Greg Boyd (theologian)

Last updated

Gregory A. Boyd
GregBoyd.jpg
Boyd in 2017
Born (1957-06-02) June 2, 1957 (age 66)
NationalityAmerican
Education
Occupation(s) Theologian, pastor, author
SpouseShelley Boyd
Website reknew.org

Gregory A. Boyd (born June 2, 1957) is an American theologian, pastor, and author. Boyd is Senior Pastor of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota and President of Reknew.org. [1] He is one of the leading spokesmen in the growing Neo-Anabaptism movement, which is based in the tradition of Anabaptism and advocates Christian pacifism and a non-violent understanding of God.

Contents

Boyd has also long been known as a leading advocate of open theism. [2] [3] [4] In addition, he is known for his writings on the relationship between Christianity and politics, including his best-selling book The Myth of a Christian Nation , which was written after The New York Times published a front-page cover article on Boyd's criticism of the Christian right. [5] [6] [7] [8] In 2010, Boyd was listed as one of the twenty most influential living Christian scholars. [9] In addition to The New York Times, Boyd has also made appearances on CNN, NPR, the BBC, and The Charlie Rose Show . [10]

Early life, education, and teaching career

Boyd was raised as a Roman Catholic but became an atheist as a teenager. [11] In 1974, at the age of 16, he converted to Oneness Pentecostalism, but later began questioning the movement's teachings. Finally, in late 1979, he became an orthodox Christian. [12]

After earning a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Minnesota, he attended Yale Divinity School, graduating cum laude with a Master of Divinity degree in 1982. He then attended Princeton Theological Seminary, earning a PhD in 1987, graduating magna cum laude . While at Princeton he was a classmate of Bart Ehrman and a student of Bruce Metzger. [13] Boyd was then Professor of Theology at Bethel University for sixteen years. He resigned after there was a dispute between himself and some of the professors there over his open theism advocacy. Greg Boyd now teaches at Bethel University on an adjunct basis. [14] In 1992 Boyd co-founded Woodland Hills Church. [15]

Thought

Greg Boyd GregoryBoyd.jpg
Greg Boyd

Boyd's Princeton dissertation (published as Trinity and Process) was a critique of the process theology of Charles Hartshorne. Here, he attempts to construct a philosophical theology that retains the positive features of a process worldview, while avoiding its unorthodox implications. [16] Boyd is also a former Oneness Pentecostal, and wrote the book Oneness Pentecostals and the Trinity (1992), critiquing the movement's anti-trinitarian view of God and other doctrines. [17]

Boyd is also known as one of the leading supporters of open theism, which he explores in the book God of the Possible (2000). In essence, open theism is the view that the future is partly open, and therefore known to God partly as a realm of possibilities. Proponents of the conservative or traditional view of God within the Baptist General Conference, such as John Piper, tried unsuccessfully to have the rules of the denomination changed to exclude Boyd and other open theists. [18] [19] [20]

He is widely known for his 1994 book, Letters from a Skeptic, a collection of letters written by Boyd and his father Edward, who was an atheist at the time. Through the course of their correspondence, Boyd addressed many of the perennial intellectual challenges to the Christian faith, which led to his father's conversion. [21] [22]

Boyd was featured in a front-page New York Times profile in July 2006 after losing 20% of his congregation, which Boyd attributed to his refusal to lend his public support to conservative political causes and his claim that American evangelical Christianity was too politicized. [23] In his view, the Kingdom of God always looks like Jesus, whom Boyd describes as not seeking to maintain control or power over others, but instead self-sacrificially serving and loving them. [24] [25] Therefore, according to Boyd, the gospel cannot be associated with any particular political or nationalistic ideology. The congregational loss came after his 2004 sermon series called "The Cross and the Sword." As a result of the sermon series he authored the book The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church (2006), in which he argues that a commitment to non-violence and to loving one's enemies lies at the heart of the teachings of Jesus. Boyd further discussed these views in the CNN documentary God's Warriors , which aired in August 2007. [26] In a more recent book, The Myth of a Christian Religion: Losing Your Religion for the Beauty of a Revolution (2009), he presents his understanding of what the Kingdom of God is. [27]

In 2012 Woodland Hills Church began exploring Anabaptism and the possibility of affiliating with Mennonite Church USA and the Brethren in Christ. Boyd stated that "we've really been kind of growing in this direction since the church started, without knowing what Anabaptism was." [28] [29] During the exploration, leadership asked the congregation to read Stuart Murray's The Naked Anabaptist, and the church has met with Anabaptist groups.

