Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

  Speaking Christian: Why Christian Words Have Lost Their             Meaning and Power― And How They Can Be Restored   by Marcus J. Borg Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton   In Speaking Christian , Marcus Borg offers a new way to experience Christianity free from the strange and often misunderstood phrases that hide the meaning of stories from thousands of years ago. It is the kind of book that can help contemporary Christians appreciate ancient wisdom in a new light. And SpeakingChristian can also help non-Christians understand the differences between Christian spirituality and more recent interpretations of old texts that ignore the metaphors of ancient texts. Borg expresses concern about the misunderstandings conveyed by Christians who do not understand the historical texts. There are two languages spoken by Christians. One linguistic framework focuses on transforming people for the next world and the other focuses on transforming the world in which we live. Borg d

  Unbelievable                                  Why Neither Ancient Creeds     Nor the Reformation Can Produce a Living Faith Today By   John Shelby Spong Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton ( suttong.com ) Spong provides examples of Unbelievable doctrines of the church and calls for a second reformation. He presents 12 challenging theses as foundational to building a new understanding of the Bible by relying on a more rational appreciation of the metaphorical and meaningful truths of the scriptures rather than the implausible literal interpretations that obscure a meaningful spiritual life. His presentation appears focused on educated adults who have not lost their interest in Christian spirituality but are not satisfied with current presentations of Christianity found in Protestant or Catholic pulpits. He is particularly concerned with the distortion of faith found in those who present simplistic and literal, or near literal, views of creation, biblical violence, and

Meeting Jesus Again       for the First Time   By   Marcus J. Borg   Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton   Borg begins his re-introduction of Jesus by telling us he is writing from the perspective of two worlds—the world of a religious scholar and the world of a Christian. Chapter 1 Images of Jesus are important. As children, Christians learn about Jesus as divine savior and teacher, but there’s more. He then tells us of his stressful spiritual struggle as a teenager. In my early teens, I began to have doubts about the existence of God. It was an experience filled with anxiety, guilt, and fear. I still believed enough to be afraid of going to hell because of my doubts. I felt that they were wrong, and in my prayers I would ask for forgiveness. But I couldn’t stop doubting, and so my requests for forgiveness seemed to me not to be genuine. (p.32) As many have before, Marcus prayed for help. “Every night for several years, I prayed with considerable anguish, “Lord,

Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy  A Journey into a New Christianity  Through  the Doorway of Matthew's Gospel By John Shelby Spong Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton John Shelby Spong retired as Episcopal Bishop of Newark NJ in 2000. He is a strong voice for Progressive Christians. In Biblical Literalism , Spong offers an easy to read commentary on Matthew's Gospel that reveals the Jewish roots of the stories, which are presented in the context of the Jewish calendar. Spong opines that Christians who read the bible in a literal or near literal fashion and ignore Jewish culture cannot understand the gospel, which was written by a Jewish man for a Jewish audience decades after Jesus' ministry. Spong reminds (or informs) readers that the story of Jesus in the New Testament begin with the early letters of Paul. Years later, we get Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John. Paul's story of Jesus is limited and what he leaves out is significant. Mark'

SEX GOD EXPLORING THE ENDLESS CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SEXUALITY AND SPIRITUALITY     By Rob Bell Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton What Rob Bell Says about Sexuality and Christian Spirituality  When I was writing A House Divided , I read Bell’s book, Sex God , as part of my quest to see what various evangelical Christians have said on the subject. Bell, a graduate of Wheaton College and Fuller Theological Seminary, founded the evangelical Mars Hill Church in Grandville, Michigan. His bestselling books have sometimes promoted controversy within Christian cultures because of his nontraditional views on classic teachings about such doctrines as salvation. He has been associated with the emerging church movement. In my book, I cite Bell as an example of the views of progressive Christians in contrast to those of conservative Christians. As with most of Bell’s writings, Sex God is an easy-to-read poetry-like collection of essays aimed at a general