A controversial American preacher who caused division within the Church of Scotland is to make a second trip to Scotland.
Bishop Jack Spong, who rejects the idea of a supernatural God and does not believe Christ died for man's sins, will deliver a lecture in Milngavie later this month.
His previous visit in 2013 caused a stir when Glasgow Presbytery were forced to meet to address some concerns over his controversial views, which include denying the virgin birth and claiming the resurrection was not a physical rising.
The retired Episcopalian preacher is also firmly in favour of Christian churches permitting homosexual clergy.
Despite the initial disquiet, Bishop Spong's lectures at Cairns and Orchardhill Parish Church in Giffnock, Glasgow, went ahead, and the preacher is now set to return to Cairns on June 11 to speak again at the church's 'Thinking Allowed' event.
A spokesman for Cairns said the church is "delighted" that the bishop has again accepted the invitation to attend the event as a speaker.
The Thinking Allowed lecture series is an annual event at the church which has been running for 15 years, attracting many high profile speakers over the years.
Bishop Spong's lecture is entitled "Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy" and will focus on St Matthew's Gospel, looking at the scripture though "Jewish eyes".
He is also expected to argue that the "perfect" human being which fell into sin is "pre-Darwinian mythology and post-Darwinian nonsense".
The preacher, a former bishop of Newark and New Jersey in the US, who has a worldwide following, also claims that the virgin birth and resurrection are " not sustainable and do not speak honestly to the situation of modern Christian communities".
A spokesman for the church added that Bishop Spong "believes in a more nuanced approach to scripture, informed by scholarship and compassion, which can be consistent with both Christian tradition and contemporary understandings of the universe".
The lecture will be held in Cairns Church on Thursday, June 11, at 8pm. Anyone looking to attend can purchase tickets by calling 0141 956 4868 or visiting the church's website at www.cairnschurch.org.uk.
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