Boyd in 2017 Greg Boyd (2017).jpg
Boyd in 2017

He is also a notable figure in New Testament scholarship and the Quest for the Historical Jesus. [30] He is critical of liberal scholarship as typified by the Jesus Seminar as well as the individual work of scholars like John Dominic Crossan and Burton Mack. He has participated in numerous public debates, most notably with friend Robert M. Price and Dan Barker on the historicity of the New Testament and related matters. [31] His first book in this area was Cynic Sage or Son of God? (1995). More recently, his book (co-authored with Paul Rhodes Eddy), The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition (2007) won the 2008 Christianity Today Book of the Year Award (Biblical Studies category). [32]

He has written on, and advocates for, the doctrine of Christian conditionalism or annihilationism. [33] [34] He was also one of the most prominent supporters of Rob Bell's controversial book Love Wins, offering an endorsement on the back of the book. [35] [36] [37] Boyd appears in the 2012 documentary film Hellbound , encouraging Christians to have a more open mind about heaven, hell, and salvation. [38]

Boyd is also a contributor to the BioLogos Foundation and has written extensively about reconciling Christianity and evolution. [39] [40]

God at War

Boyd has argued that if we assume that the Christian God is not absolutely all-powerful, it becomes logical that he is all-good. In his book God at War, he elaborates on this God. Boyd contends that God is at war and sometimes fails, which explains outcomes that are calamitous for humans.

Boyd is known for his academic work on the topics of Satan, the problem of evil, spiritual warfare, and the demonic. [41] [42] He is authoring a series of books, titled Satan and Evil (produced by InterVarsity Press), two volumes of which have already been published: God at War: The Bible and Spiritual Conflict (1997) and Satan and the Problem of Evil: Constructing a Trinitarian Warfare Theodicy (2001). In between numerous other projects, he has been at work on the next installment of this series, tentatively titled The Myth of the Blueprint, which is now planned as a two-volume work with roughly 1,000 pages to each volume. Boyd is also a contributor to the 2012 book Understanding Spiritual Warfare: Four Views (eds. J. Beilby and P. R. Eddy, Baker Academic). Related to this, Boyd supports the Christus Victor model of the atonement. [43] [44]

Personal life

Boyd is a vegetarian and plays the drums. [45] [46] Boyd has grown children with his wife, Shelley, to whom he's been married for over thirty years. [47]

Books

Related Research Articles

Arianism is a Christological doctrine considered heretical by all mainstream branches of Christianity. It is first attributed to Arius, a Christian presbyter who preached and studied in Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God the Father with the difference that the Son of God did not always exist but was begotten/made before time by God the Father; therefore, Jesus was not coeternal with God the Father, but nonetheless Jesus began to exist outside time.

Anabaptism is a Christian movement which traces its origins to the Radical Reformation in the 16th century. Anabaptists believe that baptism is valid only when candidates freely confess their faith in Christ and request to be baptized. Commonly referred to as believer's baptism, it is opposed to baptism of infants, who are not able to make a conscious decision to be baptized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panentheism</span> Belief that the divine pervades all of space and time and extends beyond it

Panentheism is the belief that the divine intersects every part of the universe and also extends beyond space and time. The term was coined by the German philosopher Karl Krause in 1828 to distinguish the ideas of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831) and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (1775–1854) about the relation of God and the universe from the supposed pantheism of Baruch Spinoza. Unlike pantheism, which holds that the divine and the universe are identical, panentheism maintains an ontological distinction between the divine and the non-divine and the significance of both.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity</span> Christian doctrine that God is three persons

