Days of Awe and Wonder: How to Be a Christian in the Twenty-First Century Hardback - 2017

Showcasing some of his most enduring and insightful writings, including many previously unpublished works, a concise and illuminating introduction to Marcus J. Borg, the late spokesman for progressive Christianity and one of the most revered and influential theologians of our time.

In his acclaimed books, including classics such as Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, The Heart of Christianity, Speaking Christian, and Convictions, Marcus J. Borg helped shape an enlightened modernist view of Christianity. A leading scholar of the historical Jesus acclaimed for his ability to speak about Christianity in the context of contemporary society, Borg offered profound wisdom and inspiration--a new way of seeing and living the Christian life--for believers, students, and lay readers. Ultimately, he taught us that by developing a deeper understanding of Jesus and the New Testament, we can discover a more authentic way of being. Yet Borg himself was always conscious of a greater truth beyond what he could explain: the wonder of God.

Now, two years after the liberal theologian's death, comes The Days of Awe and Wonder, a selection of his writing, including many never before published works, that explores the Christian faith and what it means to be a Christian in the twenty-first century. Provocative and uplifting, this anthology illuminates Borg's explorations of the miraculous and wonderful, his understanding of conviction and fulfillment, and his contention that we must keep an open mind and question assumptions and certainties in all our religious journeys.

In these final writings, Marcus J. Borg offers a profound vision of a living faith:

• Progressive Christianity: Discover a Christianity that embraces mystery, questions certainty, and offers a more authentic way of being a Christian in the twenty-first century.
• The Historical Jesus: Meet Jesus again not as a divine figure from a creed, but as a Spirit-filled person, wisdom teacher, and social prophet who provides a new model for the Christian life.
• Faith as Trust: Move beyond faith as simply believing doctrines to a radical, life-changing trust in God that casts out anxiety and centers the soul.
• Christian Mysticism: Explore the awe and wonder of firsthand religious experience, including Borg's own powerful journey into the mystical experiences that made God real to him.
• Compassion and Justice: Understand why compassion, not holiness, is the core of the Christian path and why a passion for social justice is the inevitable result of a life centered in God.