John Spong’s ministry has undergone a lot of change from the teachings of his youth. While growing in the North East during the Great Depression, his understanding of Christianity was dictated by the teachings he was traught that the Episcopal Church was the “true church of God on Earth”. He literally believed in the physical existence of hell as being a place that the disobedient were cast into to suffer an eternity engulfed in flames and torment.
Over the past three decades, his views have changed or to put in more in Retired Bishop Spong’s parlance, he has matured. He now believes that the traditional teachings of hell as done by various Christian churches and denominations are man-made devices designed to control people.
Spong no longer believes that there is a “fiery furnace” except in Christian teachings. This doesn’t mean that he does not have faith in God. He practices his faith, but views it as a tradition. As such, there are other traditions that people can practice to draw closer to God. Essentially, religions point people to God, but no single church owns the exclusive path to God.
In fact, Spong acknowledges that religions in general is the creation of man. God does exist, but he is not defined by any earthly organization. As such, the divine being is not Muslim, Jew, Hindu, or Buddhist. It should be noted that retired Bishop Spong has advocated a reform of Christianity for decades. He would see a greater emphasis on Christ-like practices and less embrace of dogmatic traditions.