Marcus J. Borg
Marcus J. Borg holds the Hundere Chair in Religion and Culture in the Philosophy Department at Oregon State University. Internationally known in both academic and church circles as a biblical and Jesus scholar, he is the author of fourteen books, including Jesus: A New Vision (1987) and the best-seller Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time (1994). Recent books include The God We Never Knew (1997), The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions (1999), God at 2000 (2000), Reading the Bible Again for the First Time (2001), and The Heart of Christianity (2003). His newest books are The Last Week (2006), co-authored with John Dominic Crossan; and Jesus: The Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary, to be published in November, 2006.
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 and a regular columnist for “Beliefnet.”. His work has been translated into nine languages: German, Dutch, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Portugese, 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.
In addition to the thirteen books he has authored, he is the editor or co-editor of:
- The Lost Gospel Q (1996)
- Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings (1997)
- God at 2000, co-edited with Ross Mackenzie (2000).
- Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time (1994) is the single best-selling book by a contemporary Jesus scholar.
- The God We Never Knew was named “one of the ten best books in religion in 1997" by Publishers Weekly.
- The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions, co-authored with N. Thomas Wright, a well-known British New Testament scholar from the conservative side of the spectrum. It won the “Best General Interest Book of 1999” award from the Association of Theological Booksellers.
- Reading the Bible Again for the First Time (2001) has made Publishers Weekly “ten best selling books in religion.”
- The Heart of Christianity (Harper San Francisco, 2003) has been a group study book in hundreds of churches..
- A very useful study guide for The Heart of Christianity is available. 160 pages long, it teaches “Heart” in twelve sessions, with suggestions for small group formation and activities, a DVD that includes handouts, visuals, and some video. Published by Woodlake Books and authored by Tim Scorer, it is available through Amazon and through Woodlake’s website.
*Comments about Reading the Bible Again for the First Time include:
From Peter Gomes, author of The Good Book: “Borg is one of the very few New Testament
scholars of our age whose learning is so lucid that it takes the Bible back from the specialists and
makes it available in all its complexity and splendor to the general reader: nothing short of a
blessing, even a miracle!”
*Comments about The Heart of Christianity include:
“Writing with a simplicity that never becomes simplistic, Borg manages to convey the essence of Christianity in a way that does justice to those who do not share his views and will greatly enrich the understanding of those who do.”
Frederick Buechner, author of many books, including most recently Seeing with the Eyes of the Heart
“A marvelous book that is both challenging and illuminating, and effecting exactly the kind of transformation that Borg describes so lucidly.”
Karen Armstrong, author of the best-sellers A History of God, The Battle for God,
and Buddha
“Return to the passion of a life lived in faith. Rediscover the intimacy of a relationship with God. Come back to the gospel values of love and justice and you will find yourself immersed in the heart of Christianity. You will treasure this book.”
Lynne Hinton, novelist and author of Hope Springs, The Friendship Cake, and
Forever Friends
“What would we do without Marcus Borg? If he did not exist, we would have to invent him for we have no better guide to the recovery of an authentic Christian faith for these difficult times than this articulate and prolific public theologian. In this book, we are reminded that the heart of Christianity speaks directly to the human heart as a lived, living, and loving faith: now more than ever we need this authentic affirmation.”
Peter J. Gomes, Harvard University Divinity School and author of The Good Book and The Good Life
“Marcus Borg is a key force in the emerging ‘new paradigm’ of Christian faith. This book will be a great gift to those who have so much to unlearn in and about the church. It will, moreover, nourish new Christians who are moving beyond popular caricatures of faith, inviting them to the real stuff. Borg is ‘on a roll,’ and here ‘the roll’ takes on additional momentum, a happy outcome for us all.”
Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary, and author of more than thirty books on the Hebrew Bible