“Jesus died for our sins” has been understood. Among some Christians, it is seen as an essential doctrinal element in the Christian belief system. Seen this way, it becomes a doctrinal requirement: we are made right with God by believing… — Marcus J. Borg Copy Share Image
“Critical thinking is an unavoidable part of growing up. We do not become adults without it. But in the modern world, this stage often corrodes religious belief. Modern Western ways of thinking are very much shaped by the identification of truth with factuality. And generally accepted modern knowledge calls into question the factuality of much of the Bible and of… — Marcus J. Borg Copy Share
“But Christian illiteracy is only the first part of the crisis. Even more seriously, even for those who think they speak “Christian” fluently, the faith itself is often misunderstood and distorted by many to whom it is seemingly very familiar. They think they are speaking the language as it has always been understood, but what they mean by the words… — Marcus J. Borg Copy Share
“More than half described Christians as literalistic, anti-intellectual, judgmental, self-righteous, and bigoted.” — Marcus J. Borg Copy Share Image
“a worldwide flood destroyed all life on earth about five thousand years ago requires denying an immense amount of generally accepted knowledge—from astronomy, physics,… — Marcus J. Borg Copy Share Image
“In a number of workshops, I have asked people whether they have had one or more experiences that they would identify as an experience of God and, if so, to share them in small groups. On average, 80 percent of the participants identify one or more and are eager to talk about them. They also frequently report that they had… — Marcus J. Borg Copy Share
“The book of Proverbs makes the same point: Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who are kind to the needy… — Marcus J. Borg Copy Share Image
“The notion that there was one “right” way of seeing things disappeared. This was enormously liberating, even if a bit alarming. But my curiosity… — Marcus J. Borg Copy Share Image
“Its meanings include: The risen Christ journeys with us, is with us, whether we know it or not. Sometimes there are moments when we… — Marcus J. Borg Copy Share Image
“The political vision of the religious right is for the most part an individualistic politics of righteousness, not a communal politics of compassion.” — Marcus J. Borg Copy Share Image
“When we read Paul, we are reading somebody else’s mail—and unless we know the situation being addressed, his letters can be quite opaque...It is… — Marcus J. Borg Copy Share Image
“Other prophets, other messiahs, came and went in Jesus’ day. Routinely, they died violently at the hands of the pagan enemy. Their movements either… — Marcus J. Borg Copy Share Image
“Because modern critical thinking is corrosive of conventional religious beliefs, some Christians reject applying it to the Bible and Christianity. The result is fundamentalism… — Marcus J. Borg Copy Share Image
