The Result of Failure to Instruct

I really like the last few paragraphs of the article by Jonathan Sarfati regarding Bishop Spong. I'd like to post them here as I think they are worth repeating.

Spong was not prepared by the church of his youth to answer the questions thrown at him by modern society. When he went to university, he was challenged to defend a faith he was never taught to defend. Naturally, like the raw recruit ordered to defend a hill against a well-trained and heavily armed enemy with a weapon he was never taught how to use, Spong capitulated. Having done so, he feels cheated by his church and disappointed by his literal faith, and now seeks to challenge and destroy both.

In this sense, a study of Spong's life and work should be mandatory reading for Christian pastors and parents. It is a testimony to the failure of our churches to instruct their children and young people in the defence of the faith and the Bible. If we fail in our duty to enable our young people always to be ready to give an adequate explanation for the faith that is in them (1 Peter 3:15) we may well be responsible for raising up a future generation of Spongs.

Sarfati's Critique of Bishop Spong

I just finished reading a book by now retired Anglican Bishop John Shelby Spong entitled "Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture" that my atheist (although he would rather call himself a secular humanist) neighbour loaned me. I was very interested in this book because I felt that it would help me to get into my neighbour's mind so that I could communicate the gospel with him more effectively. If you have ever read any of Spong's work you will probably have reacted strongly to many of his assertions. I marked many of his statements that stood out to me as I read the book intending to go through them and comment on them, even if only for my sake.

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Always allow challenges to your faith to drive you deeper into the word of God. You will never be disappointed if you seek God for His wisdom, and He promises to give it to us without finding fault to all those who ask with faith (James 1:5-6).

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Jonathan Sarfati, whom I have come to respect, published this excellent response to Spong's work here. If you want to see a very solid yet winsome defense of the "Fundamental" Christian Faith both through scriptural support and through other secular sources (refuting several of Spong's claims), I highly recommend reading this article.