Right, Left, Whatever

When I was in high school, I was a Republican. Not just your average Republican, I was a conservative Republican. I was involved in conservative Republican sorts of things. I listened to conservative radio, particularly Rush Limbaugh. I was loud and most importantly, I was always right.

Mariner High School in Cape Coral, Florida had a cable access news program of which I was a part. We produced news stories, anchored the news and announcements, and I was given an editorial commentary every week. I used this time to rant and rave about current issues, politics, and much more. I enjoyed the opinions that I held and enjoyed the voracity and determination that I held in being right. I believed the only place for a Christian who wanted to transform this world was in politics and if one were Christian then one must be conservative and republican.

Wow, was I wrong.

Obviously, for those of you who know me, I have changed over the past decade. Thankfully, I am more thoughtful than I once was. I bring this up because I heard an interview on On Point, a show on NPR. The interveiw was with Gregory A. Boyd, a proponent (as am I) of an Open view of God. He has a new book, that I have on order at Amazon, called The Myth of a Christian Nation. In the interview Gregory Boyd talks about the idolotry of movement of Christians into politics, referencing Jesus' refusal to be caught up in the movement of folks that wanted to make him king, and (obviously as to the title of his new book) the myth that exists in many conservative Christian circles regarding America as Christian. Boyd made some very interesting points, especially regarding Christians affiliating themselves first with the Kingdom of God, not with any particular politcal party. Check out the interview here. Buy the book here.

I say all of this in part as a confession. I've probably said this before, but I interviewed at a church once and was confronted after the interview. A member of the church said to me, "All of this is good, but the real question is: Are you a Democrat or a Republican." I answered quickly and without really thinking about the possible consequences, "Neither. I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God."

I don't think it was the answer the church member was looking for, but it is true. Anyway, what do you all think about the interview, et. al.?