Speaking Christian audiobook

What is meant by our Christian language? How do we understand words like “redemption”? Borg reflects on the difference in meaning between liberal and conservative Christian thinking, even though the language is identical. Borg is quite liberal, and he refuses to turn the meaning of words that are special and meaningful to him over to a Christianity that he feels has strayed from the original, radical, this-worldly message of the first Christians.Early Christianity was not focused on heaven or hell. An emphasis on the afterlife has turned Christianity away from its roots, and consequently, many of the concepts of the Bible have been modernized. A lot of the meanings of words we use as Christians differ so severely from person to person that it renders some of us speechless. We simply don’t know how to say what we mean. At least in America, when liberal Christians speak of faith, resurrection, even God, the conservative interpretation is so popular that we often can’t be understood. The problem words are numerous. Saved. Born again. Mercy. Sin. Belief. (Borg suggests that a proper synonym for "believing" is “beloving.”) I've struggled mightily with this problem on various online forums, to the point where it's tempting to simply give up on "speaking Christian." This makes Borg’s book especially timely for me. So serious is the problem that some have concluded that Christian language is beyond redemption and needs to be replaced by language that actually communicates what we want to communicate. But Borg encourages us to hang in there. If we avoid the language of our faith because of uncertainty about what it means, we grant a monopoly on it to those who are most certain about its meaning. That would be unfortunate, for the language is extraordinarily rich, wise, and transformative. Moreover, if we neglect or reject biblical and Christian language because of its common current-day meanings, a serious question arises: Can we be Christian without using the language of Christianity? Borg says no. To abandon the language of Christianity would mean leaving behind something that has been profoundly nourishing. Religions are like language. Ceasing to speak French would mean no longer being French. Being Christian means "speaking Christian."

This is a very nice exposition of the Progressive Christian worldview to which I am finding myself increasingly drawn. Borg argues for a Christianity that moves away from the Heaven/Hell Punishment/Reward structure that dominates most Christian Theology. This approach has always resonated with me (I blogged about it several months ago )http://www.faithwithinreason.com/?p=32 Borg's approach equates salvation with transformation of the individual and society in the here and now rather than defering to the afterlife. He advocates an Historical / Metaphorical approach to interpreting the New Testament and in fact all scripture. The idea is to look at the context in which the text under consideration was written and ask what it would have meant to its original audience and then build on that to determine what it can mean for us today in our social context. Beyond this the metaphorical nature of the text should be given due consideration. A literalist reading is flately rejected. Borg views the Bible unequivically as a human product, but no less sacred, valuable or valid for being so. He sees Jesus as the "decicive revelation of God" meaning "in him we see what can be seen of God in a human life. While I agree with nearly everything Borg puts forward in this book, he does undermine himself a bit when he attributes his theology to the primative Church. He draws his argument from the New Testament texts themselves and in many cases builds a persuasive argument, but just as often he asserts an interpretation as THE original intent and interpretation with little evidence or argument to back it up.Ultimately, this is a book well worth reading if for no other reason than it gives another way to look at Christianity other than the fear of punishment / hope for reward interpretation of the Gospels.

Borg's text is required and appealing reading for religious teachers moderate to progressive, and anyone concerned with Biblical theology interpreted without context. The christianity explained in this volume isn't the religion of empire, but a religion of compassion, equity and justice. It isn't an introductory theological text - but it is a splendid one for launching faith exploration discussions based on certain key theological terms, how they're used in public discourse, what they mean to us, and what they meant to the people who first wrote them down.For Unitarian Universalists, if you care about words and how people use them, or want to understand the disparity in meanings of terms that are rooted in Protestantism in common American political and cultural usage, you'll want to read _Speaking Christian_

