The Cross And The Sword

As I continue my quest to understand the social dimension of the Kingdom, occasionally I find a refreshing oasis amidst the wasteland of right-wing political religiosity. A prime example would be the teaching of Greg Boyd, an evangelical pastor from St. Paul, Minnesota, with a burden to see the Church return to the ways of Calvary. Prior to the 2004 elections, Boyd preached a series of six sermons exposing the errors and compromise of Christian nationalism and encouraging Christians, as "Kingdom-of-God-people," to trust "power-under," Calvary-type service, instead of worldly, "power-over," control. I don't know that I can recommend this series highly enough. While I'm still mulling over certain points (see my comments on duplicity below) and various sections seemed somewhat superficial, it remains a passionate cry in the wilderness that is both very strong and very gracious. (Greg's half-hour interview with Charlie Rose is a good introduction: skip past Rick Warren to Segment 2.)

In his teaching Boyd leaves room for some measure of political activism, (voting, etc.,) but only as over-and-against one's Kingdom calling, not as integral to it. I had believed even voting to be dangerous duplicity, and still do, but I am rethinking it through. Maybe it is healthy and desirable after all, as Boyd suggests, to "vote your conscience" on how the country runs, while still maintaining your distinct identity as a Kingdom-of-God-person. Quoted (unfavorably) in a recent AU blog, Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl says "Politics and faith may mingle, because believers are also citizens. Church and state are home for the very same people." I'm not there yet, but I am conceding the idea, in a basic sense, as a possibility. But we must get our thinking turned around first, or we'll never be on the right foot.

Boyd's posture in the series is somewhat milder than it is in the book, (which is basically a transcription of the series): I noticed a distinct difference in tone between Sermon #6, "In But Not Of The World," and its parallel chapter, Chapter 9, "Christians And Violence: Confronting The Tough Questions." The book draws the lines a little more sharply. If you like to read, get the book; if you like to listen, get the sermons. If you don't particularly like either, flip a coin.

Being immersed in this controversy once again has only served to reinforce my feeling that these questions are at the crux of what it means to be Christian. I'm not denying anybody's salvation, I'm only saying that if you don't see these truths, (not necessarily as I see them, but for themselves,) I'm praying my heart out to God that you will. And for those of us who do see them, I'm praying that these truths would muscle their way beyond our minds and memos and into our lives, as we shoulder our crosses and follow Christ in radical, ridiculous, love-your-enemies faith.

"The distinct kingdom question is not, How do you vote? The distinct kingdom question is, How do you bleed?"
- Gregory Boyd, The Myth Of A Christian Nation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), p. 146