Book Review: Putting Away Childish Things {a debut novel by a renowned theologian}

Marcus Borg.  Ever heard of him?

Borg is a well-established theologian who has written many non-fiction books on issues of faith and Christian religion.  Here is the opening paragraph of what Wikipedia posts about him:

 Marcus J. Borg (born 1942) is an American Biblical scholar and author. He is a fellow of the Jesus Seminar, holds a DPhil degree from Oxford University and is Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture, an endowed chair, at Oregon State University. He is a columnist for Beliefnet, is a contributor to a number of the Living the Questions DVD programs, lectures widely, and occasionally appears in the national news media. A best-selling writer whose works have been translated into nine languages, he has been national chair of the Historical Jesus Section of the Society of Biblical Literature, co-chair of its International New Testament Program Committee and president of the Anglican Association of Biblical Scholars.
Borg is among the most widely-known and influential voices in progressive Christianity.


Ok. Borg is clearly a bad-ass in the academic world of theology and religious geeks. So it was intriguing to me that at this stage of his illustrious accomplishments that he crafted a novel.  What was more intriguing is that this reader would actually read it. I do not read novels often, and Christian novels even less. But this book of Borg's, Putting Away Childish Things,  is not a typical mainstream Christian novel with a predictable evangelical worldview being espoused. Instead, this progressive Christian theologian tells a story that showcases some of the core issues of Christendom that are heaving with turbulence these days.

The story centers on Kate, a theology professor who is liberal in her beliefs, while deeply dedicated to her relationship with Christ. Borg tells her story well, the insecure academic (Kate, not Borg!) who struggles with relationships and career choices while facing some public challenges to her reputation. As he paints the world of Kate and the other characters in the narrative, it is utterly seamless. Writers are taught to "write what you know." Borg clearly knows the sub-culture of university religious studies and effortlessly takes the reader into that place with little to no confusion. This was fascinating to me as a woman who's never been to college who secretly aspires to be theology professor in another lifetime. I loved living vicariously through Kate, who seems as insecure as I can be at times!

The jewels of this novel, though, are the dialogues of the professors and students who are examining basic tenets of the Christian faith in a context of education and personal struggle. Issues such as the inerrant authority  of the bible (literal or mixture of myth, history and story?), the morality of homosexuality, as well as gender issues of women and spirituality are all introduced within the story. It is clear that Borg has some ideas he would like to present to the readership about looking at traditional Christian beliefs another way - with intellectual integrity as well as devout Christian spirituality - but he does not belabor the agenda.  Borg is a good writer, and though his introductory remarks express some wonderment whether this novel ought to have been published or not, I think he has done a fine job of storytelling with this theological novel.

On another note, it has only been a short while since the novel, any novel, gained respect from me. I have for so many years chosen not to read novels, seeing them as a waste of time and brain space when I can instead read a book full of knowledge, ideas and stimulating points of view. It unfortunately took a long while before I had the necessary epiphany that novels are simply parables, stories, and that stories often can teach us something that facts alone cannot reach.  The most obvious example of this is Jesus who used parables often to impart spiritual truth.

I had the privilege of hearing Portland Pulitizer nominated novelist, Tom Spanbauer, speak about the power of the novel a few years ago. He said, "Fiction is the lie that tells the truth truer."  Read that again.  Fiction is the lie...that tells the truth...truer.  Novels and stories and metaphors and myths employ the right and left sides of our brains, our reasoning of logic side as well as the creative side. When both are stimulated, like by a story or a song or a movie, then the message of the story carries a bigger punch. If we ingest that message it becomes like a seed within our minds and hearts and can lead to a change in point of view, of attitude, and ultimately of behavior and how we then live. This is the power of storytelling.

Like for me. I have been uncomfortable with the evangelical tenet that the bible is the inerrant of word of God.  It has cost me to ignore my intellect's protests at various points of tension and obvious complication or outright contradiction over the years. How can I reconcile such things and still remain loyal to the sacred text of my Christian faith?  I have become open to the idea of the bible being an inspired mixture  of myth, history and story, all entwined together as a text that can guide the seeker. But is this a step upon a slippery slope that will lead me to abandoning the bible all together?  This has been my secret interlogue for a number of years.

Putting Away Childish Things framed in a primary way the tension of such conflict as the characters of the story presented various points of view. Obviously a novel is not going to get to the depth of scholarship as many need to process theological quandaries.   But for a reader like me, it the novel helped define for my own mind the nature of my personal angst as well as anchor me a bit stronger with my evolved stance that the bible does indeed carry a measure of myth. For a recovering evangelical to admit this is somewhat startling, if only to myself.

A fun fact about Borg is that he is a professor at Oregon State University, a college that is a couple of hours away from Portland. Nice to know he's in my state, though I'm not sure if he actually lives here or travels in to teach. No matter. I enjoyed knowing that the author and this reader had a locale in common! Anybody with a connection to Oregon gets an extra star just because I'm a fierce Oregonian!

Check out the book. Enjoy the read. Let your presuppositions about doctrine take a break. You might discover a new point of view for the first time, or as a validation, as this reader did!