A Rare Find

I just finished reading Greg Boyd's book "The Myth of a Christian Nation." It was incredible. It was literally a life-changing book. There are hundreds of quotes from Boyd's book that I would love to share. Instead, I will just recommend you read the book. His basic premise (with which I agree) is that Christians too often seek to build the kingdom of God through earthly means. By that I mean that many Christians actually believe that if we get the right candidates in office, the right policies, in place, etc., the kingdom will come. The problem with this thought process is that human institutions are not capable of bringing in the kingdom. America is a wonderful country, and we have many freedoms that are worthy of celebrating. However, the kingdom of God, Boyd says, will not be built by "rights," but by "self-sacrifice." (Can you guess which one is a kingdom virtue?) Boyd compares the kingdom of this world with a "power over" mentality while the kingdom of God is a "power under" mentality. Boyd really does a great job of making his case and you really need to rad the book to get the full weight of his point. However, one quote illustrates well the contrast between the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. He writes, "When God flexes his omnipotent muscle, it doesn't look like Rambo or the terminator - it looks like Calvary" (p.32) Another great quote that I truly found refreshing is when Boyd criticizes the church for trying to be moral guardians for the world. First, Boyd writes, "as people called to mimic Jesus in every area of our lives we should find it significant that Jesus never assumed the position of moral guardian over any individual, let alone a culture at large" p. 128). He also mentions that scripture clearly forbids us from judging others. But, where I think he shines is when he points out the hypocrisy of how the church fulfills its function as "moral gaurdian." He uses the illustration of how, after a dramatic special on public television in 2004 about the plight of children in Cambodia and Thailand that are being sold as slaves, their was little or no audible outcry from the church. However, during the Super Bowl, when Janet Jackson experienced her now famous "wardrobe malfunction," Christians were suddenly up in arms! (p. 140) wonder which of those two things bothered Jesus more.

Boyd is an evangelical, so much of his criticism is aimed at the evangelical wing of the American church. However, I am the product of an evangelical college and a liberal seminary (Westmont and Claremont, respectively) and I am aware that the phenomena that Boyd describes apply to the left ad the right. The book gives us plenty to think about, pray about, and act on. It might make you a little angry, but it might read like an answered prayer.