This weekend on State of Belief Radio, Welton is joined for the full hour by the Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong, the retired Episcopal Bishop of Newark, NJ. Bishop Spong is the author of the new book The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic. 
Bishop Spong is one of our nation’s leading – and most controversial – theologians, who for decades has been a powerful voice calling for inclusivity, reform and renewal in the Church. He is also a long time friend of State of Belief.
In a wide-ranging and candid conversation, Welton and Bishop Spong talk about his life growing up in the segregated, homophobic south and the path that led him toward an ever-increasing understanding of the need for acceptance and inclusion.
Bishop Spong then discusses some of the opposition he’s faced over the years, and the tragedy of closeted gay faith leaders in the Episcopal Church. And he explains the reasons he believes the church has problems dealing with human sexuality, and the potential for Christianity to remain relevant in a changing world.
