A challenging & thought-provoking look at the Kingdom of God & Kingdom of the world & how they differ. Granted, since I come from a Mennonite/Anabaptist background I tended to agree with most of Boyd's stances from the get-go, but he still uncovered several well thought out lines of reasoning that I had never considered. There are a few chapters where by the end were getting a bit repetitive, but each new section brought enough newness & insight to keep me hooked. If you have a desire to live out your faith, or are just curious about what it means to be a Christian, I think this book is a must-read. ( )

Really thought provoking. ( )

A book that made me think and re-evaluate. ( )

In The Myth of a Christian Nation, Gregory Boyd takes a purer and certainly more demanding route. Starting with Christ’s temptation (when He is offered worldly kingdoms) and moving on to Pilate’s question (My kingdom is not of this world), Boyd call for Christians to be members of Christ’s Kingdom first and citizens of any group a decided second.

Yes, Christians should participate in the world’s governance and should work to make that government as fair and just as possible, but they should not confuse that with their real calling – to live in God’s Kingdom while still stuck in the world. Christians should be as soldiers stranded in enemy territory or resident aliens. This verges on Manichean duality, but Boyd isn’t going there. Instead he argues for the separation of church and state as essential to the church.

Boyd is all for laws to help the poor, but that doesn’t absolve Christians of a call to radical acts of charity and generosity. Changing laws is fine, but Boyd is more concerned with changing hearts. Laws control behavior, but God demands much more than just right behavior.

Rightly showing that Jesus rejected the politics of His age as a solution to the larger problems, Boyd doesn’t distain politics and governance, he just finds them less important that living in the Kingdom. Jesus dealt lovingly with everyone He met, accepting them all, living and eating with them, changing them through His love. He was at home with prostitutes, those with incurable communicable diseases, and those who couldn’t afford health care. These poor were always with Him. He rejected those who were hypocrites, those who set themselves up as judges and, always, those owned by their riches and power.

Boyd is also concerned by the damage done to the church’s mission when it becomes nothing more than a nationalistic, civil religion. Thus the subtitle: How the quest for political power is destroying the church. How many Muslims hate Christianity after Bush has made so many religious references in justifying the US invasion and occupation of Iraq? How many atheists have all the ammunition they need to sneer at faith when religious leaders justify torture, call for assassinations of foreign leaders and identify tax cuts as a “Christian” value. Boyd is especially concerned about people who want to “take America back for Jesus” and gives them what for. How can any follower of Jesus be really concerned about whether Caesar’s coins have God’s name on them?

Note well that Boyd is not calling for mere personal piety, nor is he calling for withdrawal from the world’s snares. What he wants is a church that looks like Christ. One that would have the poor always with them. One that would not condemn. One that would commit radical acts of kindness and generosity without counting the cost. One that would not grasp for power. One that rejects violence. This is a tough one and Boyd knows it. Jesus resisted the temptation to take up the sword, though He was more innocent than any of us and more powerful too. There is an example to make anyone humble. ( )

One of the most fascinating books I've read dealing with the issues of how the Church relates in a political way to government. His description of 'power over' vs. 'power under' in terms of which identifies with the church and state are very helpful. This is a must read for those who are struggling with how to view their faith in light of governmental contexts. It is also a must read for those who identify their faith closely with their political party alignment. ( )