Days of Awe and Wonder: How to Be a Christian in the Twenty-First Century

Borg (1942–2015), a leader in the Jesus Seminar, spent his life teaching, preaching, researching, and writing. He left a legacy of good works and good words, and his provocative messages resonate in this capstone anthology of sermons and essays from 1984 to 2014. Among Borg’s repeated themes are “The passion of God is revealed in Jesus” and “Christianity affirms that Jesus trumps the Bible.” Borg addresses Christian faith and other faiths, awe and wonder, compassion, the voice of God, lived passion, and healing. His words bear the weight of study as they forge—not without humor—through theology, history, and practice. His language also carries the light of his own sagacity, spirit, and mysticism, transcending his work as a historical critic. Through quotations, Borg honors his companions on the way, including American theologian Frederick Buechner, liberation theologian Dorothee S elle, religious studies scholar Huston Smith, and New Testament scholar John Dominic Crossan. The foreword by his widow, Rev. Marianne Borg, and the afterword, Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor’s funeral homily, embrace Borg’s profound words, which will inspire much rereading. (Mar.)