The God We Never Knew - by Marcus J Borg (Paperback)

About the Book

Borg challenges readers to reclaim a stronger sense of God's presence by embracing an authentic, contemporary faith that reconciles God with science, critical thinking, and religious pluralism.

Book Synopsis

How to have faith--or even think about God--without having to stifle modern rational thought is one of the most vital challenges facing many of us today. Marcus J. Borg, author of the bestselling Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, traces his personal spiritual journey to the discovery of an authentic yet fully contemporary understanding of God. In a compelling, readable way, he leads us from the distant, authoritarian God of our childhood to an equally powerful, dynamic adult image of God--"the beyond in our midst," the life spirit that is within us and all around us--that reconciles faith with science, history, critical thinking, and religious pluralism.

From the Back Cover

Answering the many "spiritual" questions left unaddressed by such popular historical bestsellers as "A History of God" and "God: A Biography," renowned author Marcus Borg reveals how to embrace an authentic contemporary faith that reconciles God with science, critical thinking and religious pluralism.

How to have faith-- how to even think about God-- without having to stifle modern rationality is one of the most vital challenges facing contemporary religion. In providing a much-needed solution to the problem of how to have a fully authentic yet fully contemporary understanding of God, Borg-- author of the bestselling "Meeting Jesus Again for the first Time" --traces his personal journey. He leads readers from the all-powerful and authoritarian God of his (and their) childhood and traditional faith to an equally powerful but dynamic image of God that is relevant to contemporary seekers and more biblical and spiritually authentic. Borg shows how the modern crisis of faith is itself rooted in delusion-- misinterpretation of biblical texts and of God's true nature-- and challenges readers to a new way of thinking about God. He opens a practical discussion about how to base a relationship with the divine both immanent and transcendant, here and now, always and everywhere.

Arguing that the authentic Judeo-Christian tradition is that God's being includes the whole world, Borg persuasively shows how this understanding accounts for the whole variety of human religious experience. Ultimately, he introduces readers to a way of thinking about God who is "right here" all around them, rather than distant and remote. This understanding is more intellectually and spiritually satisfying andallows readers to reclaim a stronger sense of God's presence.

Review Quotes

"The God We Never Knew will appeal to unbelieving seekers and fainthearted believers, but it also has riches for those who think their faith is secure." -- Robert N. Bellah, author of Habits of the Heart

"Writing clearly, summarizing some of the best contemporary theology in non-technical language, Borg continues to speak to, and to challenge, the widest possible audience." -- Publishers Weekly

"Borg does what few scholars on religion seem capable of doing: he has digested an immense amount of difficult, often conflicting religious ideas and written a clear, coherent, and highly readable theological work that satisfies the mind and the soul." -- Oregonian

"In this trenchant theological work, Borg challenges us to re-imagine God, spiritual practice, justice, and salvation. It is a subtle, flexible, intelligent, and mature reframing of Christianity for this age of heated-up religious pluralism." -- Spirituality & Practice

"A breath of fresh air, a liberating book for Jews and Christians alike." -- Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

"[P]ersuasive and inspiriting." -- Frederick Buechner