In the 1980's a group of theologians calling themselves The Jesus Seminar gained notoriety by voting on the authenticity of sayings of Jesus in the gospels with coloured beads signifying yes, no, or maybe. It seemed sensational and attention-seeking to me, not very scholarly, and I was annoyed.
There were Jesus Seminar theologians whose work intrigued me, specifically John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg. I have heard both of them speak, Crossan in Nova Scotia and Borg in B.C. While I don't agree with their perception of Jesus. I have appreciated their scholarship, insight, and willingness to engage in respectful conversation with theologians who are more orthodox in their theology such as N.T Wright. Both have engaging and humorous styles of presentation, which helps with material which may be rather heavy sledding. When I heard Borg in a series of lectures in Victoria he began each session with a joke, and they were good.
Marcus Borg died recently at the age of 72. It says something about my advancing years that I now consider this to be young. The books by Borg which I have appreciated include: Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, The First Christmas, The Last Week, and Speaking Christian. The"First" and "Last" were co-authored with Crossan. He also participated in a published debate on key Christological concepts with Wright, the book called The Meaning of Jesus.
Marcus Borg's death is certainly a loss to the theological community, and I would encourage taking a look at some of his work.
Do any of you have experience with Borg, either through his books or DVD resources or in person? Did you find his work intriguing, troubling, heretical?
1 comment:
We had an adult study group a few years ago that looked at "The Heart of Christianity", and I read "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time" myself - I liked his perspective and was able to say, "Yes,I can buy that"
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