Two Cities: Augustine’s City of God (Chuck Colson on citizenship)

BreakPoint ^ | 27 Jan 04 | Chuck Colson

[Mr. Silverback]

On August 24, 410 A.D. , the Visigoths, led by Alaric, sacked Rome. For the people of late antiquity, August 24 was even more traumatic than September 11 was for us. Rome, the capital of the greatest empire the world had ever known, was plundered by barbarians, people Romeregarded as uncouth and inferior.

In North Africa , these events prompted a Christian bishop to start writing about the lessons Christians should take away from the destruction of Rome. The result was a book that is every bit as relevant for our day as it was for his: The City of God by St. Augustine of Hippo.

In response to critics who blamed Rome’s demise on the fact that she abandoned the pagan gods and turned to Christ, Augustine introduced readers to two cities: the “City of God” and the “City of Man.” The City of Man is shaped by the love of self, even to the contempt of God, and the City of Godis shaped by the love of God, even to the contempt of self.

In describing the two cities, Augustine reiterated Jesus’ teaching that while Christians live in the City of Man, they do not belong to the City of Man. Their presence in the earthly city is like that of strangers sojourning in a foreign country. We are to enjoy the blessings the City of Man has to offer, including its rights, its protection, and its preservation of order, but we are always ready to move on. The City of Man is not our true home. No, our true home is in the City of God. And it is to that city that we owe our affections and our ultimate loyalty.

While this sounds like a recipe for withdrawal, it is anything but that. Augustine taught that, just as we are to enjoy the blessings of the City of Man, we must assume the obligations of citizenship. As he put it, “Caesar looks for his own likeness, give it to him.” Only, instead of fulfilling these obligations out of compulsion and fear, the Christian does so out of obedience to God and love of neighbor. Being a good citizen means doing our civic duty and, of course, voting.

As we enter this election year, the struggle for our culture’s soul has simultaneously produced passivity and defeatism in some evangelical quarters and a shrill triumphalism in others. Neither response, as Augustine teaches, is the proper Christian response.

We can never retreat into our sanctuaries and neglect our civic responsibility to help set the moral tone of our culture. Leaving your neighbor in ignorance of his folly is inconsistent with the command to love him, and so political and cultural engagement are required for faithful believers. We are, I like to put it, to bring the influence of the City of God into the City of Man, working for justice and righteousness.

At the same time, if we controlled every legislative, executive, and judiciary branch, we still could not transform the City of Man into the City of God. That’s why talk about making this a “Christian nation” is wrong-headed and needlessly scares our neighbors.

Over the next few days, I’ll be discussing what it means to be a Christian and a citizen in contemporary America: the temptations, pitfalls, and opportunities. Getting this right starts with the paradox Augustine taught: The best citizens of the City of Man are those who remember that their true citizenship is in the City of God.

[MHGinTN]

Forgive the intrusion. May I add to your comments that what we read in Chuck Colson's BreakPoint commentaries is the wisdom flowing from a 'transformed heart', not the wisdom from the previous flawed man of the Nixon Administration. And yes, the old Colson is still in existence, but is under the strong influence of a man who has been 'transformed in the renewing of his mind', to parpahrase Paul in scripture.

[Biblical Calvinist]

Abraham Kuyper wrestled with these issues as well. Not familiar with Kuyper? This man was a true man of God, as well as a genius, used by God within Holland 100 years ago.

Kuyper was a Seminary professor; a major theologian as well, who also founded a major university, The FREE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM, was the editor of two newspapers, as well as founding the first major political party in Holland. Kuyper was elected to Parliment, and eventually became Prime Minister of Holland.

He was highly influential within Dutch politics..original, fresh; having based his politics solidly in Biblical, Reformed catagories. EVERY person, especially Christians; who is interested in conservative politics should be familiar with the work of Abraham Kuyper. A true Giant.

Here is a link for more information regarding Abraham Kuyper =
http://www.opc.org/new_horizons/NH99/NH9901d.html

[AzSteven]

Particularly in light of his dismal past! Very sordid!

My question: How many FBI files did Augustine misuse?

