Saturday, November 14, 2009
Scholar to speak in Roanoke
Marcus Borg, a progressive scholar who interprets the Bible as an anti-war religious and political document, will be at St. John's Episcopal Church on Monday.
Photo courtesy of Harper Collins
Marcus Borg taught theology for 28 years at Oregon State University and has written more than 10 books.
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Marcus Borg was groomed at Oxford University, taught theology for 28 years at Oregon State University and has penned more than 10 books about Jesus, with several best-sellers among them.
The progressive Christian has also been qualified with words such as these:
"I can't believe how far away from real Christianity Borg and other liberal scholars now are," commented one reader on Borg's blog. "It's insane. I feel bad for him and others. Come back to the Orthodox faith, please. It's been the same since the beginnings, no change needed. Come back, come back!"
Regardless of how controversial he may be, or perhaps because of it, Borg speaks widely to his fans and critics about his interpretations of the Bible as an anti-war religious and political document.
He's scheduled to speak at 9 a.m. today at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynchburg and 7:30 p.m. Monday at St. John's Episcopal Church in Roanoke. Excerpts from a recent interview:
Q: What will your lecture "Telling the story of Jesus today" be about on Monday?
A: Jesus isn't about going to heaven. The reason Jesus matters isn't because he's the only way to the afterlife. But the kingdom of God is the heart of Jesus' message. The kingdom of God is about life on Earth. It's in the Lord's Prayer: "Thy kingdom come on earth, as it is already in heaven." Or put colloquially, "Heaven's in great shape. Earth is where the problems are."
Q: You've argued the Gospel is an anti-imperial story in response to the Roman Empire that crucified Jesus. What does it mean to be a Christian living in America, the empire of our time?
A: It means to be very suspicious of the imperial mentality. That includes things like unilateralism in foreign affairs. Christianity for the first 300 years was pacifist. That tells us the Christians that lived closest in time with Jesus understood that being Christian meant not using military power. So it doesn't mean trying to overthrow the government, but six years ago it would have meant saying "no" to going to war.
Q: You have also argued that debating whether Jesus rose bodily from the dead is missing the point of the Bible. But if Christianity is not about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, and it's not about the afterlife, then what is it about?
A: Christianity is about transformation in this life. It's about the transformation of ourselves and the transformation of the world. It's very simple: Love God, and change the world. Love God, as knowing especially in Jesus, and change the world.
Q: Southwest Virginia is an overwhelmingly Baptist region, where many people may not be in tune with your arguments. You've said you welcome constructive public dialogue. Why?
A: Because I think Christianity matters greatly. I think there are understandings of Christianity that are deeply mistaken. A lot is at stake in how we tell the story of Jesus. The basic point is this: Christianity, like religion in general, is a very ambiguous phenomenon. It can be used for good, and it can be used for evil. And I care about that.
