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Summary: Jesus is Lord
Review: Marcus Borg is on the vanguard of a new surge in Jesus Scholarship. With the fairly recent discoveries of Apocryphal books, like the Gospel of Thomas, scholars have been able to form a much clearer sketch of the historical Jesus, making Him much more approachable. Borg's image of Jesus is one liberated from the bastardization of orthodox Christianity, emerging as two figures, the spiritual teacher of history, and the supernatural experience of the later Christian church. His core teaching was that of compassion and inclusion, what Borg calls an alternative wisdom, which stood in opposition to the corrupt conventional wisdom of his spiritual contemporaries. Jesus' wisdom was based on loving acceptance and not the intolerant purity system of Judaism as he knew it. Borg astutely observes that the Christianity of our own day has fallen away from Jesus' true message, and has adopted its own purity system in the form of its morbid preoccupation with human venality and sin. On that note, Mr. Borg grants Christians an opportunity to see how disenfranchised we are in being denied knowledge of the true compassion and humanity of Jesus of Nazareth.
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Summary: Building blocks of the Bible>
Review: Marcus Borg makes a major contribution to biblical scholarship by analyzing the starting point of the christian movement. Much of blind blief has been created by reglious leaders who want to control and manipulate human beings by fear. They sight Bible passages and creeds to conform to their own inadequacy about their lives. They act like the Bible fell out of the sky in its present form. Marcus Borg takes us on a journey of discovery that presents insight into the origins of how Jesus and his movement came into being within Judiasm without the distortions and projections of later christian writers. This book is about returning to the roots of christanity by cutting through the incrustations of theological doctrines that distort the Bible's true story theology.
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Summary: The only thing that counts...
Review: Before I read this book, I had been "searching" for Jesus. About a year ago, I decided that I could no longer accept the Jesus that conservative Christianity preaches about. I had slowly begun to realize that the literalistic Jesus was no longer worth my time or devotion. I secretly wondered if I could still be a Christian without blindly assenting to impossible tales attributed to Jesus, especially myths like the "virgin birth." It suffices to say that I still had many questions about the man we call Lord, Savior, and Christ. Was he God? Was he the Son of God? If so, could he defy physics by resuscitating his own body? Did he really die for my sins? Borg's answers to these questions changed my faith forever. Borg is a participant in the Jesus Seminar, a group of theologians who have tried to determine what words and actions attributed to Jesus are authentic. Their conclusions are fascinating. They've concluded that a bulk of what is recorded by the authors of the Christian Scriptures are not the words or actions of Jesus at all. According to Borg, ". . . the gospels are the church's memories of the historical Jesus transformed by the community's experience and reflection in the decades after Easter. They therefore tell us what these early Christian communities had come to believe about Jesus by the last third of the first century. They are not, first and foremost, reports of the ministry itself." Since the Gospels were actually written about 60-90 years after Jesus' death, that leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Borg interprets Jesus in four different parts. He was a spirit person, a teacher of wisdom, a social prophet, and a movement founder. But most of all, he was supernaturally aware of God's love for us and gave us the abundant gift of grace! It doesn't matter what creeds or doctrines that I agree with. I hardly agree with every proposition that Borg sets forth, but that's not what matters at all. The only thing that counts is grace: the free gift that Jesus offered to us. What refreshing news! Beyond the mythical framework of Biblical literalism, I found a Christ far greater than the one that I'd known in the past. This Christ is one that relies not in working physical miracles to spread his message, but by working miracles with his almighty ability to give us the love that comes from God. I don't call Jesus my "Savior" because he was supposedly born of a virgin and was nailed to a cross. I call him my Savior because his ability to love - perfectly - set him apart from any other human that ever lived. Finally, a Jesus that is worth our adoration! I highly recommend Borg's book to anyone who is on a search for the living Jesus, because when you meet this Jesus, "the Jesus who comes to us even now," it will be like meeting Jesus again . . . for the first time. (Also recommended: "This Hebrew Lord," John Shelby Spong)
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Summary: About Jesus
