My Summer Blog Plans

Well, the year is wrapping up and I need a plan. One thing that I do a lot of in the summer is read. Much of what I read is for work but not all of it. Basically, I have a list of articles and books, some of which will be good and others will be complete garbage. I will try to keep you up on that as well as any inspiration that occurs while riding my bike or relaxing at the pond. More than that, I do not know...

My first installment in the summer reading series is The God We Never Knew By Marcus Borg. I bought this while in Maryland in May and promptly used it for a sermon. Borg, in addition to having a great and memorable name, is a student of the Bible and a member of the Jesus Seminar. Yes, sometimes the seminar is downright flakey. However, Borg has some interesting thoughts about how we image God and how we might want to in the future.

He is at his best when explaining the theology of such luminaries as Tillich. I, at least, often find the language used by professional theologians and academics to be somewhat taxing. It is nice to have someone to translate. Also, he made me think about how I and others concieve the Divine. Not a bad thing at all. Check out the section on Panenthiesm (which is almost as fun to say as "Marcus Borg"). In Chapter Three he also gives us two different models of God. It is worth reading even if you find it hard to imagine that there are only two ways to skin a cat.

So, that is all for now, rather cold and rainy here at the parsonage...