Heresy to the bigot, fresh water to the disillusioned - Rated 
It's easy for the evangelical-educated eye to see what those of young or narrow christian faith find offensive in Borg's accessible and readable book. Still, such views also miss the point in insightful humour like "Life of Brian" and social comment like "Brass Eye" (on British TV). Borg tries to paint a word-picture of the real Jesus, asking what he personally taught and believed and what, based on his own sayings, lay at the heart of his ministry. The distinction is made between the pre-Easter Jesus - the flesh-and-blood man who taught by word and deed - and the post-Easter Christ, the focus of organisation of the new christian church. Borg asserts that Jesus' own view was of the need for compassion derived from a daily experience of the living God rather than legalistic purity derived from the rules of the religious status quo. He bravely asserts that Jesus was less concerned about what people believed than about how they allowed the rule of the Spirit and of compassion in their lives. His careful, educated and well-supported analysis leads the tired christian to a new view of Jesus that can reinvigorate faith without demanding the legalistic focus of either liturgy or dogma. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has been involved in the christian church but grown weary of the limited scope of evangelicalism yet knows that God is and that the Hound of Heaven continues to pursue them. There are things to agree with, things to disagree with but the style is gentle and you, after all, are an adult who can make up your own mind...
A Radical New Way of Looking At Jesus - Rated 
This book is aimed at any Christian whose belief has grown stale. The author describes a radical new way of looking at Jesus which may appeal to anybody who is sincere in a desire to grow in Christ but feels hopelessly stuck with an unsatisfactory image of Jesus.
Attack against Christianity and Scholarly Wrong - Rated 
This book was one of the texts for one of my Theological subjects. In my opinion it is not a book worth reading and I consider it trash. All he still had to do is openly deny his faith in God. He demoted Jesus from God's Holy Prophet to a mere "Social Prophet" from the founder and head of the Church to a "Movement Founder" from the Son of GOd to a "spirit person", from the Wisdom of God to "wisdom teacher". He draws the distinction between the Pre-Easter (real) Jesus and the Post-Easter (disciple manufactured) Jesus. He says that what we have in Christianity today is the Post-Easter Jesus which originated from the early church's higly developed supernatural beliefs. Most of the sayings as recorded in Scripture of Jesus is denied. To Borg Jesus is just another Buddha, Moses, Mohammed or some, as he call them "spirit person". You might even want to check up on his website and see how carefully he presents this false view so that the average person would not recognize the heresy introduced to the church.
Borg promotes self at expense of faith - Rated
Like all Christians Marcus Borg is on a journey of faith, but he got off of the train too soon at the oportunistic station called "Jesus Seminar Bucks" The doubts and questions that Borg describes are not uncommon to growing Christians, but Borg seems to have come to the conclusion that if you can't prove something, then it could not have happened. While denying the physical resurrection of Christ, he proclaims himself to be a Christian. (Something that a lot of denominations find to be pretty basic in the description of a member of the religion.) While contending that Jesus' body was thrown to the dogs Borg is sure, that no one ever was able to retrieve a body after a Roman crucifixion. How can Borg be so sure of that fact when he has no more evidence of that than some of the other stories he knocks down because of lack of evidence? Could Pontius Pilate have surrendered one body? Could Pontius Pilate be moved by a bribe from a rich man such as Joseph of Arimathea who claimed Jesus' body? And what group of disciples, no matter how devoted to their fallen leader would try to convince anyone that he had risen from the dead, if his body had been eaten by dogs? Who would believe such a story if it were known that the bodies of crucifixion victims were eaten by dogs? Could it be, that this story, as fantastic as it seems, even in Borg's description, is believed and has been from almost 2000 years, because it is true? In that respect, Borg only strengthened my belief in Jesus Christ and his bodily resurrection, but then I'll never be part of the storied Jesus Seminar. All in all, this is a book that I really wish I had not paid money for or read. I am praying that Mr. Borg will realize that his research should continue. Maybe the next book could be, "Meeting Jesus for the REAL Time."
I gave up my faith after reading this one. - Rated 
When the author gets finished with Jesus there is little left. If he were really honest, he would just give up the faith entirely and be an atheist. I no longer believe and my guess is that if this sort of stuff were to be widely dissemninated, very few other people would believe either. My final impression was that christianity is nothing but a cult that got out of hand. People like the author want to salvage something to sustain themselves. If he had more backbone and courage, he would just give up his effort to save his religion from the bright and unmerciful light of the intellect. Christianity is in BIG trouble if it is going to end up as a religion that only appeals to uneducated fundamentalists or atheists who can't stand the heat and decide to reconstruct chirstianity in their own image. Good luck, church people. I am afraid that you will have to work on this one without me - I am moving on!
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