Review: I think that in writing this book, Borg set out to make people think about and question their image of Jesus and the Christian life, and hopefully as a result grow into a more enriching relationship with Christ. Borg did a superb job in fulfilling this purpose. I will say that I do not think it is appropriate to criticize the book because the author did not provide convincing evidence to support his positions. Borg makes his arguments clearly and logically. Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time is short and straightforward enough to reach and interest the "average" Christian and motivate him or her to ask the right questions about the Christian faith. I hope that this book will be only the beginning of one's renewed quest for truth. Borg begins by describing his own journey and the images of Jesus and the faith that he held at different ages. I think that the images of Jesus he grew up with did not speak to what he experienced as real life. Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time should be a must-read for Christians who feel that their faith has dried out, and for people in the church who wish to reach them. The second chapter, "What Matter of Man" is a chapter that gets into Jesus' childhood, early adulthood and when he was an adult. The second chapter was a chapter about who Jesus really was. Jesus was a Jew and he was very deep into it. His parents were Jews and they were Mary and Joseph. Jesus came out to be King of the Jews at the end when he was an adult. "The Jews did not reject Jesus."(22) The second chapter came to tell a lot about the life of Jesus Christ. I had learned about Jesus' birth and his adulthood and I learned about his miracles that he preformed throughout life. I thought that the second chapter had a lot to say because it told about what happened throughout Jesus' life. The third chapter, "Jesus, Compassion, and Politics" is a chapter that comes out to say about his sayings and what happened during his life in adulthood. This chapter talks about the meaning of compassion and what Jesus did with the Purity System. This chapter talks about the purity system of the Jewish Social World. The purity system kept the Jewish Social World pure and clean. It also put up boundaries between pure and impure things. Jesus attacked the purity system because he thought that the system should not be there. I thought that this chapter has a lot of information that other people can gain from. I think that if others want to know what Jesus went through in his life, they should read this chapter. The fourth chapter, "Jesus and Wisdom" talks about the wisdom of Jesus. Wisdom is an important concept of the New Testament when it talks about Jesus. This chapter tells about what Jesus taught and the parables that he did in his life. The parables were told in a certain way and they were used in an invitation form of speech. Jesus used the parables to invite his friends and hearers to observe things that he did. This chapter told a lot about the parables that Jesus performed and it told about the wisdom that he taught. The fifth chapter, "Jesus, the Wisdom of God" is a chapter that comes to talks about the gospels and the wisdom of God. The three synoptic gospels and the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. When the book talks about the synoptic gospels, it says that Jesus said that god was the Sophia of God and Jesus also referred to himself as the child of Sophia. Paul, who is next to Jesus, is one of the most important people in the history of early Christianity. The last chapter, "Images of Jesus and Images of the Christian Life" is especially powerful. In my opinion, a full Christian understanding of Jesus is incomplete without coming to terms with the cross and the resurrection, and Borg does not disappoint his readers. The last chapter challenged me to a new understanding of the death and resurrection of Jesus, in the light of the whole message of the Bible, or what Borg calls the three "Macro Stories" of the Exodus, the Exile, and the Priestly Tradition. This message made the death and resurrection much more relevant to my faith. I don't know what others think of this book but I thought that it was great. I told much about what happened from the birth of Jesus until the end of his life. As I said at the beginning, this book is very straightforward and it tells about what Borg says about Jesus and what happened throughout Jesus' life.
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Summary: Borg is anti-Christian
Review: Upon the discovery that Marcus Borg, the author of this book, is a member of the Jesus Seminars, it became crystal clear that he, along with the other members of his group have a single goal in mind; to discredit Jesus and Christianity - all in the guise of "intellectual honesty". Seductive, isn't it? Sorry. The Jesus Seminars, long known for its proclivity for finding evidence that Jesus really was NOT Divine (where none such anti-Jesus evidence exists), has long been discredited by serious and devout Christians as just another attempt to spread anti-Christian material cloaked in pro-religiosity. Appealing to the mushy minds of agnostics, atheists and anti-Christians, Borg decries adherence to fundamental Christian thought and bemoans the pro-Jesus movement sweeping the world at the rate of +200,000 converts daily. Anything to stop the torrent of new Believers will do. Even more faux intellectualism designed to cover his unstated design: Discredit, but not TOO STRONGLY, the message of Jesus and His Divinity. The devil isn't called the Great Deceiver for nothing.
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Summary: "Why hasn't anybody told us this?"
Review: In working through this book with people at my church they asked, "If they teach these things in seminary, why hasn't anybody told us this before?" They were pleased to find someone who had stuggled with questions they had. At times we may think our questions about Jesus, who he was, what he really did and said, are odd and unfaithful. But here is a writer who struggles with these questions not as a sceptic, but as a person of faith. It is refreshing and can help people discover that faith does not exist outside of doubt, but side by side with it and as they play, we can come closer to God.
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Summary: Aye, Nice to meet yah, Jesus!!