In this book, Borg goes through a number of key Christian concepts and explains what they mean from a perspective that is not the heaven-and-hell Christianity that is so common today (especially in the US). The approach he takes to reading is to create a historical-metaphorical understanding of these key concepts. It's important to understand what this does and does not entail. This approach does not entail applying modern ideas or morals on top of Christian ideas. It does not entail watering down the Bible or reading it selectively. Rather, what it entails is two-fold: first, Borg takes a historical perspective on these concepts. He asks the question, "What did these words mean in and for the ancient communities that used them? What did they mean for their 'then'?" and from this, he asks "Given what their words meant for their then, what might their meaning be for our now?" Key in this method of understanding the Bible is that what something means for "their then" need not be the same thing it means to "our now". However, we should not project the understanding of "our now" onto "their then".Second, it is a metaphorical understanding. This is the fairly straightforward idea that much -- probably most -- of the language of the Bible was meant to be read metaphorically, not literally. Biblical literalism -- and the idea that most texts should be taken as bare factual "newspaper" writing -- is a modern invention which can interfere with our ability to read older texts such as the Bible.From this foundation, Borg discusses many different concepts. He uses an almost formulaic 1 chapter per 1-2 concept organization. My one criticism of the book is that there are some obvious thematic elements throughout which Borg pulls together occasionally (including at the end) but which could be woven more strongly into a biblically sound progressive Christianity.Instead of going through the many concepts discussed, I'll focus on that theme. The common theme throughout is that the language of the Bible, both Old Testament and New points toward societal transformation, not individual salvation. However one conceives of God, the message of the Christian language is that God's vision is for a world where there are distributional justice and peace.If you're used to a heaven-and-hell Christianity, this may sound like a stretch. For example, didn't Jesus die for our sins? How is that not about individual salvation and the afterlife? One of the things that pleasantly surprised me about this book is that Borg was able to make the argument that the broad message of biblical Christianity and many of the specifics that seem to point toward individual salvation are all focused on societal concerns. While it's true that his job was made easier because he sees the Bible as the record of the one tradition's understanding of God rather than as a literal divine revelation, he still takes the Bible as the foundation of his definitions. This book is an engaging read for anyone, Christian or not, who cares about the monopoly that literalistic Christianity has over moral discourse in the US.

I really enjoyed this book. I have my degree In theology, and a friend provided this book to me. I wasn’t sure what to expect. As an academic, I wish there was a more exhaustive bibliography. Aside from that, I found this book very thoughtful. Though many Christians will probably disagree with some of his theology, the tone of the book isn’t overly forceful. Instead, I found it a nice invitation to look at the more “historical” view of Christianity. I think many Christians ought to thoughtfully consider some of his points.

Really good explanation of what different Christian beliefs and terms actually mean rather than how they have been interpreted over the centuries. Here’s one example from Marcus Borg’s thought-provoking book. He writes in the last chapter that when Christianity became allied with the dominant culture, it become “largely a religion of the afterlife and the post-mortem fate of us as individuals. It was no longer about changing the way the world is, for the world was now ruled by Christian authorities. Heaven-and-Hell Christianity domesticates—indeed eliminates—the political passion of the Bible.” Borg emphasizes that Jesus’s message of compassion and justice, especially for the poor and oppressed, gets lost when the focus is instead on believing in Jesus so you will be saved (i.e. go to Heaven). This requires no sacrifice from us. The author ends his book by saying that the Christian message reduced to its essentials is: love God (as known in Jesus) and help make the world a better place. This is something I can do!

In what many will think is a provocative book, Borg examines and explains words commonly used by Christians. He does this against the backdrop of what he calls "heaven and hell Christians" who read the the Bible literally (or at least claim they do.) Borg writes for those who struggle with the way much of American Christianity uses terminology, or as he suggests, he free's the words from the restrictive, or even wrong, meanings and power they have come to have in American culture.One of the things I appreciated was his examination of how the meaning of the words we use in the English language have changed. I'm not qualified to comment about Greek or Hebrew, and perhaps maybe not even English, but I've lived long enough to know the meanings of common words have changed significantly in my life time. I found the chapter on "Believing and Faith" to be helpful as he explains the old word, "beloved." Focusing on "beloving" God rather than "believing" God, frees one to focus on God, rather than on wondering if I am getting all my beliefs correct, or if the guy sitting next to me has his beliefs correct. Borg also examines words which in earlier centuries were not part of orthodox Christian teaching but have become important parts of the faith for many contemporary Christians. The example here is the word "rapture." According to Borg, "the rapture" as most people understand it was something introduced to American Christians in the 19th century. It wasn't long before groups predicting the return of Jesus, or the end of the world sprung up in the United States. Borg points out that many peoples views of heaven, end times and prophecy have been shaped more by recent best sellers on the fiction lists than on anything found in Scripture.I picked up this book in the local town library which usually specializes in westerns, romances, mysteries and the occasional book from the best seller lists. I'm not sure how many others will pick it up. Those who have read Borg before may read it and find nothing really surprising. Those who fit his definition of "heaven and hell" Christians will likely think he has gone off the deep end and write him off as a guy who has spent to much time in his ivory tower. I found the book to be thoughtful and helpful. He upheld orthodox beliefs, admitted when he wasn't sure about something, and was willing to explore a variety of meanings while being true to the language, the creeds, the church and scripture. At the same time I can understand why some would find his ideas or examination of Christian words to be scary, but I wish they would at least give this book a chance. It might just deepen everyone's faith.

