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Greg Boyd is an internationally recognized theologian, preacher, teacher, apologist and author.
He has been featured on the front page of The New York Times, The Charlie Rose Show, CNN, National Public Radio, the BBC and numerous other television and radio venues.
Greg received his Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary (summa cum laude 1988), his M.Div. from Yale Divinity School (cum laude 1982), and his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Minnesota (1979). He was a professor of theology for 16 years at Bethel University (St. Paul, MN) where he received the Teaching Excellence Award and Campus Leadership Award.
Greg is the co-founder of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota where he serves as Senior Pastor, speaking to thousands each week.
Greg has authored or co-authored 20 books and numerous academic articles, including his best-selling and award-winning Letters From a Skeptic and his recent books Repenting of Religion and The Myth of a Christian Nation. His apologetic writings and public debates on the historical Jesus and the problem of evil have helped many skeptics embrace faith, and his writings and seminars on spiritual transformation have had a revolutionary, freeing impact on thousands of believers.
Check out Greg’s website here.
For several blog post recommendations check out the links below:
Doing the Kingdom, Not Voting It In
Greg Boyd and Jim Wallis Discuss Politics & Faith
Living With a Kingdom Consciousness
When we return to the simplicity and difficulty of the kingdom of God, the question that defines us is no longer, What are the Christian policies and candidates? No, when love is placed above all kingdom-of-the-world concerns (Col. 3:14; 1 Peter 4:8), the kingdom-of-the-world options placed before us dwindle in significance.
-Greg Boyd
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Thanks for this conversation Greg and Shane.
I have been describing myself as Menno-curious for several years now, and I do not vote.
I am also an economist, and I provided economic policy advice to Dr. Ben Carson during the primaries. I primarily advised on trade policy and tax strategy.
There is room for the Christian to exercise his (in this case) vocation within the political realm, particularly as a prophetic voice speaking to power. I think my partisan neutrality may have provided a more open opportunity to speak frankly when I talked to Dr. Carson on the phone. I was able to be something other than a “yes-man.” I had no dog in the fight.
I have since had occasion to reflect on why I choose not to vote.
Of course, my vote matters very little, and is very unlikely to affect the outcome of an election. An entire discipline within economics, Public Choice, expands on this fact.
Also, even if my vote were decisive, if my preferred candidate won, he or she would implement many policies I am and should be opposed to. In order to build a large enough coalition to win an election compromise occurs.
Because we have a two-party first-past-the-post electoral system both candidates are forced to change platforms and migrate toward the median voter as voting day gets closer.
But my newest reason for not voting is a bit novel. As an educated white Anglo-Saxon Protestant male my voice has already been heard by the powers that be. By not voting I can amplify the voices of the marginalized.