Marcus J. Borg

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January 01, 1942

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http://marcusjborg.com/

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Borg was born into a Lutheran family of Swedish and Norwegian descent, the youngest of four children. He grew up in the 1940s in North Dakota and attended Concordia College, Moorhead, a small liberal arts school in Moorhead, Minnesota. While at Moorhead he was a columnist for the school paper and held forth as a conservative. After a close reading of the Book of Amos and its overt message of social equality he immediately began writing with an increasingly liberal stance and was eventually invited to discontinue writing his articles due to his new-found liberalism. He did graduate work at Union Theological Seminary and obtained masters and DPhil degrees at Oxford under G. B. Caird. Anglican bishop N.T. Wright had studied under the same prof...more Borg was born into a Lutheran family of Swedish and Norwegian descent, the youngest of four children. He grew up in the 1940s in North Dakota and attended Concordia College, Moorhead, a small liberal arts school in Moorhead, Minnesota. While at Moorhead he was a columnist for the school paper and held forth as a conservative. After a close reading of the Book of Amos and its overt message of social equality he immediately began writing with an increasingly liberal stance and was eventually invited to discontinue writing his articles due to his new-found liberalism. He did graduate work at Union Theological Seminary and obtained masters and DPhil degrees at Oxford under G. B. Caird. Anglican bishop N.T. Wright had studied under the same professor and many years later Borg and Wright were to share in co-authoring The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions, an amicable study in contrast. Following a period of religious questioning in his mid-thirties, and numinous experiences similar to those described by Rudolf Otto, Borg became active in the Episcopal Church, in which his wife, the Reverend Canon Marianne Wells-Borg, serves as a priest and directs a spiritual development program at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Portland, Oregon. On May 31, 2009, Borg was installed as the first canon theologian at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

Marcus J. Borg is Canon Theologian at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, OR. Internationally known in both academic and church circles as a biblical and Jesus scholar, he was Hundere Chair of Religion and Culture in the Philosophy Department at Oregon State University until his retirement in 2007.

Described by The New York Times as "a leading figure in his generation of Jesus scholars," he has appeared on NBC's "Today Show" and “Dateline,” PBS's "Newshour," ABC’s “Evening News” and “Prime Time” with Peter Jennings, NPR’s “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross, and several National Geographic programs. A Fellow of the Jesus Seminar, he has been national chair of the Historical Jesus Section of the Society of Biblical Literature and co-chair of its International New Testament Program Committee, and is past president of the Anglican Association of Biblical Scholars. His work has been translated into eleven languages: German, Dutch, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian, Italian, Spanish, Portugese, Russian, and French. His doctor's degree is from Oxford University, and he has lectured widely overseas (England, Scotland, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Israel and South Africa) and in North America, including the Chautauqua and Smithsonian Institutions.(less)

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Marcus J. Borg's Blog

Marcus J. Borg isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but he does have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from his feed.

Reflections on Easter

Today I read a poll of American Christians about the resurrection of Jesus. It reported that more than 90% of American Christians say that the resurrection of Jesus matters greatly to them. I agree – without the affirmation of Jesus’ resurrection, Christianity makes no important sense. But I was disappointed because the poll reported that [...] read more »

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Published on April 13, 2012 12:54 • 14 views

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Books by Marcus J. Borg

Average rating: 3.99 · 5,005 ratings · 714 reviews · 38 distinct works

	Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith 4.02 avg rating — 1,061 ratings — published 1994 — 9 editions	My rating:
	The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith 4.12 avg rating — 921 ratings — published 2003 — 9 editions	My rating:
	Reading the Bible Again For the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously But Not Literally 4.03 avg rating — 658 ratings — published 2001 — 6 editions	My rating:
	The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem by Marcus J. Borg, John Dominic Crossan 4.17 avg rating — 344 ratings — published 2006 — 13 editions	My rating:
	Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions by Marcus J. Borg, N.T. Wright 3.81 avg rating — 445 ratings — published 1998 — 7 editions	My rating:
	Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary 4.15 avg rating — 234 ratings — published 2006 — 5 editions	My rating:
	The God We Never Knew: Beyond Dogmatic Religion To A More Authenthic Contemporary Faith 4.03 avg rating — 200 ratings — published 1997 — 6 editions	My rating:
	Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings by Marcus J. Borg (Editor), Jack Kornfield (Introduction) 3.89 avg rating — 283 ratings — published 1997 — 10 editions	My rating:
	The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Church's Conservative Icon by Marcus J. Borg, John Dominic Crossan 4.03 avg rating — 183 ratings — 9 editions	My rating:
	The First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Birth by Marcus J. Borg, John Dominic Crossan 3.86 avg rating — 160 ratings — published 2007 — 6 editions	My rating:

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Quotes by Marcus J. Borg

“More than half described Christians as literalistic, anti-intellectual, judgmental, self-righteous, and bigoted.”
― Marcus J. Borg, Speaking Christian: Why Christian Words Have Lost Their Meaning and Power - And How They Can Be Restored

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“But Christian illiteracy is only the first part of the crisis. Even more seriously, even for those who think they speak “Christian” fluently, the faith itself is often misunderstood and distorted by many to whom it is seemingly very familiar. They think they are speaking the language as it has always been understood, but what they mean by the words and concepts is so different from what these things have meant historically, that they would have trouble communicating with the very authors of the past they honor.”
― Marcus J. Borg, Speaking Christian: Why Christian Words Have Lost Their Meaning and Power - And How They Can Be Restored

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“This book might also be seen as “a Christian primer.” A primer teaches us how to read. Reading is not just about learning to recognize and pronounce words, but also about how to hear and understand them. This book’s purpose is to help us to read, hear, and inwardly digest Christian language without preconceived understandings getting in the way.”
― Marcus J. Borg, Speaking Christian: Why Christian Words Have Lost Their Meaning and Power - And How They Can Be Restored

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Classics and the ...: Consolation of Philosophy - Book 1	204	82	Jun 21, 2011 10:19am
The Book Addicts!: EllieNYC 200 Books to Love!	390	232	Dec 29, 2011 12:43pm

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Marcus J. Borg

Author profile

14 postsMarcus J. Borg's Blog

combine editionsBooks by Marcus J. Borg

Upcoming Events

Quotes by Marcus J. Borg

Topics Mentioning This Author

14 posts
Marcus J. Borg's Blog

combine editions
Books by Marcus J. Borg