Core beliefs are what help guide us during difficult times, during times of turbulence and chaos. They help us move forward taking one step at at time.
Marcus Borg's new book, Convictions: How I Learned What Matters Most (Harper, 2014) is part memoir and part outline of his deep heart felt convictions of Christianity. Borg just turned 70, which is a major turning point in anyones life, especially the life of a very popular theologian.
The book is an easy read and is divided into eleven chapters which include his thoughts about faith, God, salvation, Jesus, the Bible, the cross, Christianity and politics, and justice for the poor. In short it's his thoughts on what he finds to be highlights or turning points of the Christian faith. Woven throughout the book is part of his growing up narrative, about being raised in a typically conservative Protestant household. His college studies changed him, opening his eyes to a fresh re-reading of the Bible, not in the literal way in which he was taught as a child but to read it metaphorically and allegorically.
While reading Convictions I kept wanting to hear more about his own life and how it changed. He does offer a few vignettes from time to time but someone has famous and as influential as Borg I wanted more. I wanted more of how he changed his mind on things, how he developed as a theologian. He certainly isn't without his detractors and over the years he has been very controversial in some theological circles. A book is not a soup pot and you certainly cannot put everything in it but I did want more of his personal growth story.
If you are remotely interested in contemporary Christianity or have read Borg's previous work than you need to read Convictions.
For more information about the book click here
