Since Woodland Hills is a body of 5,000 members that is a stunning loss of 1,000 folks. Must be pretty serious stuff, huh? Must be heresy or moral sin that is involved, right? But the controversy in Minnesota is about how the church should embrace patriotism and politics into the sanctuary.

Dr.Gregory Boyd founded the Woodland Hills Church in 1992.  He wrote a book that I enjoyed called “Letters to a Skeptic” so I knew his name before this story came to my attention. Before the last presidential election he preached a series called “The Cross and the Sword”. In those messages Boyd proclaimed that the church should steer clear of politics, give up moralizing on sexual issues, stop claiming the United States as a “Christian nation” and stop glorifying American military campaigns. “When you put your trust in the sword, you lose the cross,” Boyd preached. That apparently riled up enough people to generate an exodus of 20% of the congregation.

The argument about whether America is a “Christian nation“ is a difficult one. Clearly America was founded on Judeo-Christian values and as a place of religious freedom. I don't believe that is the argument Dr.Boyd is making.

Dr.Boyd defends himself by saying he is not a liberal. He opposes abortion and believes that homosexuality is not God’s ideal. Boyd is not a stranger to controversy. He withstood an effort by his own denomination to oust him a few years ago when he wondered if God fully knew the future. Dr.Boyd and I part company on that issue. But on the issue of politics in the church I think we are kindred spirits. Boyd states that his sermons were not an attack on Republicans or the religious right. He notes that Christians on both sides have turned politics and patriotism into idolatry.

To that I have to say amen! I have been roundly criticised for supporting George Bush in my first book, When Bad Christians Happen to Good People. I regret the political references I made in that book. I wish I could remove them because I found out that political remarks polarize and deflect the message of the Cross. I tried to make it clear that Christians were making a mistake by trying to change our culture through politics instead of by changing hearts for Jesus. That book was written during 9/11 and after I had been personally convicted of my sin toward President Bill Clinton. I did not pray for Bill Clinton. I did not respect him as the authority my sovereign God allowed to be in power. I regret the impression that I gave to some readers that I believed the Republican party was the official party of Christianity. I do not believe that at all. And yes…I expect to see Democrats in heaven. And Libertarians. A few Republicans will be there too. But the common link will not be politcal ideology. The link that will bring us there will be Jesus.