If a religious system requires a literal Bible be embraced, I must walk away from that system. I walk away without fear, for any religious system based upon such an inadequate foundation will never survive, no matter how many times it undergoes a face-lift. Doing a face-lift on a corpse does not restore life, it only restores for a moment the illusion of life. Organized religion as we have known it in the Western world is considered by many a friend and foe alike to be sick until death. The periodic revivals of fundamentalism are momentary blips on the EKG charts of religious history.
John Shelby Spong













