The Heart of Christianity

by Borg, Marcus J.

• ISBN13: 9780060730680
• ISBN10: 0060730684
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780061746598
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-02
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

About This Book

The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith

ISBN: 9780060730680

About the Book

"The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith" by Marcus J. Borg is a thought-provoking book that delves into the core principles of Christian faith. Written in an engaging and accessible style, this book challenges readers to rethink their understanding of Christianity and its relevance in today's world. Borg, a renowned Jesus scholar, argues that the essential elements of a Christian life—faith, being born again, the kingdom of God, and the gospel of love—are just as vital now as they have always been.

Who Uses It?

Primarily, this book is used by students and educators in theology and religious studies courses at the college and university levels. It is also a valuable resource for anyone interested in exploring the transformative power of Christianity, including those disillusioned with traditional church teachings and seeking a more inclusive and justice-oriented faith.

History and Editions

First published in 2004, "The Heart of Christianity" has been widely read and discussed. The book has undergone several reprints, with the most recent edition being published in 2015. This edition retains Borg's original insights while addressing contemporary issues within the Christian community.

Author and Other Works

Marcus J. Borg is a prominent author in the field of Christian studies. His other notable works include "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time" and "Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography." Borg is known for his ability to make complex theological concepts accessible and engaging for a broad audience.

Key Features

• Reconceptualizing Faith: Borg offers a fresh perspective on traditional Christian beliefs, emphasizing personal transformation and community justice.
• Engaging Storytelling: The book uses storytelling to communicate theological ideas, making it an enjoyable read for both scholars and laypeople.
• Inclusive Spirituality: Borg explores how faith can be practiced within various cultural contexts, highlighting the universal values of love and justice.

Detailed Information

ISBNs and Formats

Hardcover: ISBN-13: 9780060730680

eTextbook: ISBN-13: 9780061746598 (The ebook for "The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith" is available right here on eCampus.com!)

eTextbook: ISBN-13: 9780061746604 (The ebook for "The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith" is available right here on eCampus.com!)

Loose-leaf: Not available

Rental Options: Available through eCampus.com with various rental durations

Publication Details

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: July 21, 2015

Number of Pages: 256

Language: English

Item Weight: Not specified

Dimensions: 5.31 x 8.00 x 0.58 inches

Other Editions and Formats

First Edition (2004): Available through eCampus.com

Related ISBNs:

9780061746598

9780061746604

Rental Options are available through eCampus.com with various rental durations.

Author Biography

Marcus J. Borg is Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture at Oregon State University

Table of Contents

Preface: What Does It Mean to Be Christian Today?
The Heart of Christianity in a Time of Change	p. 1
Faith: The Way of the Heart	p. 25
The Bible: The Heart of the Tradition	p. 43
God: The Heart of Reality	p. 61
Jesus: The Heart of God	p. 80
Born Again: A New Heart	p. 103
The Kingdom of God: The Heart of Justice	p. 126
Thin Places: Opening the Heart	p. 149
Sin and Salvation: Transforming the Heart	p. 164
The Heart of the Matter: Practice	p. 187
Heart and Home: Being Christian in an Age of Pluralism	p. 207
Index	p. 227
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

The Heart of Christianity
Rediscovering a Life of Faith

Chapter One

The Heart of Christianity
in a Time of Change

What is the "heart" of Christianity? What is most central to Christianity and to being Christian?

The question arises in each new period of Christian history. It isespecially important in our time. A new way of seeing Christianityand what it means to be Christian is emerging in the church in NorthAmerica. Because this vision of Christianity is quite different fromthe dominant way of seeing Christianity over the past few hundredyears, our time is also a time of con flict. In our context of change andcon flict, what is Christianity's "heart"?

Like all good metaphors, heart has more than one nuance of meaning. To begin with, it suggests what is most central. What is the coreof Christianity, the "heart of the matter"? What is the essence ofChristianity and the Christian life?

If "core" and "essence" suggest something too abstract,too lifeless, heart is also an organic metaphor, suggesting something alive, pulsating, the source of life. What is the heart, the animating source or driving force, of Christianity without which it would cease to live?