Review: The message which Borg conveys is vital to the spiritual well-being of humanity. He begins by sharing his own life experience from youth with religion. He starts to identify the images that have been constructed of Jesus. In the West, we are at a very young age taught about the fidiestic, eternal-life granting, Son of God Jesus. Unfortunately, the bulk of Average Joes either cling onto this image until the grave or abandon all forms of religion completely by finding this Jesus distasteful. What I liked most was that Borg identified Christ as a "spirit person" (a mystic, sage, what have you) and talked about mystical experiences rather than doctrine. He was someone intimately in touch with God (like a Son) and pure of heart, an incarnation of the Logos, united with Spirit. (He also analyzes Christ's position as "sophia", or wisdom) Also, all cultures have had their own similar spirit persons which call for a renewal from the Conventional Wisdom, unlike the many theologians who view Jesus as the only person to have ever known God truly. And Borg is in a sense doing the same thing, calling us to shed off the "conventional wisdom" implanted in us by our authority or church figures at child hood of Jesus, and shows us the real nature of things. Not only this, but uses the fruits of historical jesus scholarship to make a renewed image of Jesus as who he really was. Does this mean that the "pre-Easter" Jesus is ultimately more important than the "post?" Not at all. But what he was about was a relationship with the Pre-Easter risen Lord, not just a theological model constructed from literal hermeneutics and limited to its own self. So Borg has the qualities of a mystic, and not just a theologian. And this call to a unification with God, and not the authority of religious officials, is a jump from second-hand to first-hand religion. And in his conclusion he tells us that this is what it means to meet Jesus again for the first time...that jump. Personally, I've already opened my horizons and detached from the modern theology models of mainstream Christians, however this book may serve as an eye opener to some who are still trapped. Though, I feel, that those who refuse to change will find this work disturbing, and maybe to even a slim few heretical. For example Borg feels that homosexuality is not sinful, and to mention another admits that the Gospel's birth narratives may not represent historicity. But this fixation on biblical fundamentalism is just what needs to be shed of for Oneness and Unity, a relationship with God and with others.
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Summary: A Wake Up Call to Christians
Review: First let me say, I think it is appropriate to evaluate this book on the basis of how much it made me think, not on whether I agree with the author. I think that in writing this book, Borg set out to make people think about and question their image of Jesus and the Christian life, and hopefully as a result grow into a more enriching relationship with Christ. Borg did a superb job in fulfilling this purpose. I am a Christian, and this book really helped me understand Jesus and how I might better relate to Him. Second, I will say that I don't think it is appropriate to criticize the book because the author did not provide convincing evidence to support his positions. That could not have been accomplished in 150 pages. Borg takes positions that differ from the orthodox dogmas of Christianity today, such as his argument that Jesus did not understand himself as the Messiah, or as God. Borg makes his arguments clearly and logically, and if the reader wants to see the evidence to back it up, I suggest reading other books by Borg and other fellows of the Jesus Seminar. Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time is short, straightforward, and non-academic enough to reach and interest the "average" Christian and motivate him or her to ask the right questions about the Christian faith. Hopefully, this book will be only the beginning of one's renewed quest for truth. Borg begins by describing his own journey and the images of Jesus and the faith that he held at different ages. Many, including myself can relate to him. Like many, Borg went through a stage in which his Christianity was stale and irrelevant. The reason Borg gives, which I think accounts for back-slidings among many believers, is that the images of Jesus he grew up with did not speak to what he experienced as real life. I think that the faith of many ends up in this valley of dry bones, and unfortunately, the bones never live again. The church is trying vainly to reach these people. These dry-bones Christians try vainly to find revitalization of life and faith in the tired religion of their childhood, and some find revitalization in alternative belief systems. Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time should be a must-read for Christians who feel that their faith has dried out, and for people in the church who wish to reach them. The last chapter, "Images of Jesus and Images of the Christian Life" is especially powerful. In my opinion, a full Christian understanding of Jesus is incomplete without coming to terms with the cross and the resurrection, and Borg does not disappoint his readers. The last chapter challenged me to a new understanding of the death and resurrection of Jesus, in the light of the whole message of the Bible, or what Borg calls the three "Macro Stories" of the Exodus, the Exile, and the Priestly Tradition. This message made the death and resurrection much more relevant to my faith. I am so excited about this book, that I will recommend it to friends and family, lend my copy to others, and give the book as gifts. It is without a doubt, a refreshing call to revitalize our understanding of Jesus and the Christian faith.
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Summary: A new faith - for after the shipwreck!