Well, we have the picture evidence of St Augustine with the one file, a few posts back...

[Mr. Silverback]

Well, we have the picture evidence of St Augustine with the one file, a few posts back...

Aha! Caught red-handed! Defenestrate him!

[Guenevere]

#21..No intrusion!
You said it better than I!

[Texas_Dawg]

My question: How many FBI files did Augustine misuse?

He stole some pears and made a bastard.

Augustine was great, imho.

[Texas_Dawg]

The City of God is becoming increasingly more popular in American Christian circles as the Christian church seeks to renew the urban areas of this country and our increasingly global/urban world. I recommend The City of God to anyone who hasn't read it. The first couple hundred pages may seem slow as Augustine is having to debunk polytheism with reasons that are patently obvious to most modern-day Westerners (but not ancient Romans) be they Christian or not, but after that the book's practical applications for Christians in our society are fascinating.

[Mr. Silverback]

He stole some pears and made a bastard.

Colson references this in his book, Loving God, where he describes how broken up Augustine was over the pear incident, and relates it to an incident that haunted him in the same way: While serving in the Marines, he let his platoon steal from a cart vendor in Puerto Rico, just because he could.

Evil isn't just in the Hitlers of the world...

[k2blader]

Bump for later read!

[highlander_UW]

My question: How many FBI files did Augustine misuse?

None that he got caught for...but he never denied abusing FBI files.

[LiteKeeper]

Thank you - I know of Kuyper, and of his successor, Herman Bavinck. Bavinck has provided me with a lot of good theology in his book, In The Beginning, which builds his theological system from Creation.

[Texas_Dawg]

Evil isn't just in the Hitlers of the world...

Nope. Augustine lays this out very clearly in his Confessions. Augustine was amazingly blessed by Christ. It's sad that our world dismisses the worldview Augustine brough to so many for so long because it is the correct view of the world. Jesus called his own disciples "evil" after all.

[siunevada]

He stole some pears and made a bastard.

Augustine was great, imho.

He still is.

[O.C. - Old Cracker]

I am somewhat chary of getting moral guidance from Chuck Colson.
As a Christian I am compelled to forgive Chuck Colson. I am not required to accept his guidance. Particularly in view of his rather dismal past.

Who demanded that you accept Colson's "guidance"? I read the article, and except for a few Biblically based exhortations aimed at true believers in Jesus Christ, where are the demands?

If you have a beef with Colson's past sins, perhaps you should listen to his views on the subject. Colson doesn't soft soap his Watergate involvement and offers no excuse. But the last 25 years of his life have been spent offering practical as well as spiritual help to prison inmates and their families. How have you spent the last 25 years of your life?

[rcofdayton]

Chuck Colson went to prison for illegally possessing one FBI file. Don't you agree it is a shame that no one from the Clinton administration went to prison for illegally getting and possessing over 900 FBI files?

[Ozone34]

"If you have a beef with Colson's past sins, perhaps you should listen to his views on the subject. Colson doesn't soft soap his Watergate involvement and offers no excuse. But the last 25 years of his life have been spent offering practical as well as spiritual help to prison inmates and their families. How have you spent the last 25 years of your life?"


I have no idea why you are directing these comments to me. I have a great deal of personal respect for Colson and what he has accomplished. I raised the issue of the single FBI file to contrast the hypocrisy of his persecution versus the degenerate conduct of the Clinton Whitehouse.

[Mr. Silverback]

which builds his theological system from Creation.

The only way it should be built. Ken Hamm has said he has yet to find a Christian doctrine that isn't laid out in the first 11 chapters of Genesis.

[LiteKeeper]

Ken Hamm has said he has yet to find a Christian doctrine that isn't laid out in the first 11 chapters of Genesi

Amen. And that is why my doctoral dissertation is called "The Roots of a Biblical Worldview in Genesis 1-11."

[O.C. - Old Cracker]

Fair enough. Please accept my apology.

[DMZFrank]

You know how the liberals would charecterize this. One FBI file is a tragedy. 900 FBI files is just a statistic.