Gregory Boyd's "The Myth of a Christian Nation" finds itself in the good company of many other notable works on similar topics. While Boyd pulls from these works, and while his work might be viewed as a "beginner-friendly" introduction to the subject, I would posit that what makes Boyd's book so helpful and also unique is that it is pastoral in nature. This is not surprising considering that Boyd is a pastor, and that all of the questions he is confronting and/or asking in this work are ones he initially was forced to confront and/or ask in a community and congregation of believers, some of whom agreed with him, and others who did not. In fact, the Church setting, and the implications of certain held beliefs and convictions as they are enfleshed in the Body of Christ, is the primary reason Boyd gives for why he decided to write this book. Thus, while "The Politics of Jesus" by John Howard Yoder is a must-read, and Preston Sprinkle's work on non-violence, "Fight," are both works which I have found personally important and helpful in my journey of resisting Empire and Violence, Yoder approaches the conversation from a deeply theological and philosophical point of view, and Sprinkle does so from the perspective of a biblical scholar; Boyd writes from his viewpoint of being a pastor, which allows for him to speak candidly but also lovingly and pastorally. His heart bleeds through in the pages of his work.

"The Myth of a Christian Nation" is a reasonably short book, and I sped through it faster than expected, but Boyd does a great job of addressing problems, asking questions most would never think to ask within the American Church, and showing how the example of Christ and his followers provides us with a better way. He opens his book with the foundational setting of two alternative kingdoms, two "rules" that are in opposition to each other: the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God. Boyd consistently refers to the kingdom(s) of the world as the "kingdom of the sword," wielding "power over" authority; the kingdom of God, though, is the "kingdom of the cross," exercising "power under" authority, which looks a lot like self-sacrificial love and Jesus on the cross. It is from this foundation that Boyd builds his argument in favor of the Church not confusing or synthesizing the ways of Caesar with the ways of Christ.

Boyd shows how from the perspective of history, America is (and has been) far from being a "Christ-like" nation, and that this myth has dangerous and evil ramifications, for both the Church and for non-Christians alike. What history has taught us is that if the kingdom of God is merged with the kingdom of the world, there will be bloodshed and a compromise of the cross of Christ. Indeed, Jesus has shown us a better way of relating to the world. Because Boyd is a pastor, he does not shy away from practical implications of Christ's teachings or from many questions he has received since voicing his opinions on these matters; in fact, the entire last question focuses on his responses to specific questions that have been voiced against him and his views. This is a great entry into the discussion about the ways of Christ and his followers, and the ways of the kingdom of the world. I would also highly recommend reading this book in tandem with the two aforementioned books on similar subjects: "The Politics of Jesus" by John Howard Yoder and "Fight" by Preston Sprinkle. I know of countless other works that speak on the subject, but these two works are ones I have interacted with directly and that I have found very helpful.