Marcus J. Borg, 1942-2015

Marcus J. Borg died last night -- sad news, indeed.

Borg was a philosopher and theologian of a decidedly liberal bent. He was also a perceptive observer of and articulate participant in New Testament scholarship.

Borg, with his collected works of Walt Kelly & Carl Barks

Borg was frequently accused of throwing the Baby Jesus out with the bathwater, but his sensitive excavation of the more troubling dichotomies and outright contradictions that come with professing a faith in Christ encouraged some of us to stay in the fold. In his own unique way Borg was, to his last breath, a Defender of the Faith: rigorously critical, committed, compassionate and humane.

With a penchant for distracting socks

If introductions are in order, I’d suggest starting where I did: The Meaning Of Jesus: Two Visions (1999, 2007). This chapter-by-chapter back-and-forth with conservative Anglican and academian N.T. Wright is an approachable, almost breezy read, but its oppositional approach does a terrific job of covering the most pertinent “Who was Jesus?” hot-spots. Highly recommended.*

If that whets your appetite for more, you should probably head directly to Borg’s most lauded/scourged works Jesus: A New Vision (1987), Meeting Jesus Again For The First Time (1997), and The Heart Of Christianity (2003).

But the Borg book that has given me the most cause for musing and meditation is probably one of his most poorly-executed: Evolution Of The Word: The New Testament In The Order The Books Were Written (2013).

Borg proposes a seemingly obvious thought experiment: to get a picture of how the earliest Christians pushed-and-pulled their religious POV into shape read the New Testament books in historical order, from the earliest books to the most recent. Borg's has me wondering how much of my Bible College angst mightn't have got headed off at the pass if this hadn't been required reading for first-year students.

The book itself, however, is difficult to recommend, and the blame falls squarely at the feet of his publisher. Borg’s introductions to each book are well worth the read, but it seems to me that anybody who could be arsed with Borg’s proposal already owns a NRSV Bible. What could have been a slim and punchy volume -- or, better yet, an e-pub -- winds up as yet another Bible to clutter up the bookshelf. Borg's work is likely to experience the usual posthumous uptick. Say, Harper Collins: no better time than the present to rectify this situation.

RIP, sir -- and, as you were always keen to assert, God love you.

*I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my buddy, published author, Dean of Students and member of the Jesus Seminar Doctor Smith for turning me on to this book, as well as to the lovely GR for procuring it for me, back in the day.