was a hyper-liberal thinker who rejected Virgin Birth, bodily resurrection of Jesus, and made no secret of his belief that St. Paul was a homosexual. Some of you may remember him - he was a prolific author, quite famous at the time, and his visit took place soon after “Why Christianity Must Change or Die” (1999), his latest book was published.

In his general lecture he enjoyed taking potshots at various points in the Bible that have traditionally stretched the readers’ credulity, for example the passage in Exodus 33:23 in which Moses asks to see God, and God shows him his backside. At the banquet I was seated next to him, and we got into a conversation. But then I made a mistake in saying that I believed in miracles. I couldn’t believe it - he instantly became enraged (not at me, but at the idea), it was like going from 0 to 60 in about 3 seconds. You should’ve been there. To me he looked ridiculous but he was an important guest so we had to be nice to him. Plus he was in his 70s, and I was raised to treat older people with respect.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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