Imagination, and the Absolutizing Spirit: Rethinking Religion & Hope - Second Saturday 11/15/2025

Описание: In this Second Saturday Conversation, Marianne explores Marcus Borg’s six-point understanding of religion alongside William Lynch’s powerful distinction between realistic imagination and the “absolutizing spirit.”

We look at religion as a cultural-linguistic, human construction that still responds to the experience of the sacred and functions as a wisdom tradition and a means of deep transformation. From there, we turn to Lynch’s claim that imagination is “in service of reality,” allied with hope, and contrasted with the absolutizing spirit that chases perfection, purity, and false certainty.

The plenary conversation wrestles with how these ideas play out in personal psychology, church life, politics, and our experience of the Enlightenment. Add your own examples and questions in the comments—especially where you’ve seen imaginative, hopeful faith push back against absolutizing religion.

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#ProgressiveChristianity
#Theopoetics
#ImaginationAndFaith
#ReligionAndHope

Chapters
00:00 Welcome & overview: religion, imagination, and hope
01:51 How plenary time works and why it matters for community
05:02 Marcus Borg’s six-point definition of religion
06:07 Point 1: Religion as cultural-linguistic tradition
07:19 Points 2–3: Human constructions responding to the sacred
09:36 Points 4–5: Religion as wisdom and deep transformation
12:01 Point 6: Religions as “sacraments of the sacred”
16:10 William Lynch on imagination, reality, and hope
21:04 The absolutizing spirit vs realistic imagination and hope
35:20 Q&A: absolutizing spirit in psychology, politics, Enlightenment & faith


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About The Marcus J Borg Foundation:
Marcus J. Borg was an author of great import that explored historical and biblical topics and applied them to modern Christianity. To clarify some of his thoughts, here is a list of progressive Christian values.

Intellectual integrity and scholarship
• Elegance and clarity of thought
• Graciousness and humility
• Compassion and understanding
• Awe, wonder and gratitude for the privilege of our experience of life
• The art of asking the open-ended question
• Inquiry and conversation that engages both head and heart
• Theological education that is accessible and transformative

The work of Marcus J. Borg allows the foundation to explore and articulate a meaningful and faithful Christianity for the 21st century. Above all, the values Marcus brought to his work we want to bring to ours.

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