One of the vital 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
have a fully authentic yet contemporary understanding of the
scriptures. Many mistakenly believe there are no choices other than
fundamentalism or simply rejecting the Bible as something that can
bring meaning to our lives. Answering this modern 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
yet grounded experience of the sacred texts.
This seminal book shows you how to read the Bible as it should
be examined-in an approach the author calls
"historical-metaphorical." Borg explores what the Scriptures meant
to the ancient communities that produced and lived by them. He 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. The author argues that the
conventional way of seeing the Bible's origin, authority, and
interpretation has become unpersuasive to millions of people in our
time, and that we need a fresh way of encountering the Bible that
takes the texts seriously but not literally, even as it takes
seriously who we have become.
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 as an example, he reveals how the modern
crisis of faith is itself rooted in the misinterpretation of sacred
texts as historical record and divine dictation, and opens readers
to a truer, more abundant perspective.
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.