“The Christians tried to separate themselves from the Jewish crowd so they wouldn't be the recipients of the persecution of the Romans. And the way they did it was to say, the Jews killed our hero too. And so Christians began to define themselves over against the orthodox party of the Jews as a way of surviving against the Roman onslaught.”

American Episcopal bishop and liberal Christian theologian

John Shelby Spong was an American Episcopal bishop and liberal Christian theologian, 1931 to 2021. He served as Bishop of Newark, New Jersey, from 1979 to 2000, and became known for challenging traditional Christian doctrine. As an author and church leader, Spong argued for a far-reaching rethinking of Christian belief, including a move away from theism. His writing and public work focused on questioning inherited doctrines and pressing for a Christianity shaped by modern understanding.