Reading the Bible Again for the First Time

Reading the Bible Again for the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously but Not Literally

Many Christians mistakenly believe that their only choice is either to reconcile themselves to a fundamentalist reading of scripture (a "literal-factual" approach) or to simply reject the Bible as something that could bring meaning and value into their lives. In Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg shows how instead we can freshly appreciate all the essential elements of the Old and New Testaments from Genesis to Revelation in a way that can open up a new world of intelligent faith.
In Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, Borg reveals how it is possible to reconcile a scientific and critical way of thinking with our deepest spiritual needs, leading to an insightful experience of ancient text. This unique book invites every reader whatever his or her religious background to engage the Bible, to wrestle with its meaning, to explore its mysteries, and to understand its relevance. Reading the Bible Again for the First Time shows us how to encounter the Bible in a fresh, new way that rejects the limits of simple literalism and opens up the rich possibility of living a life of authentic faith.
"Conflict about the Bible is the single most divisive issue among Christians in North America today. And because of the impor- tance of Christianity in the culture of the United States, conflict about the Bible is also central to what have been called “the cul-
ture wars.” The conflict is between two very different ways of reading the Bible. In language I will use later in the book, it is a conflict be- tween a “literal-factual” way of reading the Bible and a “historical- metaphorical” way of reading it. The former is central to Christian fundamentalists and many conservative-evangelical Christians. The latter has been taught in seminaries of mainline denominations for the better part of a century. Most clergy have known about it for a long time. In the last few decades, the historical-metaphorical way of reading the Bible has become increasingly common among lay members of mainline churches."