Rating: 
Summary: A New Paradigm
Review: Marcus Borg, author of such other thought provoking books as "Jesus: A New Vision" and "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time" has perceived a "paradigm shift" in North American Christianity. This change has brought about a different way of seeing God, the Bible, and Jesus. The emerging paradigm views the Bible as a sacrament-"a vehicle for the Spirit"; as an historical product bound by the context of its time; and reads the text metaphorically.
The new paradigm also challenges the worldview of the Christian tradition that was shaped by the Enlightenment and has led to continuing debates within Protestant circles that do not rely on extra-biblical tradition, as to how to interpret the Bible. Because the question remains for many lay people who have never been to seminary or been exposed to the insights of the Jesus scholars, which parts of the Bible do we read (in the privacy of our homes or otherwise) literally and/or metaphorically? In other words, whom do we trust, especially since many of us were raised on the worldview of the older paradigm that stresses that the salvation of our souls is on the line if we read in a spirit of pride, and also given the undercurrent in the Old and New Testament of God "putting to shame the wisdom of the world."?
"The Heart of Christianity" continues the dialogue within Christianity regarding the Bible, God and Jesus, and it will be interesting to follow the developments over the next few years.
Rating:
Summary: What does it mean to be a Christian today?
Review: Marcus J. Borg proposes the answer to what it means to be a Christian today by rexamining concepts that many mainstream Christians abandoned to Evangelical and fundamentalist Christians. His easy to read but profound and it offers an invitation to all who call themselves Christian to find the common ground and underlying tennets of their shared faith. He discusses faith, the bible, God and Jesus in a way that the "unchurched" might appreciate without scorning those with a very traditional understanding. He aslo talks about living in this world as a Christian and discusses sin, salvation, being born again/from above and the kingdom of God. I think I could sue this book as a starting point to talk to Christians who faith seems more foreign than that of Islam or Judaism.
Rating:
Summary: Meaningful and Moving
Review: No one speaks to both the heart and head as well Mr. Borg. This is the fourth of his books that I've purchased, and probably my favorite. He briefly covers ideas that are explained in more detail in "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time" and "The God We Never Knew". This book, however, is about the big picture: being a passionate and compassionate Christian today, maintaining a relationship with god, justice etc. I couldn't put it down. Borg is knowledgeable, reasonable and convincing. Sometimes I'm moved to laughter and other times tears. I often felt he knew me and was speaking directly to me. Every time I came up with a question, he had an answer. Sometimes his answer was "I don't know," and that's okay too-- I appreciated his honesty.
Rating:
Summary: Meaningful and Moving
Review: No one speaks to both the heart and head as well Mr. Borg. This is the fourth of his books that I've purchased, and probably my favorite. He briefly covers ideas that are explained in more detail in "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time" and "The God We Never Knew". This book, however, is about the big picture: being a passionate and compassionate Christian today, maintaining a relationship with god, justice etc. I couldn't put it down. Borg is knowledgeable, reasonable and convincing. Sometimes I'm moved to laughter and other times tears. I often felt he knew me and was speaking directly to me. Every time I came up with a question, he had an answer. Sometimes his answer was "I don't know," and that's okay too-- I appreciated his honesty.
Rating:
Summary: Why be a Christian?
Review: One unhappy reviewer asks "if we won't be resurrected, why would we want to be Christians at all?"
A father had two sons. In his old age, the father became sick and lost everything, including his home. He went to the elder son and asked for a place to stay. The elder son said "I did everything you asked of me all my life and now you not only leave me with nothing, you want me to give you a place to stay? Go away." The father then went to the younger son and asked for a place to stay. The younger son simply welcomed him and and took care of him for the rest of his days. Which son truly loved his father?
As Borg's book so eloquently points out, being a Christian is about having a loving relationship with God, not following a set of rules in order to obtain a reward.
