Wed - September 28, 2005

Book Review: The Heart of Christianity (Marcus Borg), reviewed by Paul Hinson


The Heart of Christianity, Marcus Borg, Harper & Row, 2003.
A Book Review by Paul Hinson

What does it mean to define oneself as a “Christian?” Does being a Christian require assent to a particular set of beliefs or doctrines? Is it a way of living characterized by certain behaviors? Is it doing certain things in this life as a reward for some future life or reward after death? Does being a Christian require a particular way of reading or understanding the Bible? And exactly how do we characterize God – is God a being “up there” somewhere, or is God among us, infused throughout creation yet distinct from creation?

In “The Heart of Christianity” Marcus Borg addresses these issues mostly for the benefit of the vast numbers of people who find themselves disaffected with Christianity. These individuals were likely raised in one of the various flavors of Christianity community, but seem to be unable to align their present day knowledge and sensibilities with what they believe to be traditional Christian belief and doctrine. Among these Christians disaffected with traditional belief and doctrine you might even find many of us who are highly active in mainline churches today.

In this highly readable book, “Jesus Seminar” scholar Marcus Borg explores what it means to be a Christian. “The Heart of Christianity” seems to have little to do with Borg’s “historical Jesus” research for which he is widely known in scholarly circles, but rather is much more lay-oriented and broad in its vision and scope.


In the opening chapters of “The Heart of Christianity” Borg distinguishes between what he refers to as the “emerging” and “traditional” paradigms of Christianity, and this distinction provides the focus for the remainder of the book. The emerging paradigm seems to emphasize grace, mystery, inclusion, and envisions a God whose primary action in history is to seek a relationship of unconditional love with us, while the traditional paradigm seems to emphasize belief, doctrine and envisions God as a god of divine authority with the authority and will to offer God’s love as well as God’s punishment. Borg’s “emerging paradigm” seeks an understanding of scripture as a human product, not a divine product, yet this understanding, in Borg’s estimation, in no way diminishes scripture. Borg proposes an understanding of the Bible as a culturally conditioned historical product and sacred scripture and asserts that such an understanding can open up scripture. In this way, certain stories of scripture taken on a more expansive meaning when understood in a historic context and then applied metaphorically to our own lives. Many disaffected Christians who have dropped away from the Church have difficulty in understanding any meaning that can be mined from scripture because they’ve been led to believe that scripture is to always be read proscriptively. Much of scripture simply can’t be read proscriptively and make sense. Borg claims furthermore that whether the events described in a certain text actually happened in a historical past is beside the point; the point, rather is to understand what the text meant in the context in which it was written, and what it might mean for us. To focus on - or argue over - whether an event happened becomes a red herring which could possibly result in our missing the meaning of the text. We simply never arrive at a significant discussion of what the event means because we’re stuck discussing whether it could have happened, did happen, had to have happened, etc. And some of us believe others when they tell us we aren’t entitled to the meaning if we don’t assent to an event’s historical occurrence, so we never discuss either.

Many of the ideas explored from the perspective of the emerging paradigm are revolutionary I suspect only to lay people. While clergy may have been exposed to many of the ideas of the emerging paradigm, my guess is that large segments of the church’s lay community are reluctant to embrace some of the ideas associated with the emerging paradigm. Robert Farrar Capon has observed when faced with idea of universalism and a God who eternally offers reconciliation to all human life, many churchgoers will insist on having their hell, and they want it to be the same hell that their mama believed in, and their mama’s mama. The point Borg makes is that he doesn’t seek eradication of the traditional paradigm but seeks only to enlarge and enliven the universe of possibilities.

Borg also explores at length how we discern the character of God, and how that discernment of the character of God shapes how each of us comes to our own understanding of what a Godly life or a life in Christ means for us. As you might expect, Borg embraces a radical understanding of the social gospel of Jesus’ life and ministry. The Kingdom of God becomes a metaphor for what this eternal life we find ourselves in the midst of could be if that life were lived with Jesus’ utter compassion for humankind. However its also clear that Borg believes Jesus’ life reaches beyond the social gospel. Jesus is offered as a sacrament to us, as a revelation of the depth of God’s love for us, and as a revelation of the way of spiritual transformation to which we’re called. Borg doesn’t shy away from the political implications of Jesus’ ministry with regard to the world’s social and economic structures but he also doesn’t become righteously indignant over humankind’s failure to live up to our calling.

Above all, Borg offers a different understanding of the heart of Christianity and seeks to move us away from a one-dimensional and rigidly doctrinal assent to factual statements about the revelation of God through Christ into a relationship with God leading to personal transformation. We are invited to see faith as a radical trust in the faithfulness of God, rather than a belief in certain assertions.

Borg has taken great pains to be generous with regard to his analysis of the traditional paradigm (particularly since as he acknowledges, he is himself a product of the traditional paradigm and there are many aspects of the traditional paradigm which continue to serve him well). Borg’s rather nonjudgmental presentation lays out possible perspectives and seeks to stimulate readers to develop their own opinions. Nevertheless, some readers will be tempted to see Borg’s message as critical of the “traditional paradigm” and as one advocating the “emerging paradigm.” To summarize the book in such a dualistic way misses the point of the book altogether. This is a book that manages be both accessible and intelligent, passionate and compassionate all at the same time. It was a revelation for me and I heartily recommend it.

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