I'll keep posting for awhile about Marcus Borg's book The Heart of Christianity as I believe he has a number of important insights to share. Here's something he says about the political message of the Kingdom of God:
"So what is the political meaning of the Kingdom of God? In a sentence: it is what life would be like on earth if God were king and the rulers of this world were not. The Kingdom of God is about God's justice in contrast to the systemic injustice of the kingdoms and domination systems of this world" (132-133).
I think this is an especially important point as often we tend to get caught up in thinking of religion as mostly being about believing certain things and then getting "saved" as a result. However, when we look at Christ's message more closely and understand the historical context in which he lived and ministered, it's clear that his message above all was about God's reign here and now - in other words, about how each of us encounters the living God in our lives and begins to live that reality out in concrete ways. Belief is very important but it's not just about giving mental assent to a set of propositions. Rather, it's about really living in our bodies and souls the message of the kingdom - that is, God's justice and God's peace - each day.
Padre Chuck
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