Rating:
Summary: The old as new
Review: Several reviewers make that comment that Borg does not cover any new ground. This is to me a major strength of the book. Borg should not be seen as trying to start a new religion, as one reviewer puts it. He makes the case that most of what he puts forward as the "new" paradigm is actually very close to the heart of ancient Christianity before the endless Theological debates started to try and divide Christians into "Right"and "Wrong" camps.In fact, taking the point further, Borg shows that much of what he styles as the "old" paradigm is actually of rather modern origin, arising either from the Reformers or from a more recent response to the Enlightenment. Those who hold rigidly to this model are, in fact, ignoring almost 1500 years of earlier Christian history. The great strength of Borg's exposition, as opposed to Spong or to most of the other Jesus Seminar "scholars" is that Borg does not throw the baby out with the bath water. His discourse leaves room by stating that certain aspects of the "old" paradigm are not necessary from his point of view, but does not ridicule those who hold them. In many instances, he seems to leave room for discussion. I for one feel completely comfortable with a good 80% or 90% of what Borg proposes, yet, I still hold to a "high" Christology and a redemtive aspect to Jesus' death on the Cross. Even though I disagree with him in these respects, I found that the rest of the book was well worth reading, and added new insights to a number of issues, particularly his discussion on the meanings of "faith" and "salvation". I don't believe that a book like this is meant to provide all the answers, and I don't think that Borg claims this for his book. It is, however, a thoughtful challenge to all Christians to look at what they believe and why, and to come to terms with the fact that the many who do not hold rigidly to the "old" paradigm are not apostates headed for hellfire.
Rating: 
Summary: Kudos for Encouraging Discussion, but........
Review: Sorry to be a downer, but either Jesus is who He said He was (namely, the Son of God) or He was a lunatic. Can't have your cake and deny it's fattening.
Rating: 
Summary: A New/Old Vision
Review: The Heart of Christianity reads like a "greatest hits" album for its author, Marcus Borg. I don't mean that to sound belittling; the book is wonderful, but it gathers things which Borg has said in his previous books-things about Jesus, and other things entirely about the bible, and God-into a cohesive a reading of Christianity which attempts to answer the question: is there any point in being one? His answer is "yes; if by `Christianity' we mean a certain thing." For Borg, that thing is outlined in "the emerging tradition" which sees historical, metaphorical, and sacramental richness in the practices of Christianity and cares less for its salvific and exclusivistic functions. The book was written primarily for believers, or persons of faith who wouldn't probably feel comfortable using a term like that. Here is the Borg of the infamous "Jesus Seminars," which are decried in fundamentalist circles as meetings of blasphemers. I know him as a lecturer in churches with intellectual congregations and as a friend of Frederich Beuchner's. This book gives a kind of permission to believe again, after one has felt sure that "the faith" couldn't hold him any longer. For that, it is a saviour in its own right and a comforter of sorts. I say it is a life preserver; "in case of emergency, read Borg."
Rating: 
Summary: The Heart of Unitarianism
Review: This book contradicts the very definition of the word "Christian." The author avoids Scripture contradicting the views stated in the book by either bending context or creating a brand-new (entirely baseless) context.
This book is just another attempt by fearful liberal "Christians" to water down the Scriptures and Christianity to something that isn't as intrusive into their political views.
Rating: 
Summary: prosaic retelling of mainline theology
Review: This could have been a very important book. The stranglehold of the religious right on Christianity is loosening. The time is ripe for a resurgence of liberal Christian theology. Professor Borg offers up a broad-ranging summary of the theological doctrine upon which I was raised in the 1950's and 60's in a northern Methodist church. At times, Professor Borg seems to want to tie into the post-modern movement, suggesting that something new is afoot in this movement. But mostly, he resists that tendency and properly acknowledges that what he has to say goes back generations in the church's history. Reminding us of that history is welcome.
However, this book disappoints me in two important ways. First, it completely ignores the fact that liberal Christian theology self-destructed last time out. What happened in the 80's and 90's that left mainline Christianity in such disarray? Why doesn't that sorry implosion suggest a fatal flaw in the underlying theology? These are obvious questions that need addressing, but Professor Borg is silent on them. Without some attention to these issues, the legitimacy of the perspective remains in doubt.
Second, while Professor Borg makes the point that mainline theology is "poetry plus" rather than "science minus," this is as prosaic a narrative as one is ever likely to read. If the theological perspective is metaphorical and inspirational, shouldn't an expositon of that theology offer some of that uplift? Yet this book reads like the notes from an interesting course taken by a disengaged freshman.
I have given this book to my wife, who feels alienated from the born-again Christians around her, but longs for the sustenance of a living faith. So I am not hostile to Professor Borg's offering. But it could have been so much more that I can't help but be disappointed.
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