Marcus Borg, The heart of Christianity: Ch2 Faith the way of the heart

 

The heart of Christianity: Ch2 Faith the way of the heart

This chapter starts by defining how most people inside and outside the Church define 'faith' : 'believing a set of Christian beliefs to be true.' To be a Christian there is a need to affirm the 'right' beliefs to be true. This form of beliefs turns belief into a head matter instead of a heart matter.

Borg goes onto mention four meanings of faith::

Faith as Assensus: faith as belief as just mentioned. A recent phenonemon with the advent of enlightenment and beyond. What happens is questionable things are true. Doubt
I like what he writes latter on in the chapter about Assensus, 'We cannot give our heart to something that our mind rejects'

[Comment, after reading this It gave me great clarity of my own life, I had been looking for the assensus and bypassing my heart, occasionally the heart was touched but not often.]

Faith as Fiducia: Instead of believing in a set of propositions about God, it is just trust in God. Borg an illustration from Kierkegaard 'faith is like floating...If you struggle, if you tense up and thrash about, you will eventually sink. But if you relax and trust, you will float.

Faith as Fidelitas: faithfulness or even better fidelity. Not faithful to some sort of doctrine or creed but to God. A faithfulness to God and also what God loves.

Faith as Visio: A way of seeing the whole, seeing it as 'what is', nourishing, bringing us into existence and a giver of our abstinence. Filled with beauty and at times 'terrible' beauty.
The way that I look at it as 'If all things turn out for the best' and a trust in this.

[comment:: This for me Vissio is the most difficult to understand, I'm still not sure I get it.
This part of the chapter was a bit of a revelation for me. One of my constant struggles was with faith as 'assensus'. I think if people had an understanding of these broader definitions of faith then the amount of 'doubt' would be reduced.]

Borg dosn't  write that we need to eliminate altogether the idea of assensus; it is still a very important part of what it means and defines Christianity to be. Borg gives his own broad 'Assensus' of what it is to be a Christian these are::

Being a Christian means affirming the reality of God
Christian faith means affirming the utter centrality of Jesus
Christian faith means affirming the centrality of the Bible

[Comment: I like the broadness of this, it is what I can affirm]

 -Borg goes onto discuss the word 'Credo' the giving of ones 'deeper self' not just intellect.
-premodern understanding of faith is a relational understanding of Christian life.

I like the last paragraph it sums up what it means to be a Christian

...the central meaning of faith. Given the premodern meaning of "believe," to believe in God is to belove God. Faith is about beloving God and all that God beloves....'

Marcus Borg, The heart of Christianity: Ch1 The heart of Christianity in a time of Change

Over 2010 I picked up Marcus Borg's 'Heart of Christianity' in the local library. It was a book which was perfect for me at the time. Usually though with any book that I read I scribble all over it, a way for me to interact with the text. Due to the it been a library book I couldn't do this. So I'm re-reading the book and this time interacting with summaries some of the main points of each chapter....

Marcus Borg, The heart of Christianity: Ch1 The heart of Christianity in a time of change.

This chapter looks at what is at the 'heart' of Christianity and reflects on some of the major contemporary conflicts such as::

• Ordination of women
• Gays and lesbians
• Christian exclusivism

These are very serious issues which if you are in Christian or in Christian leadership you need to work through.  I don't think it is good enough to just to say, my pastor told me or its in the Bible.  For me the last two have been particularly prickly for me...

Borg goes onto say that Christinity is going through a paradigm change. He writes about two paradigms::

The earlier Paradigm::

• Grounded in the authority of the Bible.
• Bible as divine
• A literal interpretation

Earlier Paradigm vision for Christian life::

• faith as believing is central :: As Christianity has become more unbelievable due to rationality/modernism/enlightenment, the need for faith as a belief has become more important.
• afterlife is central:: A big carrot eternity
  
• Christian life is about requirements and rewards:: What we believe and do to get the afterlife. The minimum belief in Jesus. 
   

Emerging Paradigm::

Basically a response to enlightenment/modernism


Historically:: Bible written as a historical product for two communities- ancient Israel and the beginnings of the Christian community. Bible was not written for us. Historical approach emphasis interpretation of the bible.
Metaphorical:: Not interested in the 'historical factuality' rather the meaning. The stories ask not did it happen rather, what does it mean for us?
Sacramental: Something visible and physical where the Spirit become present to us. 'sacrament is a means of grace, a vehicle or vessel for the Spirit'

The first two points have changed how I read the Bible, while the last point 'sacramental' how I interact with the the world looking for things that may be a means of 'grace'

Overlap of the paradigms

• affirmation in the reality of God
• Centrality of Jesus
• Importance of a relationship with 'God as know as Jesus'
• The need for the world to be transformed.

Borg uses the words of an 'un-ending conversation' that it will continue to evolve as we interact with the Bible, our history and each other.

Paul Kelly's How to make gravy

Cover of Paul Kelly

Just finished Paul Kelly's book 'How to make gravy', you can read my review here