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We all know that President Jefferson doubled the size of the United States by buying Louisiana from France in 1803, right? It never occurred to me, until this morning, to wonder how France got the right to sell it in the first place. The answer is, they simply claimed it. Forget about the fact that thousands, if not millions, of natives had been living there for centuries and that this land was sacred ground for most of them. It was stolen from them by western power-brokers! I got this from Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen which I’ve been reading the last couple days. It is just one from among thousands of examples of how the white invaders mistreated, cheated and abused the indigenous people. I strongly encourage you all to read this book. Based almost entirely on original documentation, Loewen exposes the racist way the 12 major history text books used in American high schools delete, distort and ignore American history to keep (whether intentionally or unintentionally) the myth of white exceptionalism in place. It is a truly eye-opening work, even after reading Howard Zinn’s (also incredible) The People’s History of the United States. Greg Boyd ☀

Throughout history we find Christians buying the age-old pagan lie that God uniquely favors their country, and their national enemies are God’s enemies. Believing that lie, patriotic Christians have tragically followed the orders of earthly rulers and marched into battle “for God and country,” rather than following the example of Jesus—who gave His life for the people who persecuted Him. Ironically, in some cases the “enemies” Christians have slaughtered have been other patriotic Christians who happened to be born in other countries, or other parts of the same country. Few things have done more to discredit Christianity than the patriotic zeal with which Christians have participated in violence. Greg Boyd ☀

But the most remarkable aspect of [John Quincy] Adams’ speech is undoubtedly his depiction of the violent birth of America as the beginning of the fulfillment of Jesus’ mission. Let’s overlook for the moment the systemic and barbaric injustices done to Native Americans and Africans by Europeans as they conquered and developed this land. And let’s agree that the political freedoms to enjoy “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are among the noblest in history. Still, on what basis could Adams or anyone else claim that the birth of this nation has anything to do with the mission of the Savior? As he made clear to Pilate, Jesus came to establish a kingdom that is “not from this world.” The kingdom Jesus came to establish is not a “new and improved” version of the systems of the world. It’s something altogether different. For example, while all versions of the kingdoms of the world resort to violence against enemies when they deem it necessary, citizens of Jesus’ kingdom are called to imitate him by sacrificing themselves out of love for their enemies. As noble as America’s ideals are, followers of Jesus must never buy into Adam’s delusion — repeated throughout history and still widespread today — that political ideals are a formula for the Kingdom of God. For the Kingdom is not about enjoying “life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness.” It’s about looking like Jesus, dying out of love for the very people who crucified him. Greg Boyd ☀

The picture I get of God’s kingdom is of people—tax collectors, prostitutes, fishermen—following Jesus. If we understood that our one job is to replicate the outrageous humility of Calvary, I think we’d begin to see the world in a different way. Instead of other people being our enemies, we would see them as the very people we are called to serve …. You have to put down the Cross to pick up the Sword. Greg Boyd ☀

The reason there are Greg Boyds in this world is because American evangelicalism has been a thin remix of Romans, a religion shaped too much by a simplistic gospel and too rarely shaped by the robust kingdom vision of Jesus that itself gave rise to a much more robust gospel in Paul.  Religion or Revolution? ☀

For the church to lack love is for the church to lack everything. No heresy could conceivably be worse! Until the culture at large instinctively identifies us as loving, humble servants, and until the tax collectors and prostitutes of our day are beating down our doors to hang out with us as they did with Jesus, we have every reason to accept our culture’s judgment of us as correct. We are indeed more pharisaic than we are Christlike. Greg Boyd ☀

One has to wonder why God would single out the ELCA’s discussion of homosexuality as worthy of a tornado hit while by-passing so many other serious issues. To give one example, there are over 400 distinct passages encompassing over 3,000 verses in the Bible that address issues related to poverty. Compare this with homosexuality, a topic that is explicitly mentioned a total of two times in the Old Testament and three times in the New. On top of this, the most frequently mentioned reason God judged cities and nations in the Old Testament was because they failed to care for the needy. And, finally, if there’s any sin American churches fail to seriously confront, it’s this one. Greg Boyd ☀

No where is the contrast between Jesus and Jehovah more evident than on this point. Jehovah commanded his people to “show no pity” on offenders and toward enemies. Jesus emphatically commands God’s people to do the opposite while teaching that this type of hostile attitude and violent behavior disqualifies one from being child of God. In other words, if you obey Jehovah, you’re not a child of God according to Jesus. Greg Boyd ☀

Without in any way detracting from the courage of soldiers who lay down their lives for their country, I find myself utterly confounded as to how Christian commentators can agree that a military combatant is “the noblest development of mankind.” Since Christ is the perfect illustration of what it means to be “in the image of God,” and since he is our Lord and the one we are called to imitate, shouldn’t he be the criteria for what constitutes “the noblest development of mankind?” Yet, he refused to buy into the Jewish nationalism of his day (despite the fact that Israel, unlike America, actually had been sanctioned by God in the Old Testament). And he laid down his life for his enemies rather than engage in violence against them (Mt 26:53) or allow his disciples to do so. (Jn 18:10-11, 36). Greg Boyd ☀

To be honest, I’ve now come to see war as sheer insanity, and every fiber of my being revolts against it. I’ve gotten to the point where I’d rather die than participate in any of this, for any reason. And I grieve for all who do participate in it, for any reason. The fact that I personally benefit from some of the killing, because some of the killing is (at least is theory) supposed to protect the “American way of life,” doesn’t alter this assessment. Jesus is my Lord, not the American way of life. My allegiance is to the Kingdom of God. (And, in any case, as a white person I continue to “benefit” from the often barbaric and dishonest conquest of my ancestors over the American Indians and the enslavement of blacks — but this doesn’t mean I should approve of it). Greg Boyd ☀

There are a multitude of problematic aspects to the Patriot’s Bible, including the remarkable way it excludes from consideration almost every aspect of American history that could blemish the image of America or its heroes. For example, on the basis of Zechariah’s prophecy that the Messiah would “speak peace to the nations” (Zech. 9:10) we are given a full page eulogy of Christopher Columbus that celebrates how God had destined this “devout Catholic” to bring the good news of salvation to an unreached people group. Absent from the commentary is any discussion of how he and his fellow pioneers deceived, maimed, raped and murdered a large number of these unreached people. Yet, the selective retelling of American history found in the Patriot’s Bible is not what concerns me the most. What disturbs me more is the way the commentators attempt to give their idealized version of American history divine authority by weaving it into the biblical narrative. Greg Boyd ☀

With all due respect to the bravery of American soldiers, are you really suggesting that in sending soldiers to war, the United States is acting like God did when he sent his Son? Would you be willing to grant this parallel for every nation that has sacrificed young men and women in war, or is it just the United States that is God-like in doing this? Don’t Russians and Iranians love their children too? And aren’t we tip toeing dangerously close to blasphemy when we compare our nations military with the sacrificial love of God? Greg Boyd ☀

When you consider the uniform and emphatic teaching of Christ and the New Testament authors that followers of Jesus are called to love and do good to our enemies, laying down our lives for them if necessary, this overt celebration of America’s violent victories over our national enemies is absolutely stunning. When you consider that Jesus explicitly repudiated Jewish nationalism (despite the fact that Israel, unlike America, actually had a special status with God) and that the New Testament consistently teaches that Gods’ Kingdom transcends national boundaries, the Patriot’s Bible celebration of American violence becomes more shocking still. It testifies to how thoroughly the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been subverted by the Gospel of America among many Christians. Greg Boyd ☀