3 Review(s)

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. One of the 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 gain an authentic yet contemporary understanding of the scriptures. Many believe there are no choices other than fundamentalism or rejection of the Bible as something that can bring meaning to our lives. Answering this 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 experience of the sacred texts. Borg argues we need a fresh reading that takes the Bible seriously but not literally, even as it takes seriously who we have become. This seminal work shows how to read the Bible as it should be examined - in an approach the author calls "historical-metaphorical". He explores what the Scriptures meant to the ancient communities that produced them, and 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. 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, he reveals how the modern crisis of faith is rooted in misinterpretation of sacred texts as historical record and divine dictation, and opens readers to a truer, more abundant perspective. Special e-book features: This PerfectBound e-book contains an exclusive interview with Marcus Borg and in-text hyperlinks to each of his notes and to key passages in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.