I have read and studied Marcus Borg's "The Heart of Christianity" and found it affirming and refeshing. What I particularily like was the emphasis transformation: the idea that you could focus on changing and transform your life rather than focusing on guilt, punishment and reward.
For me the way of transformation has been the acceptance and working with suffering. One aquires the grace to do this when one lets go of preoccupation with one's own ego and focuses on Christ. Unlike the self-absorbtion that comes with guilt, I find this liberating.
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