The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church

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(5 stars) - Challenging & insightful book!
Once again Boyd has taken a challenging and thought-provoking topic, faced it head-on and addressed it biblically and intellectually. I can understand now why he received so much flack from the broader evangelical church because he exposes a number of "chinks" in their armor and challenges many ideals that it has held - and largely continues to hold - for centuries. This book draws a healthy distinction between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God and indicates where the evangelical church has gotten off-track and off-mission by politicizing faith and trying to legislate morality. Kudos to Boyd for graciously yet firmly and unapologetically challenging the Church to build God's kingdom by trusting & imitating Christ!

(5 stars) - a call to "power under" rather than "power over" -- the Kingdom of God looks like Jesus
Boyd's contention is that "a significant segment of American evangelicalism is guilty of nationalistic and political idolatry" and his thesis is that "fusing together the kingdom of God with this [American] version of the kingdom of the world is idolatrous and that this fusion is having serious negative consequences for Christ's church and for the advancement of God's kingdom."

He makes his point by contrasting the "Kingdom of the Sword" (wherever a person or group exercises power over others) with the "Kingdom of the Cross," a power *under* kingdom where "greatness is defined by serving and sacrificing for others." In so doing, he describes negative consequences that have resulted from the myth that America is a Christian nation -- the harm to local and global missions, the tendency to misplace trust and the resulting minimization of distinctly kingdom ways of influencing society, the danger of focusing on protecting and advancing the civil religion and morality rather than simply serving people, and the inclination to view America as a theocracy, like Old Testament Israel.

In all of this, Boyd makes a strong case for abandoning this myth, But what I appreciate most is not so much the contrast of kingdoms itself as the practical view he gives of what the Kingdom of God looks like. "It looks like humility. It looks like grace. It looks like service. It looks like Jesus."

Though I am not (yet?) convinced of the nearly complete pacifistic interpretation he gives in the final chapter, Boyd makes a compelling case for turning our attention back to serving others in a power under way, and abandoning the quest for political power to grant us power over others.

(4 stars) - Worth Reading but Flawed
This book first got me angry and then made me think. That's a good recommendation for a book, in my opinion. Th emain premise is the many evangelicals believe that the US is a Christian Nation and the author points the flaws in this assumption as well as the dangers inherent in making this assuption--the Cristian is in danger of getting so involved in politics that he/she forgets to love and serve as Christ did.

Yet there are seroius flaws in this book. In the first part, the author with some justification critisizes the takeover of the evangelical church and its message by political conservatism and the danger it can hold. He considers it to be idolatry, as Christ's kingdom is not of this world and any government is part of the world system, which means that it is inherently corrupt and in some/most respects under the control of Satan, who is called "the ruler of this world" by Scripture. He states that we risk losing the Gospel when the message most non-Christians hear is political/judgemental. So far, so good. However he does not crtique the liberal church, who has made similar errors (though he does mention in his references a book that does just that) until much later, and then only weakly.
He also takes a very pacifistic line. While I respect this position, he does make the claim that Christ always acted in a peaceful and loving manner and never used violence. I find this statement difficult to reconcile with Christ's actions toward the moneychangers when he cleansed the Temple. Scripture clearly states that he made a whip and whipped them out (with the implication that he was angry). Any discussion of violence and pacifism *must* deal with this fact of Scripture. He brushes it off in a single sentence saying that Christ dealt with the religious leaders differently. However, I do not think that the moneychangers in the Temple could be considered to be religious leaders--they were capitalists out to make a buck, but in the wrong place.

Still, all in all, a book that makes you think through your own beliefs in this area is to be recommended. American Christianity does need to be concerned about the impact of their emphasis on the political over the spiritual as a medium of change: whether they come from the Right *or* the Left.

(5 stars) - An excellent reminder of Whom we serve
I picked this book up on a sale table. I wish I had bought ALL the copies. I have waited for this work to be published for a long time. I have been challenged to remember whom I serve.

Though some believe this is a "liberal" rant. I disagree. It is, however, a radical position. Mr. Boyd gently takes us back to look at what all the lack of love and selfishness has done. He reminds us to remember we are representatives of God's Kingdom. In recent years I have observed a trend that has been harmful to many people who might be open to listening and whose ears have become closed due to the inbreeding of politics and
religion.

I am thankful for the challenge to walk with better focus on serving at the feet, plain and simple. This book has made me aware of conflicts I have in relationships with others because I may seek the "power over".

(5 stars) - Every Christian in America should read this book!!!
Myth of Christian Nation was my first introduction to Greg Boyd, and I've been hooked ever since! The book came about as a result of a series of sermons that Boyd preached in the weeks up to the 2004 presidential election. During that time, Pastor Boyd was facing constant pressure by other pastors and people in his own congregation to take a stand on the "moral issues" , which Boyd wisely saw the translation as "vote Republican." Pastor Boyd decided to confront the issue head one publicly in a series of sermons detailing the dangers of Christians mixing the Kingdom of God with the Kingdom of the Sword, and lost a sizable chunk of his congregation because of it!

In the book, Boyd lays out clearly and succinctly why he believes the vast majority of evangelicals today are guilty of "national and political idolatry." He also takes considerable aim at the phrase "Taking America Back for God" as if there is a such thing as some glory days of virtue that our nation should turn back to. Self-proclaimed "culture warriors" will likely be infuriated by reading this book. If that's the case, then Greg Boyd is in good company. Religious people didn't like Jesus very much either in His day.

Here is my favorite paragraph:

We evangelicals may be divorced and remarried several times; we may be as greedy and as unconcerned about the poor and as gluttonous as others in our culture; we may be as prone to gossip and slander and as blindly prejudiced as others in our culture; we may be more self-righteous and as rude as others in our culture--we may even lack love more than others in the culture. These sins are among the most frequently mentioned sins in the Bible. But at least we're not gay!

Ouch! Preach on!

Aaron D. Taylor, author of Alone with A Jihadist: A Biblical Response To Holy War

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