Active passivity

a rescuing deity results in gratitude, never in expanded humanity. Constant gratitude, which the story of the cross seems to encourage, creates only weakness, childishness and dependency.

(Bishop Spong cited in DA Carson, The God Who is There)

Sadly Bishop Spong sees that as a reason to reject the cross while Christianity sees it as a reason to embrace the cross and celebrate weakness, childishness and dependency. And yet Spong is right to have some concerns because the Bible also celebrates strength and maturity.

I think the Bible celebrates both because Coram Deo (toward God) we are weak, childish and dependent, but that means that Coram Mundum (toward the world) we are strong, mature and live independent of a need for the world's blessing.

I presume Spong is afraid of Christians who 'drop out' and become passive in the world because they have been saved by God. In contrast, Luther loved the God who rescued him when he couldn't man-up and rescue himself. He saw that God's rescue would meant those rescued would become like their God. In his teaching on two kinds of righteousness, he would strongly emphasise that we are passive Coram Deo as we receive with gratitude from our Father. But, precisely because of that we become active people Coram Mundum as we seek to serve others.