Myth of a Christian Religion: Losing Your Religion for the Beauty of a Revolution

by Gregory A. Boyd

Book Overview

The kingdom of God is a beautiful revolution. Marked by the radical life, love, servanthood, and humility of Jesus, it stands in stark contrast to the values and ways of the world.Regrettably, many... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310283833
• ISBN13: 9780310283836
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

A revelation ...

This book is certainly one of the most enlightening and freeing Christian books I've ever read -- and I've read plenty in my 30 plus years as a Christian. Other reviewers have rightly talked about the message and the impact this book has had on people and their understanding of how the Kingdom of God is really supposed to operate, so I don't need to add anything more on those lines. I do want to add a very curious reaction I had after reading the first four or five chapters of this book, something very surprising. I've been reading the Bible now for decades and, particularly in the Gospels, I've always run across these sayings or actions of Jesus that just didn't seem to sit well with what I've been taught about the nature of Christianity. For instance, the whole Sermon on the Mount -- is one to read that as absolute instruction "when your enemy strikes you, turn to him the other cheek", or is that just metaphor for some kind of deeper understanding? And really, what's the point of turning the other cheek? How does having bruised cheeks benefit the kingdom? And what about phrases like "the world will know you're my disciples by the love you have for one another"? And what about Jesus washing of the disciples' feet? Frankly, these events and sayings of Christ never seemed to sit well in the jigsaw puzzle that is my Christian understanding. Teachings about the Sermon on the Mount always seemed to be reaching for something that wasn't really there. But after reading about half the Boyd book, suddenly the jigsaw puzzle rearranged itself and all these confusing sayings and historical activities suddenly fell neatly into place. Turning the other cheek is an extension of the power of the cross. It's all about the cross, self sacrifice, loving your enemy, denying self, humble service, etc. That is the power of the cross and that's the power that will save people. Squabbling about abortion, legalizing morality, judging, condemning, Gay bashing, etc. -- these things have been completely ineffective, if not detrimental, to the advancement of the Kingdom, because they reflect the power of man and the flesh, not the power of the cross. The cross wasn't just for Jesus and his disciples; it's a way of life for all of us if we're serious about our Christianity.

Add another Voice to the Growing Revolution

Gregory A. Boyd is hardly a new voice in religious circles although he certainly has developed something of a reputation for being on the outside of many circles looking in. Boyd is an evangelical pastor with a distinguished past of academic accomplishments including training with honors at Yale and Princeton Theological Schools. He has served in the past as a professor at Bethel University. Boyd is probably best known in the theological community as a leading proponent of what is termed 'Open Theism' which seeks to reconcile some difficult elements of the Biblical Text by seeing God as less than all-knowing and all-powerful (although some see this as a voluntary limitation rather than one inherent to God's nature) and therefore God sees the future as a series of possibilities rather than from a position of transcendent knowledge or certainty. As a result, Greg Boyd hasn't been all that warmly embraced by those elements of "orthodoxy" in Christian evangelicalism that hold to more traditional positions, particularly the reformed and Calvinistic schools. Starting from this position, it shouldn't be particularly surprising that Boyd has some things to say about the state of 'traditional' Christianity. In fact Boyd has many things to say, and his latest book, 'The Myth of a Christian Religion,' follows nicely on the heels of his prior book, 'The Myth of a Christian Nation,' which addresses the religion comingled with nationalism that is the bread and butter of the so-called Religious Right in the United States. Some additional background that may be helpful is that Boyd reports in an interview for the New York Times from 2006 that about 20% of his congregation left when he took a stand against explicitly or implicitly endorsing conservative political causes from the pulpit. In that context, this book can be somewhat seen as an apologetic work pointing out the inconsistencies of religion-based nationalism as opposed to the Kingdom of God that Jesus preaches in the Gospels. As such, Boyd appears strongly aligned with a growing number of authors who address these types of issues in different literary Genres. This reviewer noted marked similarities to some degree with such authors as William P. Young, Wayne Jacobsen, C. Baxter Kruger, Jim Wallis, Malcolm Smith, Frank Viola and George Barna to name a few. The book is divided into 12 chapters and each stands somewhat alone as an essay addressing the conflicts that exist within the Gospel of the Kingdom as opposed to the popular forms of teaching and belief that have been traditionally accepted, almost without question or critical thought in much of the modern American church. The theme of most of the chapters is one of revolt, or Jesus as the revolutionary; the undeniable point being that much that comfortable christians and congregations embrace today has little to do with what Jesus taught and the early church modeled. The subjects include Christ and Caesar, Idolatry, Judgment, Religion, In

Boyd beyond theology

No matter what one thinks of Boyd's theology, it would be difficult (if not impossible) to argue/disagree with Boyd's beautiful vision of the beautiful Kingdom, which is centered on Jesus Christ. This is a very easy read and incredibly practical. Yet, at the same time, it is very thought-prokoving and convicting (not condemning). It causes one to consider how much his or her life reflects "Kingdom living."

Another Myth Busted

The Myth of a Christian Religion is Gregory Boyd's follow up to The Myth of a Christian Nation. The book takes Boyd's opinions and views of a Christian nation even further, stating that Jesus did not come to start a new religion, but to bring the kingdom of God to earth. Boyd basically expounds on many of the themes he covered in Myth of a Christian Nation, but focuses less on America and more on the individual spiritual condition. His passion and caring exude from the chapters, and we see more of Gregory Boyd than in previous works. Boyd calls on readers to revolt against a variety of things: idolatry, judgement, religion, individualism, nationalism, violence, social oppression, racism, poverty, greed, abuse of sex and creation, and secularism. Boyd is quick to use the example of Jesus in response to any opposition to his views, showing that Christians are called to follow this example. This is a great book to add to your collection. It is less eye opening than Myth of a Christian Nation, but is a deeper and more personal work.

A Great Follow Up

Greg Boyd completes many of the thoughts engaged in The Myth of a Christian Nation. While you again get Boyd's intelligent and thoughtful approach to scripture, this time his pastor's heart seems to engage much more. The books is a solid re-enforcement to the first work but takes more practical steps to speak into a number of American cultural issues. The first section of the book ties together this work with the previous and one and defines Boyd's position in how we are to approach others and entities as believers of Jesus. Boyd in his useful terms gives us again the picture of power over (manipulation, strength, control) and power under (love, surrender, service) and how operating from this position puts us often in direct conflict with the way that the world works. We are called to manifest the beauty of God by sacrificially loving and serving those around us. He writes that there is no way to do this without "revolting against everything in our lives that keeps us self-centered, greedy, and apathetic toward the plight of others." The American church shares and even celebrates much of what it seems early followers of the way stood against. The kingdom of God must display the sacrificial character of Jesus. Boyd says, "To the extent that any individual, church, or movement looks like that, it manifests the Kingdom of God. To the extent that it doesn't look like that, it doesn't. It's that simple." The book then discusses twelve areas where Boyd believes that followers of Jesus must revolt against the powers. The twelve focus areas are idolatry, judgment, religion, individualism, nationalism, violence, social oppression, racism, poverty/greed, abuse of creation, abuse of sex, and secularism. In each section Boyd takes his ideas of sacrificial calvary type love and shows what this means for how we interact with others. The book makes you think and dig. Whether you agree with Boyd or not, the book will lead to some great discussion and stretching.