The Myth of a Christian Nation was published in 2005 by Gregory A. Boyd. I'd like to give my thoughts about the book, share some quotes and discuss.
America feels much less of a "Christian Nation" than it was 20 years ago, but this doesn't diminish the core thesis of the book. As a quick recap, Boyd argues that there are two wholly distinct kingdoms:
1) The kingdom of this world ("power over")
2) The Kingdom of God ("power under")
These two kingdoms are wholly incompatible and are not at all comparable.
One rules by the sword, the other is full of love - a love as displayed by Christ Himself. A love so deep that we're to love even our enemies and those who persecute us!
I don't know anything about the author besides what I gleaned from this book, but I can tell he's not an anarchist or radical libertarian. However, the gist of his book is something I absolutely agree with. I found so many quotes that I loved, I had to write about it. This one in particular landed with me:
“In some circles, whether conservative or liberal, taking particular public stands on social, ethical, and political issues, and siding with particular political or social ideologies, is the litmus test of one’s orthodoxy. What this suggests is that the church has been co-opted by the world.”
My local church just welcomed a new pastor. He came from a larger church in Tampa, FL. I have to admit that one of my main concerns was trying to figure out if he's a "woke" pastor. My concern is not completely without merit, because I've found that many of these woke pastors are basically heretical false teachers. But I found myself listening extra close to get a hint as to which "side" he's on. Perhaps I've been "co-opted by the world" if that's all I care about.
Instead, I should trust & pray that my church leadership is Christ-centered. More importantly, I should be living a Christ-centered life and be less concerned with the drama of partisan politics.
Boyd also describes the horrors of torturing, persecution done in the name of the church. They justified using the power of the sword to advance Christianity. Christians should condemn this use of the kingdom of the world.
“The kingdom of God is not a Christian version of the kingdom of the world...We need to always remember how subtle is the pull to be conformed ‘to the pattern of this world’”.
"...to the disciple of Christ, the power of the sword must be forever viewed as a demonic temptation, not a viable, let alone Christian, solution."
"Resisting the temptation for quick, 'power over' solutions and choosing the more sacrificial, discrete 'power under' approach of Jesus is difficult. But it alone has the power to unify the church, advance the kingdom, transform hearts, and thereby move society closer to the reign of God."
I never like saying what Christians "should or shouldn't" do if it's not explicitly spelled out in the Bible. However, I see a clear issue with Christians serving in the military. I didn't always thinks so, but Gregory Boyd agrees too. War is ugly, and let's face it: America loves war. I don't think a Christian should be in the position to take orders that lead to the slaughter of others. Even if you believe the killing is justified, there is no guarantee innocent people won't die. War is so ugly and brutal, Christians shouldn't be involved.
Boyd writes, "The kingdom of God is not merely the goodness of the kingdom of the world. Rather, the kingdom of God is the radical alternative to the kingdom of the world. It is not merely good: it is beautiful. And there's nothing beautiful about war, however good its outcome may be."
"It is the power of the cross, not the power of the sword, that holds the hope of the world, for the power of the cross is also the power of the resurrection. Even if it looks like evil gains the upper hand as we return evil with kindness rather than retaliate with violence, we are to know by faith that this apparent loss is only apparent."
"As we manifest kingdom life by replicating Jesus to the world, it may often look like we are doing little - and even sometimes losing ground. But we know, against all common sense, that nothing could be further from the truth. However trivial they may seem, we know that Christlike acts are doing more to bring the world to the glorious end God has for it than any 'power over' act ever could."
Believing that America is “One Nation Under God” has negative consequences that damage the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Christians who have the mindset that American is “one nation under God” are lulled into thinking that Americans generally share kingdom presuppositions.
“Being duped by the quasi-Christian civil religion, they treat average American citizens almost as if they were Christians who simply weren’t living up to their calling. They thus think they’re doing people a favor by holding them accountable to things that are, in fact, foreign to them.”
This is certainly less true now than, say, 20-30 years ago. But his point is still relevant dependent on the group you're interacting with. Or even more generally, he's saying we should find common ground with someone's worldview so we know how to reason with them.
In Acts 17, Paul debated some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers.
"Paul began his speech not by 'confronting their sin', but by commending them for being 'extremely religious'. Remarkably, he based his commendation on the fact that these folks had so many idolatrous objects of worship! Had these philosophers been Jewish, Paul’s approach may have been quite different, for Jews…knew about the prohibition of idols. So, holding Gentiles accountable for things they didn’t themselves believe would have been unwise, arrogant, and rude. Though their idols deeply offended Paul as a Jew, he complimented them for their sincerity. This was a loving approach to take, for love believes the best, looks for the best and hopes for the best in everyone."
I really liked this example. It got me thinking of what "common ground" I could possibly have with a "SJW" or an unhinged-leftist. Perhaps it would be the concept of "justice" and how God will - in the end - rightly punish those who have done evil. I don't know what it would be, but I definitely should have a loving, Christlike attitude towards those who instinctually drive me crazy. I really need to work on that.
Finally, I have some thoughts on both anarchism and being Christlike: both of these are unattainable. They are ideals - or something to strive towards.
I would love to see the state and all of its evils crumble into irrelevance. Yet, that is never going to happen. But maybe we can minimize the killing of innocent people, or have a fair/just court system.
Similarly, and more importantly, I would love to be like Christ in everything I do. But that's not even close to being possible either. I won't be able to love my enemies like Christ, but I can avoid the temptation to hate them. I can pray for them.
This book also touched on self-defense and whether or not Christians should commit any violence at all. Should Christians be pacifist? Should I sell my guns & ammo?
Ok, I'm rambling a bit. This is easier to talk about, so maybe I'll record a video about this book and give my thoughts that way. Or perhaps I'll write another post about Christian pacifism and expound upon this topic. Because I don't fully have my mind made up on this.
If you've happened to read this far, I appreciate you and hope you got something from it!
Take care,
-Steve