"Beloving" vs. Believing?
Albert Mohler
Monday, April 09, 2007

Marcus Borg, soon to retire from his teaching post at Oregon State University, is described by Portland's leading newspaper as "Oregon's leading theologian." Here is how The Oregonian introduces a profile on Borg:

Oregon's leading theologian walks his dog up and down the trendy streets of the Pearl District. His neighbors know Henry, the shaggy gray Glen of Imaal terrier, whose short legs set the pace. But few recognize Marcus J. Borg, the graying guy in the wool cap, as the spokesman for a different approach to Jesus Christ.

At 64, Borg is a public theologian and a private mystic. He writes theological books, several of which have made best-seller lists, and he reads murder mysteries. He was trained at Oxford University, and he teaches at Oregon State. He lives in a neighborhood overflowing with espresso, and he drinks Taster's Choice instant decaf.

Marcus Borg certainly is a "spokesman for a different approach to Jesus Christ. His approach, shared with other members of the "Jesus Seminar," is to treat the New Testament writings, especially the Gospels, as multi-sourced, highly-edited, somewhat fictionalized renderings of Jesus. Borg's Jesus is a decidedly non-supernatural figure who, though stripped of such supernatural trappings as miracles and bodily resurrection, remains a figure of compelling spiritual power. the rest