Hoss,
The title of the Borg-Wright book is _The Meaning of Jesus: Two
Visions_. I have also heard Borg speak; on one occasion it was on a panel
discussion at the AAR with Borg, Dominick Crossen and other Jesus scholars.
The friendship between the two was evident.
My wife lent our copy of _Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time_ to her
office mate, a Southern Baptist minister. His response was "Thanks for a
very enlightening read." Let me close with the concluding paragraphs of
this books.
"But now I see that believing in Jesus can (and does) mean something
very different from [my childhood notion that the phrase means 'believing
things about Jesus']. The change is pointed to by the root meaning of the
word *believe*.*Believe* did not originally mean believing a set of
doctrines or teachings; in both Greek and Latin its root means 'to give
one's heart to.' The 'heart' is the self at its deepest level. *Believing*,
therefore, does not mean giving one's mental assent to something, but
involves a much deeper level of one's self. Believing in Jesus does not
mean believing doctrine's about him. Rather, it means to give one's self at
its deepest level, to the post-Easter Jesus who is the living Lord, the side
of God turned toward us, the face of God, the Lord who is also the Spirit.
"Believing in Jesus in the sense of giving one's heart to Jesus is the
movement from second-hand religion to first-hand religion, from having heard
about Jesus with the hearing of the ear to being in relationship with the
Spirit of Christ. For ultimately, Jesus is not simply a figure of the past,
but a figure of the present. Meeting that Jesus--the living Jesus who comes
to us even now--will be like meeting Jesus again for the first time."
Bob Schneider
rjschn39@bellsouth.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hoss Radbourne" <hoss_radbourne@hotmail.com>
To: <ateo@whitworth.edu>; <asa@calvin.edu>
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2002 6:12 PM
Subject: RE: Marcus Borg
> Adrian wrote: "I read Borg's Jesus: A New Vision years ago, and was
troubled
> deeply by his assertions. He made little sense to me. What is so
impressive
> about Borg anyway?"
>
> First of all, I find Borg stimulating; he makes me think deeply about some
> things I had been taking all too much for granted.
>
> Secondly, I do not agree with some of his claims, but in deciding that I
did
> not, I had to think through my reasons for rejecting one or more of his
> arguments.
>
> Thirdly, I am interested in why you would be "troubled deeply" by anything
> he writes. He is simply presenting his own POV, different from the
> conventional many of us, including Borg himself, grew up with.
>
> My own inclination has been , for many years, to concentrate on reading
> authors with whom I am in tension -- with whom I do not agree. I can learn
> from this activity. I even read "Acts & Facts" from ICR on a regular
basis!
> And Gould, Sagan and Dawkins.
>
> Let me recommend to you the book Borg co-wrote with a conservative
> Christian, Ned Wright. It is a fascinating dialog on two very different
> views, written by two persons who respect each other. Not at home right
now
> -- so I don't recall the title -- sorry.
>
> O did hear Borg preach on one occasion. The gospel message was evident.
>
> Hoss
>
>
>
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