God at War: The Bible and Spiritual Conflict

There is no theologian that has influenced me more that Greg Boyd has. This book is great. In this book Greg argues against the classical/Augustinian worldview that some refer to as a "blueprint." This worldview says that God causes all of the evil that happens in the universe for some "greater good." So, Greg begins in the Old Testament and examines the warfare motif that is taught. He points out that in the Old Testament, God is fighting a real war against cosmic creatures that are later personified as demons (Satan and his angels). Next Greg examines the life and ministry of Christ and shows (in depth) that Christ's entire ministry was about "tying up the strong man" (defeating Satan and his works; 1 John 3:8). He then taps into the Christus Victor motif that the church has neglected for so long, showing that Christ is a loving warrior who fights for humans out of infinite love for humans. And lastly, Greg examines post-gospel writings in the NT showing how the Christian life is a war: advancing the Kingdom of God against the already defeated, pathetic kingdom of Satan. The bottom line is that Greg shows us (scripturally) that the Bible teaches a warfare worldview rather than a blueprint worldview. This book is a very motivational book. It causes one to see evil for what it is: opposition to the ALL-GOOD Creator's will. It causes one to reject "serene, pious resignations" (quote from Greg's book) when they experience evil and to do what Jesus did, revolt and oppose it! This book argues against the pervasive classical-philisophical presupposition that says God causes everything (rapists, child molesters, Satan's activity!), and shows how grotesque and ridiculous this idea is when we simply look at Jesus. It frees us from the twisted, hellish god of blueprint theology and opens us up to the teachings of Christ and His followers, which lead us to revolt against pain and suffering and wage war against the evil powers in the spriritual realm for the sake of God's ALL-LOVING Kingdom.

What a book!! Finally someone has attempted to write a theology about God warring against evil instead of warring through evil. Many other reviewers have written about how this book is good exegesis or bad exegesis. But very few have taken a moment to reflect on how their Christian experience matches up with this book. Most who have lived as spiritual warriors know that Boyd is on to something here. There seems to be a battle raging in our hearts and how we respond to that battle is EVERYTHING. Do we know how to fight? Do we know how to take up our armor and weapons to battle the enemy? The only way we can learn to do these things is if God shows us that He is a warrior and is today warring. This is Boyd's main thesis. Whether or not you agree with the details it can't be denied that we are in the midst of a great raging battle. Will you battle or will you retreat? Listen to Boyd's war call and take up your sword. Daughter of Zion, Son of God, He is warring for you and we must learn to war from what He loves.

It is interesting to see the variations in response to a book like this - some informed, some practically rabid in their defense of God and His sovereignty(like He needs us to defend Him, right?) The bottom line is that if the book is read in its entirety, it is NOT a challenge to God, His sovereignty, or his omnipotence. What it DOES challenge is the view that the Church has put forth of HOW He knows all things (reality and possibility) and ends up with a God who is MUCH more sovereign than the all-controlling God, and is much more grounded in love, and His allowance of free will. You can almost see God saying, "Yes, I gave Satan and Humans free will. They can choose to do what they want - but Ill be ready no matter WHAT they choose." That, to me, is a God who is truly sovereign - and this book paints God as such. It also kills the classic "Problem of Evil" - thank you Gregory Boyd, and God for influencing him to write this!

Boyd opened up a whole new world to me. God At War was given to me from a friend who attended a School of Ministry that was based on a revival movement, so I approached it carefully (if not skeptically). However, once I got in to the book, it had a profound impact on me. I have been trained in the NorthEast, mainly being taught by Reformed professors. God At War brought me face to face with the "openness of God" movement and almost single-handedly convinced me to rethink my theology. God at War is easy to follow, yet full of footnotes for further study. Boyd wrestles with creation theory, monotheism, God's sovereignty and other issues with strong Biblical content. His views on the New Testament are equally as compelling. I thought I was just going to be reading another book on spiritual warfare, instead, I read a new way of doing theology.

I'm going to ignore the issue of whether I agree with Boyd's thesis or not. What I want to focus on is what this book does to the reader. It is impossible to passively take in what Boyd is writing. He forces you to think for yourself, regardless of whether you agree with him or not. I often had to put down the book, check out what scripture says, and ponder how it all ties together. Read this book if you want to be forced to develop a greater understanding of God's character based on what scripture says, rather than on what you've been told scripture says.