Born of a Woman

An Episcopal bishop dismantles biblical literalism to uncover the origins of the nativity stories and their impact on women.

John Shelby Spong, bestselling author and Episcopal bishop of Newark, NJ, challenges the doctrine of the virgin birth, tracing its development in the early Christian church and revealing its legacy in our contemporary attitudes toward women and female sexuality.

Drawing on biblical scholarship and Jewish midrash, the author compares the divergent nativity stories in Mat...