Review: Conservative and evangelical Christians often attack the audacity and impiety of the Jesus Seminar. Just imagine - a collection of scholars proposing to vote on the authenticity of the New Testament record of Jesus life and words! As one once anchored in contemporary fundamentalism, I find it easy to understand this offense. Borg challenges this reaction. He writes with a sensitivity, honesty and spirituality that is much to be admired. Like so many others, he found traditional and conservative beliefs about Jesus unsatisfying in early adulthood. His personal hold on traditional Christian beliefs waned as he embraced a modern worldview and liberal religious scholarship. He became a closet agnostic, then a closet atheist. Yet, Borg was somehow drawn to always keep searching. This book is a record of his search; a moving description of Truth as Borg has found it; a very personal answer to the question, "Who is this Jesus?" His essential premise involves the importance, even primacy, of our personal image of Jesus. Is Jesus the savior who requires faith? Or, is Jesus a great teacher of moral ideals? Borg rejects both in chapter one. Borg imagines Jesus as one to whom spirit, and the experience of spirit, was foundational. Accordingly, Borg does not understand the Christian life to be "about believing or about being good .... It is about a relationship with God that involves us in a journey of transformation." Reconstructing the pre-Easter life of Jesus with historical criticism, Borg explains that Jesus was a spirit person (chapter two), a social prophet and movement founder (chapter three), and a teacher of wisdom (chapter four). In these chapters he does not heed the consensus opinion of the Jesus Seminar, but provides his personal conclusions with sensitivity to their implications for the Church and Christian life. The concluding chapters (five and six) deal with the metaphorical use of language in Christology and the macro-stories of Scripture as imaginal material for contemporary living of the meaning of Scripture. In 1 Timothy 1:18-19, two are mentioned by name, Hymenaeous and Alexander. Their faith had become a "shipwreck" (KJV). Today their name is legion. I recommend this book for anyone who feels the water leaking in. There is more to the experience of God than conformity to denominational patterns and the exaltation of obedience. Let Borg point the way for you, too.
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Summary: I pray that Mr. Borg's search continues
Review: Recently, I had an acquaintance recommend this book to me. Let me preface my review by reminding the reader that books about the "historical Jesus" tell more about the author than the subject...now about this book... I have never been a fan of any of the Jesus Seminar authors I have read. They seem to lack Critical thinking skills as well as academic honesty. I have found those I have read to be embittered with their experiences of religion and lacking in a relationship with Jesus. However, I like the acquaintance who recommended this book, so I read it. Some impressions: Mr. Borg does not seem as embittered as some of his colleagues. He seems to have genuinely sought for Jesus. Mr. Borg Needs to keep seeking (and he will find). Mr. Borg bases much of his unbelief on his inability to believe in the supernatural. The very question that brought Mr. Borg into questioning his faith (How can God be in Heaven and everywhere at the same time?) shows this tendency. This problem with believing in the supernatural, combined with his swallowing (hook, line, and sinker) of nineteenth and twentieth century liberal biblical criticism (largely disproved), causes him to often step into some unsupportable (and heretical) territory when it comes to what he does believe in. Mr. Borg takes the Jesus Seminar party line by denying the virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death, and bodily resurrection of Jesus. He even throws in some extra new-agish "Jesus was really in tune with the spirit world" voodoo-hoodoo for those who choose to believe in something. The only kind of belief I can see coming form the kind of religion (and that's all it would be-a man-made religion-not a daily relationship with our loving God). Mr. Borg espouses, is one characterized by a lukewarm devotion concerned with moral living. Even if you buy Mr. Borg's picture of who Jesus was, at least listen to Jesus' (the cynic-sage spirit dude as Borg would have it) words. Jesus said this to the church in Laodicea: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth." (Revelation 3:15-16)If you ask me, these words of Jesus the Savior give great impetus for the rejecting Mr. Borg's version of Jesus. Mr. Borg continually places words in the mouth and thoughts in the mind of early Christians. I wonder what they would say if they could describe the thoughts contained in Mr. Borg's book. I scrounged around and found two early descriptions of ancient heretics. I think they fit nicely in describing the work of the Jesus Seminar in general and this book in particular: Basil of Caesarea described heretics as "Men who were altogether broken off and alienated in matters relating to the actual faith." Hippolytus said that "They seek not for what the sacred scriptures declare, but laboriously set themselves to find a form of syllogism which may support their godlessness." I think Mr. Borg does not fit this description completely; although I think much of his work does. I cannot recommend this book. I pray that Mr. Borg's search for Jesus continues.
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