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Reading the Bible Again For the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously But Not Literally | 
 enlarge | Author: Marcus J. Borg
Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Rating:  75 reviews
Sales Rank: 15830
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.8
ISBN: 0060609192
Dewey Decimal Number: 220.61
EAN: 9780060609191
ASIN: 0060609192
Publication Date: February 5, 2002
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Amazon.com Review
Reading the Bible Again for the First Time is Marcus Borg's follow-up to Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. Like his earlier book, this one is written for lay people whose faith has been frustrated by their misapprehension that fundamentalism's claim to be the one true faith is valid. Borg, a professor of religion at Oregon State University, describes an alternative to fundamentalists' so-called "literal" readings of scripture. (He believes that such "literal-factual" readings do not live up to that description, and that the limitations of such readings have alienated many people who would otherwise remain part of the church.) Borg calls his alternative "historical-metaphorical" reading, a way of "taking the Bible seriously without taking it literally." Reading the Bible begins with a history of recent conflicts regarding biblical interpretation. Borg navigates the minefields of his subject with sensitivity and precision, explaining, for example, the important distinction between evangelical and fundamentalist readings of the Bible. He then offers historical-metaphorical readings of some key texts from both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Throughout, Borg writes with calm assurance and respect for those who would disagree with him. Reading the Bible is a credible guide to the project it names. It is a faithful exercise of reason, undertaken to help Christians hear more clearly the many voices recorded in the Bible. --Michael Joseph Gross
Product Description
One of the vital challenges facing thoughtful people today is how to read the Bible faithfully without abandoning our sense of truth and history. Reading the Bible Again for the First Time provides a much-needed solution to the problem of how to have a fully authentic yet contemporary understanding of the scriptures. Many mistakenly believe there are no choices other than fundamentalism or simply rejecting the Bible as something that can bring meaning to our lives. Answering this modern dilemma, acclaimed author Marcus Borg reveals how it is possible to reconcile the Bible with both a scientific and critical way of thinking and our deepest spiritual needs, leading to a contemporary yet grounded experience of the sacred texts. This seminal book shows you how to read the Bible as it should be examined—in an approach the author calls "historical-metaphorical." Borg explores what the Scriptures meant to the ancient communities that produced and lived by them. He then helps us to discover the meaning of these stories, providing the knowledge and perspective to make the wisdom of the Bible an essential part of our modern lives. The author argues that the conventional way of seeing the Bible's origin, authority, and interpretation has become unpersuasive to millions of people in our time, and that we need a fresh way of encountering the Bible that takes the texts seriously but not literally, even as it takes seriously who we have become. Borg traces his personal spiritual journey, describing for readers how he moved from an unquestioning childhood belief in the biblical stories to a more powerful and dynamic relationship with the Bible as a sacred text brimming with meaning and guidance. Using his own experience as an example, he reveals how the modern crisis of faith is itself rooted in the misinterpretation of sacred texts as historical record and divine dictation, and opens readers to a truer, more abundant perspective. This unique book invites everyone—whatever one's religious background—to engage the Bible, wrestle with its meaning, explore its mysteries, and understand its relevance. Borg shows us how to encounter the Bible in a fresh way that rejects the limits of simple literalism and opens up rich possibilities for our lives.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 70 more reviews...
 A Beautiful, Eye-Opening Book November 26, 2008
I teach a Bible study in which we are reading this book. It is eye opening, informative. It makes you think. Among his text book writings Borg will throw in a BEAUTIFUL paragraph that will stop you in your tracks.
Enlightening October 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is an enlightenment to all those frustrated by many churches' tendencies towards exclusivism. This study is opening my eyes to the a greater understanding of faith, and helping me to reconcile the many things I have struggled to believe or understand in the bible. For anyone who feels they are struggling with their faith, or for those who wish to keep an open mind to scholarship in religion, this is a must-read.
teachable moment October 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Making space for transformation is one of the most important things we can do in this busy world - and I read this book at a teachable moment in my life when that space didn't adequately exist. It is probably one of the most influential books I have read in my journey to learn how to be closer to God. It is in my opinion very broad in it's approach, rather than a particular point of view on spirituality and is thought provoking and inviting to all who wish to grow in their relationship to God. I recommend the book wholeheartedly for anyone on that journey - anyone feeling tired and burnt out, anyone needing a refocus in their lives towards spiritual growth. It's not about someone else's agenda, it's about your growth.
