CVBF - Myth of A Christian Nation (Week 6)

This week you are reading Myth of a Christian Nation. This book argues that the USA is not a Christian nation and that we shouldn’t integrate Christian faith and politics.

Now, from the top, there are always students that love the first book, Living at the Crossroads, but then also say they love this book too. That’s fine but I hope you see that in some ways the books have very different perspective. OK?! Here are some comments.

One challenge some of you will have is that you need to know the Bible in order to determine if what Boyd argues is correct. Do remember the message of the Living at the Crossroads: whatever we do in this world (“at the crossroads” between Christian faith and a secular culture), Christians should strive to be faithful witnesses. Christians should not run away or fully assimilate—but rather, find a way to live out the Christian faith as a witness to others. In terms of politics, Living at the Crossroads argues that a Christian CAN engage in politics and live as a faithful witness to Jesus.

Let me share some Bible background may help you analyze The Myth of a Christian Nation. In the time of Jesus, Israel was under Roman rule. In short, the people of Israel could not “run for office” because they were not Roman—so it would have been silly for Jesus to tell them to do so. But just because Jesus did not teach the people of Israel and Galilee to get involved in politics does not mean that Christians should not engage in politics today.

Jesus himself was involved in politics. Jesus engaged with Roman rulers and the only Jewish politicians of the time, which were Pharisees and Sadducees (who were given some political power over the temple and Jerusalem). Jesus also engages in political topics of the day frequently. In fact, much of Jesus’ teaching is directly offensive to the political-religious leaders because it was indeed political.

Then you have Paul, who was a major New Testament church leader. His mission became focused on going to Rome to act as what we might call today a political lobbyist to share and defend the message of Jesus. And, throughout his letters, Paul addresses many political issues.

Now, Boyd does not refer to the Old Testament much at all. But in the Old Testament, we find that almost all the leaders were political—from Moses to the judges to the kings. The prophets were also highly political—engaging the politicians (the kings and other leaders) and instructing the people on how to respond to political issues, authorities, and threats. Further, the prophets were constantly fighting for justice in society and defending the marginalized.

One final comment: Boyd argues that America is not a Christian nation. A better way to discuss this is to ask to what extent does America exemplify Christian values in its laws and policies? Or, we could ask does a politician exemplify Christian values in decisions, speech, and actions? If there were no “Christian” politicians then there would be no politicians who reflect Christian values. Many students agree with Boyd and you are free to do so as long as you defend your statements. That is some of my perspective and I hope it helps!