Furthermore, as in the phrase "head and heart," heart suggestssomething deeper than the intellect and the world of ideas. What is itabout Christianity that is deeper than any particular set of Christianideas and beliefs? And what is it about Christianity that reaches us at our "heart" level -- at a level of ourselves deeper than the intellect?The heart, this deeper level of the self, is the "place" of transformation. What is it about Christianity that gives it power to transformpeople at the "heart" level?

A Time of Change and Conflict

Christians in North America today are deeply divided about the heartof Christianity. We live in a time of major conflict in the church. Millions of Christians are embracing an emerging way of seeingChristianity's heart. Millions of other Christians continue to embracean earlier vision of Christianity, often insistently defending it as "traditional" Christianity and as the only legitimate way of being Christian.

I have struggled with what to call these two ways of beingChristian and have settled on the "earlier" and "emerging" ways ofbeing Christian. What I mean by these terms will become clear in thischapter.

The familiar labels of "conservative" and "liberal" do not work verywell, because both are imprecise. "Conservative" covers a spectrumranging from Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson to C.S. Lewis to (perhaps) Karl Barth. The latter two would find the first two to be strangebedfellows. "Liberal" can be applied to a range of Christians fromthose with a strong sense of the reality of God and a deep commitment to the Christian tradition to advocates of a nontheistic Christianity for whom "tradition" is a negative term. Thus "conservative"and "liberal" don't tell us very much.

Moreover, there is much about the emerging way of beingChristian that is conservative and traditional:it conserves the tradition by recovering it and envisioning it afresh. And there is muchabout the earlier way of being Christian that is innovative: its mostdistinctive features are largely the product of the last few hundredyears. Indeed, both are modern products, as we shall see later in thischapter. Neither can claim to be the Christian tradition. Both are waysof seeing the tradition.

The differences between the earlier and emerging ways of seeingChristianity and being Christian involve specific conflicts as well asmore foundational issues. These include how to see the Bible, God, Jesus, faith, and the Christian life.

To begin with, examples of specific issues that divide the contemporary church:

• Ordination of women: The earlier way of being Christiandid not ordain women, and in many circles still does not. Theemerging way does. Within mainline Protestant churches, the number of women clergy (including bishops) is rapidlyincreasing. Indeed, in many mainline seminaries, half ormore of the students are women.
• Gays and lesbians:The earlier form of Christianity continues to regard homosexual behavior as sinful. Within it, the only options for homosexual Christians are celibacy orconversion to heterosexuality. For the emerging form ofChristianity, the question of whether sexually active gaysand lesbians can be Christians is mostly settled. The debatenow is whether gays and lesbians in committed relationshipscan be married (or the equivalent) and whether they can beordained as clergy, a debate virtually unimaginable a fewdecades ago.
• Christian exclusivism: Is there only one true religion, onepath to salvation? Or are there several true religions, severalpaths to salvation? The earlier way of being Christian was(and is) confident that Christianity is the "only way." Nowthat is beginning to change. In a poll taken in 2002 in theUnited States, only 17 percent of the respondents af firmedthe statement, "My religion is the only true religion." Mostof these are in churches that af firm the earlier way of beingChristian. But 78 percent did not, and this is typical of theemerging form of Christianity.

Beneath these specific differences is conflict about more foundational matters, including especially how to see the Bible and itsauthority. For the earlier way of being Christian, the Bible is seenas the revealed will of God, as "God's truth," and thus as absoluteand unchangeable. The changes listed above challenge passages inthe Bible that (1)teach the subordination of women and forbidthem to have authority over men, (2)declare homosexual behaviorto be sinful, and (3)proclaim Jesus as the only way to salvation. Toregard these passages as not expressing God's will for all timeimplies a very different understanding of the Bible's authority andinterpretation.

Here too there is statistical evidence of significant change ...

The Heart of Christianity
Rediscovering a Life of Faith. Copyright © by Marcus J. Borg. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

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Excerpted from The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith by Marcus J. Borg
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