Conversations with Scripture: The Gospel of Mark

Most Christians are familiar with the story told in Mark’s gospel — from the fishermen leaving their nets, to the miracle of the loaves and fishes, to the political rumblings and the crucifixion. But no one knows who “Mark” really was or why this gospel was written or why it’s charged with such a sense of immediacy. For noted Jesus scholar Marcus Borg, reading Mark is like “meeting Jesus again for the first time.” Individual readers and parish study groups will learn about this earliest gospel from the perspective of an important Anglican theologian. Conversations with Scripture is the umbrella title of the Anglican Association of Biblical Scholars Study Series. Written in accessible language and sensitive to those who have little or no experience in reading the Bible, each book in the series focuses on exploring the historical and critical background, plus modern application of the texts. Other books in the series focus on the Gospel of John, Revelation, the Law, the Parables, and 2 Isaiah. From the Introduction: “In thousands of congregations…this emerging way has been a means of revitalizing and deepening Christian understanding and commitment. It is a way that integrates faith and reason, head and heart, intellect, experience, and yearning. For me, it has made all the difference. This book is a small contribution to this process of adult theological re-education.”