Status
Call number
Genres
Publication
Description
The church was established to serve the world with Christ-like love, not to rule the world. It is called to look like a corporate Jesus, dying on the cross for those who crucified him, not a religious version of Caesar. It is called to manifest the kingdom of the cross in contrast to the kingdom of the sword. Whenever the church has succeeded in gaining what most American evangelicals are now trying to get - political power - it has been disastrous both for the church and the culture. Whenever the church picks up the sword, it lays down the cross. The present activity of the religious right is destroying the heart and soul of the evangelical church and destroying its unique witness to the world. The church is to have a political voice, but we are to have it the way Jesus had it: by manifesting an alternative to the political, "power over," way of doing life. We are to transform the world by being willing to suffer for others - exercising "power under," not by getting our way in society - exercising "power over.".… (more)
User reviews
Yes, Christians should participate in the world’s governance and should work to make that government as fair and just as possible, but they should not confuse that with their real calling – to live in God’s Kingdom while still stuck in the world. Christians should be as soldiers stranded in enemy territory or resident aliens. This verges on Manichean duality, but Boyd isn’t going there. Instead he argues for the separation of church and state as essential to the church.
Boyd is all for laws to help the poor, but that doesn’t absolve Christians of a call to radical acts of charity and generosity. Changing laws is fine, but Boyd is more concerned with changing hearts. Laws control behavior, but God demands much more than just right behavior.
Rightly showing that Jesus rejected the politics of His age as a solution to the larger problems, Boyd doesn’t distain politics and governance, he just finds them less important that living in the Kingdom. Jesus dealt lovingly with everyone He met, accepting them all, living and eating with them, changing them through His love. He was at home with prostitutes, those with incurable communicable diseases, and those who couldn’t afford health care. These poor were always with Him. He rejected those who were hypocrites, those who set themselves up as judges and, always, those owned by their riches and power.
Boyd is also concerned by the damage done to the church’s mission when it becomes nothing more than a nationalistic, civil religion. Thus the subtitle: How the quest for political power is destroying the church. How many Muslims hate Christianity after Bush has made so many religious references in justifying the US invasion and occupation of Iraq? How many atheists have all the ammunition they need to sneer at faith when religious leaders justify torture, call for assassinations of foreign leaders and identify tax cuts as a “Christian” value. Boyd is especially concerned about people who want to “take America back for Jesus” and gives them what for. How can any follower of Jesus be really concerned about whether Caesar’s coins have God’s name on them?
Note well that Boyd is not calling for mere personal piety, nor is he calling for withdrawal from the world’s snares. What he wants is a church that looks like Christ. One that would have the poor always with them. One that would not condemn. One that would commit radical acts of kindness and generosity without counting the cost. One that would not grasp for power. One that rejects violence. This is a tough one and Boyd knows it. Jesus resisted the temptation to take up the sword, though He was more innocent than any of us and more powerful too. There is an example to make anyone humble.
The American version of the Christian faith is so intertwined with politics, patriotism, and military pride that any mention of separating them illicits anger from those who see them as one. Boyd does a great job of deconstructing Americanized Christianity and pointing us back to kingdom "power under" Christian living rather than worldy "power over" civic religion that is so prevalant in American Christianity. Patriotism and national fervor is an idol in America and unfortunately many evangelical Christians in America have bowed down at it's altar, owing their allegiance to a flag rather than Christ, and justifying violence and war for the sake of preserving a worldy kingdom.
The bottom line is this: Jesus did not come to revolutionize some form of government or impose a theocratic policy upon a society. He came to save people from eternal damnation and reconcile us back to a holy God. And, the only way this message can be conveyed to a hurting society is to love them and serve them, including those who we may deem our political and national enemies. We are not to legislate morality, or force our ways upon society through politics and power. Instead, we are to extend grace and show through our lives the beauty and love of Christ, both outwardly and verbally.
This is a book I highly recommend if you are able to look at it objectively outside of the context of Americanized Christianity, void of politics and power. It will shake your world and squash any previously conceived notions of what you have been fed from the pulpits of Americanized Christianity. Similar to the book, "Radical" by David Platt, I dare any American Christian to read this. It will truly change your thinking... at the cost of perhaps losing a few friends in the process.
The author does well at exploring the nature of the powers of government vs. the work of God through Jesus, using the helpful imagery of "power-over" forms of
You'll either agree with it and appreciate it or hate it. If the latter, please prayerfully consider why the discomfort exists, and search the Scriptures to see what is so.
Boyd's main thesis seems to be "power over," the worldly American culture operates, versus "power under," the Jesus way of living in this world, two phrases he frequently uses.
Two things I will say, I do not believe nor ever will believe that America is a Christian nation and that this Boyd's argument, while a bit too wordy at some points, convincing if not valid. However, the one thing I do regret is that he did not tangle with certain texts to defend his position; he just seems to assume they do support it.
Also, he seems to go to such an extreme the other way that, for example, gives the impression the Bible does not support Christians being policemen, although he doesn't really cover that issue. I would think that being wholly against violence, the logical step would be to see Christians policemen to be lowering the Gospel standard.
There is much twirling my mind about the book, although, in general, I do agree with it. My only contention is on certain particular points. But if you think America is a Christian nation and you want to be left uncomfortable with reading a book, this is the one.