The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is the central doctrine concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, three distinct persons (hypostases) sharing one essence/substance/nature (homoousion). As the Fourth Lateran Council declared, it is the Father who begets, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds. In this context, one essence/nature defines what God is, while the three persons define who God is. This expresses at once their distinction and their indissoluble unity. Thus, the entire process of creation and grace is viewed as a single shared action of the three divine persons, in which each person manifests the attributes unique to them in the Trinity, thereby proving that everything comes "from the Father," "through the Son," and "in the Holy Spirit."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Shelby Spong</span> American bishop (1931–2021)

John Shelby "Jack" Spong was an American bishop of the Episcopal Church, born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He served as the Bishop of Newark, New Jersey from 1979 to 2000. Spong was a liberal Christian theologian, religion commentator, and author who called for a fundamental rethinking of Christian belief away from theism and traditional doctrines. He was known for his progressive and controversial views on Christianity, including his rejection of traditional Christian doctrines, his advocacy for LGBTQ rights, and his support for interfaith dialogue. Spong was a contributor to the Living the Questions DVD program and was a guest on numerous national television broadcasts. Spong died on September 12, 2021, at his home in Richmond, Virginia, at the age of 90.

Open theism, also known as openness theology, is a theological movement that has developed within Christianity as a rejection of the synthesis of Greek philosophy and Christian theology. It is a version of free will theism and arises out of the free will theistic tradition of the church, which goes back to the early church fathers. Open theism is typically advanced as a biblically motivated and logically consistent theology of human and divine freedom, with an emphasis on what this means for the content of God's foreknowledge and exercise of God's power.

Nontrinitarianism is a form of Christianity that rejects the mainstream Christian theology of the Trinity—the belief that God is three distinct hypostases or persons who are coeternal, coequal, and indivisibly united in one being, or essence. Certain religious groups that emerged during the Protestant Reformation have historically been known as antitrinitarian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Swinburne</span> English philosopher and Christian apologist

Richard Granville Swinburne is an English philosopher. He is an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford. Over the last 50 years, Swinburne has been a proponent of philosophical arguments for the existence of God. His philosophical contributions are primarily in the philosophy of religion and philosophy of science. He aroused much discussion with his early work in the philosophy of religion, a trilogy of books consisting of The Coherence of Theism, The Existence of God, and Faith and Reason.

Oneness Pentecostalism is a nontrinitarian religious movement within the Protestant Christian family of churches known as Pentecostalism. It derives its name from its teaching on the Godhead, a form of Modalistic Monarchianism commonly referred to as the Oneness doctrine. The doctrine states that there is one God―a singular divine spirit with no distinction of persons―who manifests himself in many ways, including as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This stands in sharp contrast to the doctrine of three distinct, eternal persons posited by Trinitarian theology.

In orthodox Mormonism, the term God generally refers to the biblical God the Father, whom Latter Day Saints also refer to as Elohim or Heavenly Father, and the term Godhead refers to a council of three distinct divine persons consisting of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. However, in Latter Day Saint theology the term God may also refer to, in some contexts, the Godhead as a whole or to each member individually. Latter Day Saints believe that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are three distinct beings, and that the Father and Jesus have perfected, glorified, physical bodies, while the Holy Ghost is a spirit without a physical body. Latter Day Saints also believe that there are other gods and goddesses outside the Godhead, such as a Heavenly Mother—who is married to God the Father—and that faithful Latter-day Saints may attain godhood in the afterlife. The term Heavenly Parents is used to refer collectively to the divine partnership of Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother. Joseph Smith taught that God was once a man on another planet before being exalted to Godhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Laurie</span> American author and pastor (born 1952)

Greg Laurie is an American evangelical author, pastor and evangelist who serves as the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, based in Riverside, California. He also is the founder of Harvest Crusades. Laurie is also the subject of the 2023 film Jesus Revolution, which tells the story of how he converted to Christianity and got his start in ministry in the midst of the Jesus movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ myth theory</span> Fringe theory claiming that a historical Jesus did not exist

The Christ myth theory, also known as the Jesus myth theory, Jesus mythicism, or the Jesus ahistoricity theory, is the view that the story of Jesus is a work of mythology with no historical substance. Alternatively, in terms given by Bart Ehrman paraphrasing Earl Doherty, it is the view that "the historical Jesus did not exist. Or if he did, he had virtually nothing to do with the founding of Christianity."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert M. Price</span> American biblical scholar (born 1954)

Robert McNair Price is an American New Testament scholar who argues in favor of the Christ myth theory – the claim that a historical Jesus did not exist. Price is the author of a number of books on biblical studies and the historicity of Jesus.

