Book Review: Myth of a Christian Nation

In Greg Boyd’s book Myth of a Christian Nation, he presents the following thesis: “I believe a significant segment of American evangelicalism is guilty of nationalistic and political idolatry.”  Do you feel uncomfortable reading that?  After finishing this book, I feel a mix of both pleasure and fear.  Pleasure, because I often feel uncomfortable when I see church and politics mix.  But also fear, because Boyd’s alternative is fiercely humble and sacrificial.

The logic of the book might be summarized as follows:

• The kingdoms of the world seek improve society by controlling behavior.  God orders the kingdoms of the world, but lets Satan have authority over them.
• God’s kingdom on earth is currently limited to those who accept Christ’s rule.  His rule grows throughout the world as we allow Christ to live through us and draw others to him.
• The kingdom of the world and kingdom of God have opposite aims and responses.  Even the best version of the kingdom of the world is part of the problem, using coercion rather than love.  God’s kingdom rules by changing hearts, not behavior.

In contrast to valuing the kingdom of God, many Christians cling tightly to the value of the American political system and their deeply held (if  rather un-researched) belief that even if America isn’t a Christian nation now, it used to be and can be again.  Not only is this theologically incorrect, argues Boyd, it is actually damaging.  Believing America is a Christian nation damages global missions, wastes time as we fight for civil religion (like keeping “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance), and builds excessive trust in the American political system for influencing society. It makes us the moral judges of behavior, and assumes God is on America’s side in conflicts with other nations

What should I be doing?  Voting my conscience, but recognizing that God wants to change hearts, not laws.  Loving.  Sacrificial loving.  Coming under my enemies and caring for them and praying for them.  Loving and taking in young, scared pregnant girls and caring for them.  Loving gays as my friends.  

Why is this so hard?  I think, for me, it comes down to belief.  Do I really believe that acting like Jesus will change the world?  And that even if it doesn’t work, that it’s how God calls us to act?  That is hard.

“But even when it looks like this approach doesn’t work, even when it looks like evil triumphs by putting us and others to death, the kingdom person is to remember that it’s still a “Good Friday” world.  We are to have faith that things will look different when Easter morning arrives…. then we will see that no act of kingdom love has ever been wasted.”

The book is well written and very challenging. I did struggle with Boyd’s logic as he laid out his explanations.  I really like my titles and subtitles to flow, so I know where we are going next.  On a practical level, I wonder about the ramifications and how the details are to work out in my life, but I do value what I learned here.  Will you like this book if you strongly feel we need to “take back our nation for God?”  No.  But you will need to have a response to Greg Boyd’s thesis.

And yes, it is coincidence that this was written just in time for Independence Day…