Reflection for August 7

A lot of popular Christianity, these days, is fear-based religion. And it relates to a lot of American politics that is fear-based politics. I would wager that half of our population, or maybe more, lives in bondage to fear: financial fear, fear of terrorism, fear of the rest of the world, so many fears. Jesus taught that salvation means being liberated from fear. We don’t help anyone by pushing forms of Christianity that brandish the fear of hell over peoples’ heads. (Marcus Borg, speaking with David Crumm in a July 25, 2011 interview)