Putting Away Childish Things

I just finished Marcus Borg's new novel, "Putting Away Childish Things: A Tale of Modern Faith". I've read many of Marcus Borg's books and he is one of my favorite authors, but this is his first novel. I wasn't sure what to think when I ordered the book. Could a world renown biblical scholar really write an entertaining work of fiction? The answer is absolutely YES! I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. If you've read any of Brian McLaren's series, "A New Kind of Christian", then I think you'll really love this book too.

Borg calls this book a "teaching novel". It's much more than a good story. He wants to make some important points and he's created the perfect set of characters to illustrate his points. The characters are charming. The main character, Kate, is a religious studies professor struggling to sort through the modern day divisions in Christianity. Kate gets hit from all sides as she deals with accusations of being too Secular, and just as many people seem to think she's too Christian. I really like Kate, but she can't seem to be boxed in by anyone. It's hard not to see that Marcus Borg has written a bit of himself into his characters. Not only do we get a glimpse of the world from Kate's perspective, we get to visit her class and hear a few lessons from the perspective of several different students. I've heard Marcus Borg speak a few times and I recognized his own message in Kate's classroom.

In addition to the lessons, the real treasures of the book are the well developed engaging characters, each with their own perspective and their own set of questions. I'm not sure if Marcus Borg will continue writing fiction, but I'd certainly keep reading. He's a gifted writer and I found myself enthralled by this beautiful story.