John Ernest Sanders is an American Christian theologian. He currently serves as professor of religious studies at Hendrix College. Sanders is best known for his promotion of open theism but he has also written on cognitive linguistics and religious pluralism (inclusivism).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">God in Christianity</span> Christian conception of God

In Christianity, God is believed to be the eternal, supreme being who created and preserves all things. Most Christians believe in a monotheistic, trinitarian conception of God, which is both transcendent and immanent. Most Christians believe in a singular God that exists in a Trinity, which consists of three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Christian teachings on the transcendence, immanence, and involvement of God in the world and his love for humanity exclude the belief that God is of the same substance as the created universe but accept that God the Son assumed hypostatically united human nature, thus becoming man in a unique event known as "the Incarnation".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddhist influences on Christianity</span> Hypothesized impacts

Buddhism was known in the pre-Christian Greek world through the campaigns of Alexander the Great, and several prominent early Christian fathers, including Clement of Alexandria and St. Jerome, were aware of the Buddha, even mentioning him in their works. However, the majority of modern scholars who have studied both Buddhism and Christianity hold that there is no direct historical evidence of any influence by Buddhism on early Christianity. Scholars generally consider any such influence implausible given that first century Jews are highly unlikely to have been open to far eastern concepts that appeared opposed to some of their basic beliefs.

Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity and Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theologians use biblical exegesis, rational analysis and argument. Theologians may undertake the study of Christian theology for a variety of reasons, such as in order to:

<i>The Myth of a Christian Nation</i> 2007 book by Greg Boyd

The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church is a 2007 book by theologian Greg Boyd on the relationship between politics and Christianity. Following the book's release, Boyd, who was already a noteworthy theologian before the book's publication, gained national attention after the New York Times published a front page cover article on the book and Boyd's rejection of the religious right. He also discussed the book on The Charlie Rose Show and in the CNN documentary God's Warriors. The book was also discussed widely in publications such as Christianity Today and The Christian Century.

Bruce A. Ware is an American theologian, former president of the Evangelical Theological Society, and a key figure in the debate over open theism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sources for the historicity of Jesus</span> Sources about Jesus as a historical figure

Christian sources such as the New Testament books in the Christian Bible, include detailed accounts about Jesus, but scholars differ on the historicity of specific episodes described in the biblical accounts of Jesus. The only two events subject to "almost universal assent" are that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and was crucified by the order of the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate.

