In Honor of Marcus Borg
I recently learned that Marcus Borg passed away at the end of January. You may not know who that is, but over the last 10 years I have found him to be a teacher and author who has greatly influenced my own thinking. Borg, perhaps best known as a member of the Jesus Seminar, was a prolific writer and scholar. His books have sold in the millions.
I have several of his books on my shelves in the office. Two in particular stand out. The first is his book entitled Jesus, which was published in 2006. I find it particularly insightful as a hermeneutic for considering Jesus in relation to the power structure that was the Roman Empire. It isn't the end-all book on Jesus, none of them ever are. But it provides a sober examination and depiction of Jesus that I find quite compelling.
Borg's book Jesus seems to be written for people for whom the early stages of faith have passed (for more on that, I would encourage you to read James Fowler's classic Stages of Faith), yet do not wish to abandon the faith simply because it has been demythologized. Instead, Borg sought to offer a depiction of Jesus who is not bound by the creeds, but rather is a demonstration of what 'incarnation' means. It is also a book that clearly details the sharp divide between Jesus and the 'religious leaders' without being a book pitting Jesus against "the Jews." Instead, it is Jesus who speaks to, for, and with the people against systems of oppression in whatever form they exist - political, social, or religious. The book also clearly demonstrates that Jesus was no man of violence - something important to cling to in a time of growing fundamental extremism.
The second book I would lift up is The Last Week written with John Dominic Crossan and also published in 2006 (I think it actually came out before the book Jesus). If you read it in conjunction with the book Jesus you will hear quite a bit of overlap. Probably no coincidence. But The Last Week is profound for me as a pastor because it doesn't seek to be a scholarly work, but a short narrative on the last week of Jesus (what is now considered Holy Week in the Christian faith) based on the account of the Gospel of Mark. I have to admit that this book truly and profoundly re-shaped how I thought of the celebration of Palm Sunday and the message Jesus communicated through those powerful actions of non-violence.
I had the pleasure of hearing him lecture on two separate occasions and found that no matter how profound or jarring his statements, he delivered them in such a calm, disarming manner that whatever it was he would say would take root far more quickly than if it had been proclaimed with a demanding, overzealous tone. There was a gentleness in his speech and, I believe, a genuine concern to proclaim his learned observations in an effort to truly push Christians to reconsider what, why, and how they believe what they do. If nothing else, he certainly challenged and encouraged me to do just that.
Though I am reluctant to utilize particular terms with regards to myself and my point of views, I do feel that I have moved into the realm of "progressive" Christian largely due to the writings of Marcus Borg. In this day and age of increasingly polarized rhetoric, a voice for compassionate and clear-headed thinking has been lost. Yet the legacy of his works and his conclusions fall to persons such as myself (and persons far more able) to carry forward the vision of a Jesus that mattered and still matters to the world. I hope to undertake that task to the best of my ability.
In honor of Marcus J. Borg: 1942-2015
I have several of his books on my shelves in the office. Two in particular stand out. The first is his book entitled Jesus, which was published in 2006. I find it particularly insightful as a hermeneutic for considering Jesus in relation to the power structure that was the Roman Empire. It isn't the end-all book on Jesus, none of them ever are. But it provides a sober examination and depiction of Jesus that I find quite compelling.
Borg's book Jesus seems to be written for people for whom the early stages of faith have passed (for more on that, I would encourage you to read James Fowler's classic Stages of Faith), yet do not wish to abandon the faith simply because it has been demythologized. Instead, Borg sought to offer a depiction of Jesus who is not bound by the creeds, but rather is a demonstration of what 'incarnation' means. It is also a book that clearly details the sharp divide between Jesus and the 'religious leaders' without being a book pitting Jesus against "the Jews." Instead, it is Jesus who speaks to, for, and with the people against systems of oppression in whatever form they exist - political, social, or religious. The book also clearly demonstrates that Jesus was no man of violence - something important to cling to in a time of growing fundamental extremism.
The second book I would lift up is The Last Week written with John Dominic Crossan and also published in 2006 (I think it actually came out before the book Jesus). If you read it in conjunction with the book Jesus you will hear quite a bit of overlap. Probably no coincidence. But The Last Week is profound for me as a pastor because it doesn't seek to be a scholarly work, but a short narrative on the last week of Jesus (what is now considered Holy Week in the Christian faith) based on the account of the Gospel of Mark. I have to admit that this book truly and profoundly re-shaped how I thought of the celebration of Palm Sunday and the message Jesus communicated through those powerful actions of non-violence.
I had the pleasure of hearing him lecture on two separate occasions and found that no matter how profound or jarring his statements, he delivered them in such a calm, disarming manner that whatever it was he would say would take root far more quickly than if it had been proclaimed with a demanding, overzealous tone. There was a gentleness in his speech and, I believe, a genuine concern to proclaim his learned observations in an effort to truly push Christians to reconsider what, why, and how they believe what they do. If nothing else, he certainly challenged and encouraged me to do just that.
Though I am reluctant to utilize particular terms with regards to myself and my point of views, I do feel that I have moved into the realm of "progressive" Christian largely due to the writings of Marcus Borg. In this day and age of increasingly polarized rhetoric, a voice for compassionate and clear-headed thinking has been lost. Yet the legacy of his works and his conclusions fall to persons such as myself (and persons far more able) to carry forward the vision of a Jesus that mattered and still matters to the world. I hope to undertake that task to the best of my ability.
In honor of Marcus J. Borg: 1942-2015
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