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Study
Questions – Chapter 1
- What are some
religious beliefs that you used to have that no longer hold true for
you?
- What do the labels
“conservative Christianity” and “liberal Christianity” mean to you? Do
you think they are still helpful categories or not? If not, why not?
- Dr. Borg says that
these are the issues that divide the contemporary church: the ordination
of women, full inclusion for gay and lesbian Christians, and whether or
not there is only one true religion. What do you believe about these
topics and what is the biblical foundation for your belief?
- Dr. Borg states that
the “earlier paradigm” or traditional way of understanding Christian
faith does these things: it interprets the Bible literally,
it sees faith as a matter of believing some doctrines, focuses primarily
on the afterlife, and sees the Christian life to be about requirements
and rewards. The more progressive faith that he is stating has these
characteristics: it sees the Bible as a human response to God, sees the
Christian life to be about following a path and about living with a
changed heart, and emphasizes this life now instead of the afterlife.
What parts of these make more sense to you and why?
- In a footnote in chapter
one, Dr. Borg says that half of the students in his religion classes at Oregon State University
have no church background. When he asks those “unchurched”
students to tell of their impressions of Christians, they consistently
use five adjectives: literalistic, anti intellectual, self righteous,
judgmental and bigoted. Why do you think people have that impression and
how would you address those perceptions if you had a chance to talk with
some of those students?
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