Gregory A. Boyd (1) (1957–)

I still enjoy a fresh passion for theological texts of many kinds, but I was especially excited to discover Dr. Boyd's wonderful work. Few in this area of discourse seem to combine both the focus upon scripture and academic depth which Boyd possesses. This is a challenging book that will certainly cause a mixture of reactions. Conservatives who dismiss it out of hand do themselves a great disservice, likewise for those on the far left side of the room. By contrasting and comparing the fallen show more kingdom of the world system versus the mustard seed kingdom of God that we are to cultivate within us as Christians, Boyd demonstrates the stark fundamental differences between these competing paradigms, some of the disastrous consequences of failing to follow Christ's example, and starts to peel back the cloud of Constantinian justifications for the use of violent coercion to reveal the clarity of our scriptural mandate to exemplify self-sacrificial love. Why would Dr. Boyd risk losing so much of his congregation to pursue this particular topic which he argues requires a complete change of outlook from the mindset of so many evangelicals now employ? That's almost as silly as trying to save the world by getting yourself nailed up on a cross. Excellent work indeed. show less

Great overview of the open view from a biblical perspective. This book is not as comprehensive but that is on purpose. Boyd's intent is to clarify the open view's stance on God's foreknowledge as not denying omniscience, but denying what can be known about the future. Boyd's position is very strongly in line with Molinism. Contrary to other open theists, Boyd believes (in this book) that God perfectly knows all possible future events as well as perfectly knowing the content of every show more individual's character. This allows God to place where he needs them to bring about his providence. While not all open theists would describe foreknowledge of providence in this way - Boyd does a great job making his case. Agree with him or not, he has at least made a thorough attempt at making sense of the vast scriptures on the topic. show less

信仰是怎麼一回事？當一個人排斥基督信仰時，心裡的癥結是什麼？
本書的作者是一對父子。爸爸對信仰抱持的態度是死硬不信，兒子卻是個「護教學」的博士教授。兒子為了和老爸談及信仰真諦，面談溝通無效的情況下，採取了信件溝通的方式，本書就是父子在三年內往返的三十封信。 show more 爸爸在每封信中都毫不留情的提出對基督信仰的犀利質疑，兒子也針對問題予以說明。問題有時尖銳，有時感性，兒子的回答都至情至性，婉轉有條理，令讀者讀來有一份過癮的感覺。 此外，讀者隨著他們父子一起探索信仰真意的當兒，也會禁不住沉浸在濃郁的父子之情中，是一本感性與理性交織而成的書。 對渴求了解人生信仰的朋友而言，這本書值得一讀。 show less

I was finally able to finish this 2 volume time! Boyd argues for a compelling hermeneutic that allows Scripture to be read without God being directly behind violent passages. In brief, since God is fully revealed in Jesus on the cross, any passage that presents God as other than having this self-giving character must be reinterpreted. He applies this interpretive lens to multiple stories in the OT (and even some in the NT).

Here are his 4 principles:

1) Since God is fully revealed in Jesus on show more the cross, any act attributed to God that doesn't match this character is an accomodation. God let's himself be misrepresented (as he does on the cross too).

2) Judgment in the Bible is God withdrawing his protection and letting sin reap its own consequences.

3) We are in the middle of a cosmic conflict, and there are spiritual beings and forces that oppose God and work to harm people.

4) God gives gifts/abilities that agents can use semiautonomously , meaning that humans can misuse supernatural gifts (akin to misusing our natural gifts/abilities).

Overall, while I'm still working some of this through, I find Boyd's case compelling. I also find that he is able to retain the authority of Scripture, while offering defensible interpretations of difficult passages. show less