oa Conspectus : The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary - A Review of Marcus Borg, The Heart of Christianity : "Rediscovering a Life of Faith"

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The Heart of Christianity : "Rediscovering a Life of Faith", M.J. Borg : book review

Abstract

Marcus Borg, Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture, an endowed chair at Oregon State University, is considered by many to be one of the most influential voices in what is referred to as Progressive Christianity, a movement founded in 1996 by a retired Episcopalian priest, James Adams, in Cambridge, MA. It currently represents the most liberal established Christian group within Christianity.

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Borg's philosophy is simply that one does not have to take the Bible literally to take it seriously. He teaches that a historical-metaphorical approach to the Bible has more meaning for today's world than is the historical-grammatical approach or that of biblical literalism. Borg summarizes his description of the historical-metaphorical approach by stating that the Bible is the Word of God metaphorically.