Speaking Christian
Why Christian Words Have Lost Their Meaning and Power—And How They Can Be Restored
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Narrated by:
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John Pruden
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By:
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Marcus J. Borg
About this listen
Modern Christians are steeped in a language so distorted that it has become a stumbling block to the religion, says internationally renowned Bible scholar Marcus J. Borg. Borg argues that Christianity's important words, and the sacred texts and stories in which those words are embedded, have been narrowed by a modern framework for the faith that emphasizes sin, forgiveness, Jesus dying for our sins, and the afterlife. Here, Borg employs the "historical-metaphorical" method for understanding Christian language that can restore for us these words of power and transformation. For example:
- Redemption: now narrowly understood as Jesus saving us from sins so we can go to heaven, but in the Bible it refers to being set free from slavery.
- Savior: now refers to Jesus as the one who saves us from our sins, but in the Bible it has a rich and wonderful variety of meanings having nothing to do with the afterlife.
- Sacrifice: now refers to Jesus's death on the cross as payment for our sins, but in the Bible it is never about substitutionary payment for sin.
In Speaking Christian, Borg delivers a language for 21st-century Christians that grounds the faith in its deep and rich original roots and allows it once again to transform our lives.
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Story
In Reasons to Believe, Scott Hahn, a convert to Catholicism, explains the "how and why" of the Catholic faith - drawing from Scripture, his own struggles, and those of other converts, as well as from everyday life and even natural science. Hahn shows that reason and revelation, as well as nature and the supernatural, are not opposed to one another; rather, they offer complementary evidence that God exists. He is someone, and He has a personality, a personal style, that is discernable and knowable.
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A Catholic for convition and tradition
- By benigno on 05-29-12
By: Scott Hahn
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Unbelievable
- Why Neither Ancient Creeds nor the Reformation Can Produce a Living Faith Today
- By: John Shelby Spong
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Five hundred years after Martin Luther and his Ninety-Five Theses ushered in the Reformation, best-selling author and controversial bishop and teacher John Shelby Spong delivers 12 forward-thinking theses to spark a new reformation to reinvigorate Christianity and ensure its future. Spong contends that there is mounting pressure among Christians for a radically new kind of Christianity - a faith deeply connected to the human experience instead of outdated dogma.
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great
- By Brian Diffley on 03-27-21
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Things Hidden
- Scripture as Spirituality
- By: Richard Rohr O.F.M.
- Narrated by: John Quigley O.F.M.
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The Bible is meant to be about transformation, not merely information. In Things Hidden, Richard Rohr invites you to experience Scripture as spirituality - as a living text that can breathe new life into your relationship with God and change your way of seeing the world.
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excellent and inspirational in the insights
- By Nana on 11-03-22
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Jesus on Trial
- A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel
- By: David Limbaugh
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In Jesus on Trial, New York Times bestselling author David Limbaugh applies his lifetime of legal experience to a unique new undertaking: making a case for the gospels as hard evidence of the life and work of Jesus Christ. Limbaugh, a practicing attorney and former professor of law, approaches the canonical gospels with the same level of scrutiny he would apply to any legal document and asks all the necessary questions about the story of Jesus....
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What a disappointment
- By JB on 10-07-14
By: David Limbaugh
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How Jesus Became God
- The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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In a book that took eight years to research and write, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Ehrman explores how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty Creator of all things. Ehrman sketches Jesus's transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God exalted to divine status at his resurrection. Only when some of Jesus's followers had visions of him after his death - alive again - did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God.
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Wishing for a bit more meat on the bones
- By Darwin8u on 04-09-14
By: Bart D. Ehrman
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Paul and Jesus
- How the Apostle Transformed Christianity
- By: James D. Tabor
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Historians know virtually nothing about the two decades following the crucifixion of Jesus, when his followers regrouped and began to spread his message. During this time the man we know as the apostle Paul joined the movement and began to preach to the gentiles. Using the oldest Christian documents that we have - the letters of Paul - as well as other early Christian sources, historian and scholar James Tabor reconstructs the origins of Christianity.
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Paul or Jesus?
- By James on 01-29-13
By: James D. Tabor
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Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy
- A Journey into a New Christianity Through the Doorway of Matthew's Gospel
- By: John Shelby Spong
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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A man who has consciously and deliberately walked the path of Christ, John Shelby Spong has lived his entire life inside the Christian Church. In this profound and considered work, he offers a radical new way to look at the gospels today as he shows just how deeply Jewish the Christian Gospels are and how much they reflect the Jewish scriptures, history, and patterns of worship.
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understanding the jewish thoughts in the Gospels
- By John on 08-30-18
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Reading Judas
- The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity
- By: Elaine Pagels, Karen L. King
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre, Robertson Dean
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Two celebrated scholars illustrate how the newly discovered Gospel of Judas provides a window into understanding how Jesus' followers understood his death, why Judas betrayed Jesus, and why God allowed it. Presented with the elegance, insight, and accessibility that has made Pagels and King the leading voices in this field, this is a book for academics and popular audiences alike.
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Judas Iscariot: Betrayer or Saint?
- By Diane on 08-21-12
By: Elaine Pagels, and others
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The Mission of God
- Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative
- By: Christopher J. H. Wright
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 24 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Most Christians would agree that the Bible provides a basis for mission. But Christopher Wright boldly maintains that mission is bigger than that - there is in fact a missional basis for the Bible. The entire Bible is generated by and is all about God's mission. In order to understand the Bible, we need a missional hermeneutic of the Bible, an interpretive perspective that is in tune with this great missional theme. We need to see the "big picture" of God's mission and how the familiar bits and pieces fit into the grand narrative of Scripture.