References

  1. ↑ Woodland Hills Church website Archived July 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "Open Debate in the Openness Debate". Christianity Today. February 19, 2001. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Greg Boyd (Part 1 of 13)". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  4. ↑ "The Open Future". YouTube. September 30, 2008. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  5. ↑ Goodstein, Laurie (July 30, 2006). "Disowning Conservative Politics, Evangelical Pastor Rattles Flock". The New York Times.
  6. ↑ "The Myth of a Christian Nation". Barclay Press. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  7. ↑ Greg (January 11, 2008). "Random Reflections - Greg Boyd: A Call to Christian Anarchy". Gregboyd.blogspot.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Gregory Boyd on [The Myth of a Christian Nation" Part 1/3". YouTube. February 25, 2007. Archived from the original on November 20, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  9. ↑ "The 20 Most Influential Christian Scholars" SuperScholar, September 9, 2010
  10. ↑ "Baylor University || Media Communications || News". Baylor.edu. September 18, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  11. ↑ Boyd, Greg (December 18, 2007). "Spiritual Journey". Reknew.org. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  12. ↑ Boyd, Gregory (June 1, 1992). Oneness Pentecostals and the Trinity. Grand Rapids: Baker Books. pp. 21–24. ISBN   0801010195.
  13. ↑ "Greg Boyd Q & A" . Retrieved April 3, 2012.[ dead link ]
  14. ↑ "Gregory A. Boyd: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle". Amazon. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Church History " Woodland Hills Church". Whchurch.org. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Dr. Gregory A. Boyd "Letter." | CRI". Equip.org. April 6, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Focus on the Faulty: Articles". Dwaddle.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  18. ↑ Username *. "Was Jesus an Open Theist? A Brief Examination of Greg Boyd's Exegesis of Jesus' Prayer in Gethsemane - By: Charles L. Quarles | Galaxie Software". Galaxie.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  19. ↑ Archived March 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ↑ "Open Debate in the Openness Debate". Christianity Today. February 19, 2001. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Greg Boyd | Participants | Profile". Closer to Truth. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  22. ↑ Boyd, Gregory A.; Boyd, Edward K. (1994). Letters From a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father's Questions about Christianity (0612608762442): Gregory A. Boyd: Books . David C Cook. ISBN   1564762440.
  23. ↑ "Disowning Conservative Politics" The New York Times, July 30, 2006
  24. ↑ "Greg Boyd: Power under and power over". YouTube. December 15, 2008. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  25. ↑ "Greg Boyd: "Power" According to the New Testament". YouTube. May 2, 2010. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  26. ↑ "God's Christian Warriors". CNN. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  27. ↑ "Greg Boyd Tackles The Myth of the Christian Religion". YouTube. September 30, 2010. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  28. ↑ Yoder, Kelli. "Seeking a tribe, megachurch weighs its Anabaptist options". 4 February 2013. Mennonite World Review. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Greg Boyd's Minn. Megachurch Contemplates Mennonite Affiliation". Global.christianpost.com. February 13, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  30. ↑ Köstenberger A (1998). "Gregory A Boyd: Cynic Sage or Son of God?" (PDF). Trinity Journal. 19: 110–14. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  31. ↑ philosophyreligion (September 24, 2010). "Jesus: Legend or Son of God? (1 of 9)". YouTube. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  32. ↑ "2008 Christianity Today Book Awards". Christianity Today. March 18, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  33. ↑ "The Case for Annihilationism – by Greg Boyd " Resources for the Study of Hell". Ekklesiahellweek.wordpress.com. March 15, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  34. ↑ "Greg Boyd - Thoughts on Eternal Punishment, Part 1". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  35. ↑ Boyd, Greg (February 26, 2011). "Rob Bell is NOT a Universalist (and I actually read "Love Wins") – ReKnew". Reknew.org. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  36. ↑ "Greg Boyd - Q & A - "Love Wins" and a view of Hell". YouTube. December 10, 2012. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  37. ↑ "Does 'love' win in the end?". Minnesota.christianexaminer.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  38. ↑ "About The Movie". Hellbound The Movie. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  39. ↑ "Boyd, Greg". BioLogos. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  40. ↑ Greg (April 10, 2008). "Random Reflections - Greg Boyd: Evolution As Cosmic Warfare". Gregboyd.blogspot.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  41. ↑ "Recommended Resources: "Spiritual Warfare" Series by Greg Boyd". August 1, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  42. ↑ "Walter Wink and Greg Boyd on the Problem of Evil". Patheos.com. March 22, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  43. ↑ Boyd, Greg. "The "Christus Victor" View of the Atonement". ReKnew. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  44. ↑ "A Better Atonement: Christus Victor". Patheos.com. February 29, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  45. ↑ Greg (February 10, 2008). "Random Reflections - Greg Boyd: Why I'm a Vegetarian". Gregboyd.blogspot.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  46. ↑ "Why I Am a Christian Herbivore". revelife. September 5, 2010. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  47. ↑ Greg (March 1, 2008). "Random Reflections - Greg Boyd: Let me tell you about my "Beso"". Gregboyd.blogspot.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.