This book makes some very interesting points about how strongly the definitions of some words can affect meaning. For example, what does it mean if our use of "believe" in a religious context is wrong or has drifted away from the true meaning? This book offers this and other thought-provoking insights. Further, it encourages understanding the Bible as having deeper meanings than just the superficial, literal understanding of the stories. This is a viewpoint that I strongly identify with, being consistent with my (limited) understanding of the world.The implication is that it is important to be precise in one's definitions, and to maintain reason and understanding in knowing one's relationship with God and the universe. This relationship has always intrigued me deeply, and it is wonderful to find books that encourage and inspire this type of pondering. I would recommend this book to anyone who feels the same.

Marcus Borg's "Speaking Christian" is a great collection of thoughts that help explain the language we use in church, and why it may not mean what we think it means many times. Part of growing up in a churched society is we take for granted some of these terms....I wonder how many are really aware that some of the concepts of salvation, righteousness, sin, being born again, the Crucifixion, and many others are very modern concepts, and the definitions we understand are often radically different than centuries of Christian scholarship and tradition.Even if Borg may be a little too challenging to some folks in their belief, I think this is an easy book to read and understand, and unlike some of his books it is less about his opinion and more about the accepted scholarship. Highly recommended and thought provoking.

I read this book for a class at church. It is definitely controversial. Borg takes common terms in Christianity and investigates their meaning historically and culturally. His writing is very clear and easy to understand, but his interpretation probably would not be acceptable to some Christians. He points out the language that has made such a division in the Christian denominations today, but he is definitely on the progressive Christian side of the division. He appeals to readers with open minds and the desire to see things from different points of view.

Borg is stimulating. Agree with him or not he gets you to think about issues of importance. In tracing back Christian words and language to their meaning in earlier times he offers a refreshing counterpoint to the drone of Christian speak that so dominates popular American culture. His is a useful tool to move Christians beyond literalism, a move which must be made lest our faith drift even farther toward irrelevancy in this "post-modern" age.

I owe ol' Marcus a big high five for this one. Makes christian language not only palatable but down right delicious.

In Speaking Christian, Marcus Borg offers a new way to experience Christianity free from the strange and often misunderstood phrases that hide the meaning of stories from thousands of years ago. It is the kind of book that can help contemporary Christians appreciate ancient wisdom in a new light. And Speaking Christian can also help non-Christians understand the differences between Christian spirituality and more recent interpretations of old texts that ignore the metaphors of ancient texts.Borg expresses concern about the misunderstandings conveyed by Christians who do not understand the historical texts. There are two languages spoken by Christians. One linguistic framework focuses on transforming people for the next world and the other focuses on transforming the world in which we live. Borg describes “heaven-and-hell” Christianity as having four components: the afterlife, sin and forgiveness, Jesus’ dying for sin, and the importance of belief. I think chapter two, “Beyond Literalism” helps understand what he is about. The “heaven-and-hell” linguistic framework rests on a foundation of literalism. In contrast, Borg presents the approach he has presented elsewhere—a historical-metaphorical understanding of biblical language and, by extension, the Christian concepts associated with that language.In chapter 3, Salvation, Borg begins the process of analyzing the two ways of viewing Christian concepts. This continues through chapter 24 and includes concepts like God, Jesus, Easter, Believing and Faith, Sin, Born Again, and so forth. In his conclusion (chapter 25), Borg asserts that the language of Christianity is important to answering the question, “What is Christianity about?” He cites examples from history to show how Christians have been divided over beliefs. The varieties of these beliefs have created an unnecessary complexity. Instead of a focus on beliefs, Borg advocates a focus on loving God and what God loves. He sees God, as revealed in Jesus, as having a passion for transformed lives and a transformed world.

This books is the great equalizer for all of the Christian sects and denominations. I have always said that we are all saying the same thing but in different ways. Our differences are like dialects of the faith. It is so amazing what we take for granted in our faith. We assume that everyone understands “Christian-ese” while we do not fully understand it ourselves. We Christians are horrible when it comes to tradition, doctrine, and dogma. Marcus Borg does a great job of highlighting things that I myself have had to go back and check myself on. If you truly want to be intentional, no matter where you are on your faith journey, I highly recommend you add this to your ready reference library.

This is an important book, a clearly written book, a "discussable" one. While I don't agree with every single one of Borg's ideas, I find that I agree with most of them, especially in the way they are presented. American Christianity, with a certain arrogance, has sometimes lost its way from the essential "Way" of Jesus, and Borg lights a path toward what is central. He deals with the central meanings of words we throw around every day without really considering what they have meant for Christians. Language change cannot be stopped--it evolves with society--yet Borg returns us to the essential meanings of life in God.

I enjoy anything Marcus Borg writes. He is so articulate in creating a vision of Christianity that is authentic, beautiful, and compelling. In this book, Borg takes Christian words that have lost their biblical, cultural, and traditional meanings and restores their definitions, rather than ditching