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Best evangelical mission book
- By dustin ballay on 07-15-23
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Understanding the Koran
- A Quick Christian Guide to the Muslim Holy Book
- By: Mateen Elass
- Narrated by: Don Reed
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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A quick non-technical introduction to the Koran designed to help Christians understand a hidden book revered by 1.3 billion Muslims, covering the background on its writing, a summary of its contents, a perspective on how it’s used and viewed by Muslims, a comparison of differences and similarities to the Bible, and some suggestions on how it should and should not be used in conversations with Muslims.
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Favors Christianity
- By Dianne on 12-18-15
By: Mateen Elass
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Swear to God
- The Promise and Power of the Sacraments
- By: Scott Hahn
- Narrated by: Brian Keeler
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Written in an accessible style, Swear to God is a testament to the seven sacraments, which Hahn sees not as boring rituals, but as powerful reminders of our covenants with God.
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Swear to God
- By LW on 07-03-24
By: Scott Hahn
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The Misunderstood Jew
- The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus
- By: Amy Jill Levine
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Misunderstood Jew, scholar Amy-Jill Levine helps Christians and Jews understand the "Jewishness" of Jesus so that their appreciation of him deepens and a greater interfaith dialogue can take place. Levine's humor and informed truth - telling provokes honest conversation and debate about how Christians and Jews should understand Jesus, the New Testament, and each other.
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Courageous
- By Tad Davis on 07-27-17
By: Amy Jill Levine
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Spirit and Sacrament
- An Invitation to Eucharismatic Worship
- By: Andrew Wilson
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Spirit and Sacrament by pastor and author Andrew Wilson is an impassioned call to join together two traditions that are frequently and unnecessarily kept separate. It is an invitation to pursue the best of both worlds in worship, the Eucharistic and the charismatic, with the grace of God at the center. Wilson envisions church services in which healing testimonies, creeds, exuberant praise, and ancient liturgy coexist, and in doing so, deepen our worship and increase our joy.
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Is not what I was hoping
- By KIM SMITH on 01-16-23
By: Andrew Wilson
What listeners say about Speaking Christian
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-21-12
Say That Again With Different Words
Often I have wondered,"How did we get here from there?". We make the "Good News" very complicated and fear based, needing to escape the "fires of Hell". It doesn't seem that our message to a suffering world is the same as Jesus'. My silent questions were openly discussed in this book and answered even with the scripture passages for explanation. Over the recent years I have learned the filter of belief we hold in our own minds influence what we think a phrase means. This book identifies the filters and gently challenges the listener to be willing to listen without the old filter. I have listened to this book four times in the past week, removing more of the filter each time and going back to scripture with an open mind and a prayerful heart. I highly recommend listening to this book. I hoped I could find a way of telling others from a different culture about my faith and found many of my own questions answered along the way.
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- Michael
- 12-05-11
Great Book, OK Presentation
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
A good book that would be a good read for someone already familiar with the Christian story who is struggling with questions of Christianity's relevancy in the 21st century.
What did you like best about this story?
I love the fresh take on the meaning of the language of faith and the ways in which Borg roots his understanding in the cultural and linguistic context of the Bible.
Have you listened to any of John Pruden’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Haven't heard John Pruden before, but felt that his reading did not always capture the wry wit of Marcus Borg. I have heard Borg speak and sometimes I imagined passages having a different tone or nuance than the one that Pruden put on it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Bart Visscher
- 01-16-18
Great book, extremely well read by the narrator
Words are important, the author shows where many of the “Christian” words we use have been changed from their biblical roots.
Fascinating
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- Curt Curtis
- 06-04-16
My favorite book from my favorite author.
I have now read this book and listened to it four or five times in the last three years. I Learn something each time. I just listened to it again, it seems especially appropriate in mid 2017
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2 people found this helpful
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- Marita Hartmann
- 09-15-16
thank God for Marcus Borg. much needed.
This book can help those caught in life's paradox to finally understand God's undying love for His/Her creation. A refreshing look at what the Bible is trying to teach us. How can we as Christians embody a transformed way of living. Imagine the Justice, Peace and transformation if we could only understand these concepts.
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- Anonymous User
- 04-16-19
Abandonment of faith is not restoration of Christianity
modernism + New Testament scripture - literalism = lukewarm, non-existent faith. The very crux of Christian faith hinges on whether or not you accept that Jesus was the LITERAL Son of God, ACTUALLY died for our sins, and was PHYSICALLY resurrected to new Life so that we, too, can take part in eternity with Him... having been made free from sin.
Borg speaks of an anti-Christian doctrine, wherein the literal language and concepts of Christian faith, with which Borg disagrees and finds discomforting to his modern, progressivism.
This is dead faith. A belief in a historical Christ, alone, does not amount to the faith required to receive salvation. Only faith in the literal, sinless Son of God will suffice.
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- barry thomas
- 01-05-16
Atheist
This book should not be included with Christian books as it is not even close. This is a clueless individual who is confounded by the Word and is lacking any Spiritual guidance. DO NOT buy this book for ANY resemblance of Christ. He is what the Bible refers to as a heretic and is Spiritually void and as so try's to dispel the Word because he does not understand . To those who believe the Spirit is life but to those who do not it is foolishness. Obviously anyone who denies the resurrection and salvation is sadly foolish and ignorant.
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