Reading the Bible Again for the First Time

A challenge facing thoughtful people today is how to read the Bible faithfully without abandoning our sense of truth & history. Reading the Bible Again for the First Time provides a fully authentic yet contemporary understanding of the scriptures. Many mistakenly believe there are no choices other than fundamentalism or simply rejecting the Bible as meaningless. Answering this modern dilemma, acclaimed author Marcus Borg shows it is possible to reconcile the Bible with both a scientific & critical way of thinking & our deepest spiritual needs, leading to a contemporary yet grounded experience of the sacred texts. This seminal book shows you how to read the Bible as it should be examined-in an approach the author calls historical-metaphorical. Borg explores what the Scriptures meant to the ancient communities that produced them. He helps us discover the meaning of the stories, providing the knowledge & perspective to make their wisdom an essential part of modern life. He argues the conventional way of seeing the Bible's origin, authority, & interpretation has become unpersuasive to millions of people & that we need a fresh way of encountering it that takes the texts seriously but not literally. Borg traces his personal spiritual journey, describing for readers how he moved from an unquestioning childhood belief in the biblical stories to a more powerful & dynamic relationship with the Bible as a sacred text brimming with meaning & guidance. With his personal experience as example, he reveals how the modern crisis of faith is itself rooted in the misinterpretation of sacred texts as historical record & divine dictation, & opens readers to a truer perspective. This unique book invites everyone to engage the Bible, wrestle with its meaning, explore its mysteries, & understand its relevance. Borg shows us how to encounter the Bible in a fresh way that rejects the limits of simple literalism & opens up rich possibilities for our lives.