The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church |...

The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church | Gregory A. Boyd | Not a politician

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The Myth of a Chri...

	The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church Gregory A. Boyd Zondervan, 2007 - 224 pages average customer review:based on 64 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Arguing from Scripture and history, Dr. Boyd makes a compelling case that whenever the church gets too close to any political or national ideology, it is disastrous for the church and harmful to society. Dr. Boyd contends that the American Evangelical Church has allowed itself to be co-opted by the political right (and some by the political left) and exposes how this is harming the church?s unique calling to build the kingdom of God. In the course of his argument, Dr. Boyd challenges some of the most deeply held convictions of evangelical Christians in America ? for example, that America is, or ever was, ?a Christian nation? or that Christians ought to be trying to ?take America back for God.?

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The Myth of a Christian America

A very Powerful read!
I am sure very Controversial read for many.
But I did understand what the writer was talking about.
A very good point how Religion is being used and abused in today's America

Not a politician

Boyd does not take a stance of being republican or democratic. I was a little skeptical about reading this book at first because I do not like politics very much and thought that was what Boyd was going to be pushing. Boy was I wrong. Boyd talks about the difference between the Kingdom of the World and the Kingdom of God. He opened my eyes up to God's Kingdom in a way I had never really viewed it before. This is a great read to stretch you current views, and open your mind to being mindful of things that are important to God.

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Myth Busted!!

Gregory A. Boyd's controversial work is actually a collection of a series of sermons he gave at his church, Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The title reads like a historical treatment, but is actually a call to practice spirituality outside of the realms of nationality and politics.

Boyd develops two premises: he describes the Kingdom of the Sword, which is the mindset of the world, and the Kingdom of the Cross, which is a mindset that resembles Christ. He proposes that we have become to entrenched in the Kingdom of the Sword, and cannot see the way that Christ has shown us, i.e. the Kingdom of the Cross.

Boyd also empahsizes that being Christian means to follow and look like Christ. Therefore, a Christian nation should follow and look like Christ. The question is asked: does America bear fruit? Does this nation have a history of following and looking like Christ? Comparisons to Israel are made, but not in the usual "city on a hill" way. Boyd destroys the perception of America as moral guardian, instead pointing readers to the Bible as the authority on sin. There is also a question and answer format in the last chapter, discussing many of the tough questions he has been asked over the course of presenting these sermons.

This is a good book to read, especially in such politically dividing times. Boyd approaches the topic humbly, realizing that he still has room to grow. He doesn't claim to have mastered or even reached the lofty goals he proposes, but instead relies on the grace of God to eventually carry him to their end.

Originally posted at http://scandaloussanity.blogspot.com

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A Must Read!

I just recently finsihed reading Gregory Boyd's book entitled, The Myth Of A Christian Nation. I was given this book as a gift from a friend who happens to be a Freewill Baptist Minister. At last there is hope! This book should be a required reading for every church member. The people in this country are so ignorant of real history and of the true tenents of Jesus' ministry. This is not one of those books that attempts to label the forefathers as die-hard Diests, although their Diestic tendencies are mentioned. Boyd does a wonderful job comparing the differences between the Kingdom of the World and the Kingdom of God. This thought-provoking work will certainly find a permanent place on my shelf!

Randall F. Hubbard
History Teacher
Springville, Alabama

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Whoa! What a message!

I was so blessed to have had two evangelicals in my life (first 3 to 4 years ago a protestant one, then until very recently a Catholic one) and to get to spend hours and hours a day in professional contact with them. Both, however, seemed to want to twist my arm a bit in order to think that being conservative was really the only holy, sanctified choice. The Catholic one, beloved, even had a minion of his (keep in mind that minion originally implied protege and favor and of royal blood in a royal court) tell me that our group was "conservative". By wILLing such a thing, it was a sort of mortal blow to my belief in our relation. Just because leading political conservatives tend to be evangelicals does not mean that their politics should be considered related (at best i think it's 50/50 for the best of them being right as it is for the the best of the liberals being right, though this is not an endorse of German/Kant/Hegel/Karl Bart dialectical philosophy/theology...that's just bunk to someone like myself of a non-German, Anglo-American culture...not to a good-evil Christ/anti-christ idea...dialectical has no meaning outside the German Culture. Period.) I've never, ever for a second thought that George W. Bush's political decision could ever be considered right with God (though I must agree with my biological father's phenomenal jokes about this second president Bush is just too damn stupid to be the anti-Christ). In fact, I more than respect conservative values, actually I embrace them. But I don't disrespect liberal values (in life nor in politics), so much so that I started experimenting with them not just in my earlier spirit of tolerance but in life itself (conclusion/result: I'm not really built for liberal values...they don't really work so well for me). Such experiments have actually been fueled and enflamed by subtle, but firm pushes from these two deeply respected evangelicals towards conservative political values. (odd but true)

Anyhow, this book's message is amazing. I doubt even the pope of the Catholic Church would ever have the courage or ability to say what Gregory A Boyd is saying.

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