Convictions

“This book is personal and more than personal: it is the product of turning seventy and reflecting about my life at that milestone - my memories, conversions, and convictions.” p.xi

“Memories: especially of childhood but also of the decades since. Conversions: major changes in my orientations toward life, including how I understand what it means to be Christian. Convictions: how I see things now - foundational ways of seeing things that are not easily shaken. Whether we are conscious of it or not, I think the triad of memories, conversions, and convictions shapes all of our lives.” p.3

Marcus Borg, from his book,

Convictions: How I Learned What Matters Most

Marcus Borg wrote this book after turning seventy. I’m just over fifty, and I have entered what is my second half of life. And in this half, I’ve gone through transformation and conversion in my deepest core and in the truest sense. In my first half of life, I struggled a great deal spiritually, but I needed the memories of that first half in order to prepare me for my conversions. And in those conversions, I’m learning how to better articulate my own convictions. What a gift it has been to discover this book. I am at a point in my life where I can truly appreciate the wisdom of this book. I am grateful that this book has been patiently waiting for me. And I am grateful that Borg created this gift for people like me who are working through the particulars of life and finding meaning in the unique triad of “memories, conversions, and convictions.”

I feel like I’ve had one of the most important conversations of my life. Like I’ve sat down with a wise mentor who just explained to me how to better understand and navigate this great mystery of life and spirituality we find ourselves in. He does not claim to have all the answers, but he shares a perspective that has been shaped by decades of study and searching with a sincere heart. You might say he was asking, seeking, and knocking. And he came back from his divine encounters with a gift to share.

I have this habit of underlining texts and making notes in the margins of books I read. The two hundred thirty-one of this book are packed with underscores and notes and stars. Borg closes the book with scores of references to scriptures and works from other theologians and Biblical scholars.

I’ll close this piece as Borg closes his book. So here is your spoiler alert. What follows is the last paragraph of the book. This in no way “sums up” the book. There is far too much wisdom to adequately share in this short piece, but here is a small taste. Enjoy.

“What’s it all about? What’s the Christian life all about? It’s about loving God and loving what God loves. It’s about becoming passionate about God and participating in God’s passion for a different kind of world, here and now. And the future, including what is beyond our lives? We leave that up to God.” p.231