Reading the Bible with Love AND Honesty August 28, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Marcus Borg is a my nominee for the best theologian of the 21st century. His writing is clear, compelling and full of integrity. What's more, his many books are truly accessible to a popular audience -- unlike so many other works by ponderous academic writers.
"Reading the Bible Again for the First Time" is Borg's masterpiece, in my opinion -- even better than his more famous books on Jesus. It's both concise and convincing, kind and yet deeply challenging. The average person could read it from cover to cover in about three hours. (Read more slowly if you want to enjoy each wonderful chapter.)
Borg's basic argument is this: A modern literalist reading of the Bible is not just intellectually dishonest, but it actually prevents us from experiencing the many wonders and rich treasure trove of meaning contained in Scripture. That's why his subtitle is "Taking the Bible Seriously, But Not Literally."
Borg, himself a believer in the Anglican tradition, recounts his own spiritual journey from naive (childhood) literalism through doubt and disbelief and ultimately to a more mature understanding of the Bible. Key points include the following:
-- Some parts of the Bible are clearly based on historical events (e.g., who was king of Israel during what period of time).
-- Others provide spiritual insight and meaning through the use of metaphor (e.g., the Tower of Babel).
-- Forcing metaphor into historical reporting, or visa versa, is an enormous mistake that leads to all sorts of problems. It's not only dishonest, it's also completely unnecessary.
-- We should read the major sections of the Bible in the true context in which they were written (e.g., the prophets of the Hebrew Bible had profound messages for humanity but they were focused on Jewish society at the time).
-- We must also be honest about when and how the Bible was written, edited, revised and published. If God is truth, he certainly doesn't want us to lie about the origins of Scripture.
The fact that something in the Bible may not be "historically true" in the sense of a newspaper report does not mean that it isn't "spiritually true" in a much more profound sense. To use a secular analogy, the great soliloquy in Hamlet was never actually spoken by a prince of Denmark. Yet it contains great truth and wisdom for all of us today.
If you are a spiritual searcher, or you are annoyed by people who pick bits out of the Bible to use as weapons, I strongly urge you to read this amazing book. You won't regret it!
"When A Second Time Is Best" May 17, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you are as disgusted as I am with the shrill claim of fundamentalists and most evangelicals that the Bible is the final and infallible authority for faith then Marcus Borg's book entitled "Reading the Bible Again For the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously But Not Literally" may be just the antidote that you need to get you past your irritation. It is, in Karen Armstrong's words, "profound, challenging and engrossing." This book represents an approach to the biblical texts that is illuminating.
What is Borg's approach? He uses the phrase "historical-metaphorial" as a way of seeing and reading these texts that distinguishes his approach from the conscious literalism of fundamentalists and many evangelicals. In establishing this perspective he rejects three conclusions of the approach he calls "conscious literalism." These are: (1) the claim that the Bible is a divine product; (2) the claim that the Bible, therefore, is true and authoritative because of its origin; (3) the claim that the Bible is historically and factually true. This understanding that he rejects was conventional Christianity as recently as a century ago. This way of seeing and reading the Bible, Borg claims, "...leads to a way of being Christian that has very litle to do with believing. Instead, what will emerge is a relational and sacramental understanding of the Christian life. Being Christian...is not about believing in the Bible or about believing in Christianity. Rather, it is about a deepening relationship with God to whom the Bible points...."
Borg proceeds to "read again" the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. The creation stories, the Pentateuch, the prophets and the wisdom literature are examined through the lens of his "historical" and "metaphorical" approach. He concludes each chapter by describing the biblical story in the light of his approach. He is at his best in these segments!
Then he uses the same approach to "read again" the gospels, Paul and Revelation. His chapter on Revelation would challenge some interpretations such as that of John Hagee as well as the domination system that Jesus, Paul and early Christianity faced.
This review chooses his perspective as an avenue to encourage you to read Borg's book. "In the process of shaping Christian identity and vision in community, the Bible has a central role, perhaps second only to that of the Spirit. As the foundation of the Christian tradition, the Bible is the source of our images and stories for speaking of God's passion. Thus its interpretation shapes our vision of what it means to take the God of the Bible seriously." Read this book. It will encourage you to "read the Bible again for the first time" from a perspective that is exciting, as well as liberating from the prisons of a dead vision of "the good Book!"
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