"The Bible is true, and some of it actually happened."
January 23, 2015 1:28 PM   Subscribe

Marcus Borg has died at age 72. The liberal Christian theologian was one of the leading figures in the modern-day "quest for the historical Jesus," participating in the Jesus Seminar and writing prolifically about how best to interpret the Bible.

Remembrances of Borg: And Borg's last post on his blog from before Christmas touches on many of the themes of his work:
Does the truth of Christmas depend upon the “happenedness” of the miraculous? Or is its truth more-than-factual? For me, the answer is clear. For me as a Christian, Jesus is light in the darkness, the path of liberation, the way of return, the Word of God and Spirit of God embodied in a human life. In him we see God’s passion for a different kind of world. That’s what his coming and Christmas are about.
posted by Cash4Lead (8 comments total) 22 users marked this as a favorite
 
Kind of a shining example of what fundamentalists are afraid of--that "test everything, keep the good" turns out to be a thing you can actually do. That people can question their deepest assumptions, even find them wanting, and instead of being shattered by it, be stronger, one way or another.

"We die into God. What more that means, I do not know."
posted by Sequence at 2:15 PM on January 23, 2015 [12 favorites]


That people can question their deepest assumptions, even find them wanting, and instead of being shattered by it, be stronger, one way or another.
I know that everyone approaches religion (or doesn't) in their own way. Personally speaking, I've found that the questions I have about faith and spirituality are more interesting than the answers and lead me to more questions, which doesn't diminish my faith. Only makes me more curious about the world I live in.
posted by Fizz at 4:23 PM on January 23, 2015 [1 favorite]


I never took one of his classes, and for most of my undergrad at Oregon State, I just knew him as a foil to Campus Crusade for Christ's evangelical strain of Christianity.

One day, however, I was walking up to the building that housed the philosophy department to hand in a paper, and just as I was nearing the entrance, the door opened. Professor Borg stepped out, locked eye contact with me, and said "Hello" like I was an old friend he was expecting. He headed out, and I headed in, but I remember at the time being taken aback by the warmth and sincerity in that simple interaction.

I haven't followed his work closely, but that simple moment has stuck with me. I'm sorry to hear of his passing, but glad to hear that he was truly committed to his principles (even beyond holding-the-door etiquette).
posted by anotherbrick at 4:36 PM on January 23, 2015 [8 favorites]


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posted by bryon at 10:40 PM on January 23, 2015


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posted by bunderful at 6:58 AM on January 24, 2015


His book, "The Heart of Christianity" kept me from completely abandoning the faith in which I was raised.

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posted by weathergal at 8:40 AM on January 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


The local public radio station where I live (WETS) produces a radio show/podcast called Religion for Life that had Marcus Borg on a couple of times for some pretty great interviews.

* The Evolution of the Word
* Speaking Christian
* How I Learned What Matters Most
posted by austinetsu at 10:25 AM on January 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


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posted by On the Corner at 1:31 AM on January 27, 2015


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