The God We Never Knew: Beyond Dogmatic Religion to a More Authentic Contemporary Faith
“The point is not that Jesus was a good guy who accepted everybody, and thus we should do the same (though that would be good). Rather, his teachings and behavior reflect an alternative social vision. Jesus was not talking about how to be good and how to behave within the framework of a domination system. He was a critic of the domination system itself.”
The First Christmas
“The stories of the first Christmas are not only filled with joy, but also with the theme of conflict. We see this very clearly in Matthew. Though his story sounds the theme of fulfillment, its emotional tone is ominous. Driven and dominated by Herod’s plot to kill Jesus, it is dark and foreboding. It speaks of the murderous resistance of the rulers of this world to the coming of the kingdom of God… What is hoped for… is very different from the way things are and points forward to the conflict that will be engendered by Jesus’s public activity… Christmas brings joy and conflict. It did so then, and it does so now. ”
Speaking Christian, pg. 162-3
“In the Gospel of John, as in the New Testament generally, world has two quite different meanings. One meaning is positive: the world is a world created by God — the whole of creation. The other meaning is negative: the world is “this world,” meaning the humanly created world of cultures with their domination systems. In John and in Paul, “this world” rejected Jesus. But God loves the divinely created world — not just you and me, not just Christians, not just people, but the whole of creation. ”
Convictions
“Centering in God transforms us. It changes us. It produces what Paul called “the fruit of the Spirit” and “the gifts of the Spirit.” It is what Jesus meant when he said, “You will know them by their fruits.” The fruits of centering in God are many and intertwined, but the most important are compassion, freedom and courage, and gratitude. Sequencing them is thus not about their relative importance; they all go together. ”
Convictions
“A primary quality of a life deeply centered in God is growth in compassion. This meaning is expressed in perhaps the most concise summary of Jesus’ teaching in the gospels. The verse, Luke 6:36, combines theology (what God is like) and ethics (how we are to live) in a few words: be compassionate as God is compassionate. God’s primary quality is compassion; therefore, a life centered in God will be compassionate. ”
The God We Never Knew
“The spiritual journey, in Christianity as well as non-Christian forms, is about the hatching of the heart, the opening of the self to the reality of the Spirit. This opening begins the process by which the self at its deepest level is reoriented and transformed.”
The God We Never Knew
“The Christian life is not about pleasing God, the finger-shaker and judge. It is not about believing now or being good now for the sake of heaven later. It is about entering a relationship in the present that begins to change everything now. Spirituality is about this process: the opening of the heart to the God who is already here.”
“God loves us already and has from our very beginning. The Christian life is not about believing or doing what we need to believe or do so that we can be saved. Rather, it’s about seeing what is already true that God loves us already and then beginning to live in this relationship. It is about becoming conscious of and intentional about a deepening relationship with God.”
“People who think of God as a warrior may become warriors themselves, whether in a Christian crusade, a Muslim jihad, or an apocalyptically oriented militia. People who think of God as righteous are likely to emphasize righteousness themselves, just as those who think of God as compassionate are likely to emphasize compassion. People who think God is angry at the world are likely to be angry at the world themselves.”
Speaking Christian: Why Christian Words Have Lost Their Meaning and Power – And How They Can Be Restored
“Christianity’s goal is not escape from this world. It loves this world and seeks to change it for the better.”
“Jesus disclosed that God is compassionate. Jesus spoke of God that way: “Be compassionate, as God is compassionate.” Compassion is the primary quality of the central figures in two of his most famous parables: the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan. And Jesus himself, as a manifestation of the sacred, is often spoken of as embodying compassion.”
Quote from Interview with Marcus Borg on Speaking Christian
“Religion is much more than language, but to be Christian does mean speaking Christian for most people. The language many of us use has contributed to the crisis in Christianity in North America. Traditional Christian language is becoming less familiar to millions of people. The language is frequently misunderstood by people.”