FA I T H A N D T H E A C A D E M Y: E N G A G I N G T H E C U LT U R E W I T H G R A C E A N D T R U T H
allegiances, the saints should never seek their true home in the kingdoms of the earth. Patriotism and Christianity are compatible only insofar as the former submits to the latter. If patriotism leads to arrogance in times of prosperity or despair in times of uncertainty, then it has supplanted faith in Christ. It has led us to combine our eternal spiritual home with our temporary earthly home. Thus, the City of God reminds us that our true home transcends every nation and empire throughout time, and although we should work for the success of our nation, we must never make our home here. As saints, we are citizens of an empire that can never be conquered. Why would we ever fear the demise of our earthly kingdom? We must recognize that patriotism is good, but citizenship in the City of God is better.
Conclusion
Christ, the Lord of history and the One who holds the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:18). Even though it is good to confess one’s love for God and country, we must never allow our confidence in the latter to shipwreck our faith in the former. Nor should we allow fear in the present to destroy our hope in the future. In the coming decades, whatever America’s fate, Christians should not despair. Rather, we should look toward the heavenly city to which we belong and toward which we are going.
1
Jerome, Letter CXXVII. To Principia.
Augustine, The City of God, ed. Vernon J. Bourke (New York: Image, 1958), 55–56. 2
Ronald H. Nash, The Meaning of History (Nashville: Probe Books, 1998), 50. 3
Richard Neuhaus, The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984). 4
For a glimpse at some emerging challenges facing communities of faith, see Allen Hertzke, ed., Religious Freedom in America: Constitutional Roots and Contemporary Challenges (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2015), 135–248. 5
We are pilgrims on the Earth, sojourners whose citizenship in the City of God requires us to await the coming Kingdom of Christ. Whether we find ourselves in a moment of peace or trouble; whether we lose religious liberties or keep them; whether we witness prolonged American greatness or the demise of our once prosperous nation; with or without America, the eternal City of God will endure. Amid our efforts to engage and transform culture, we must never place our hope in earthly kingdoms, political victories, or charismatic leaders. We must never allow the rise or fall of earthly empires to displace our confidence in
For two helpful and recent articles discussing the decline of American dominance on the global stage, see Tom Engelhardt, The End of the American Century, The Nation, June 19, 2020, https://www.thenation. com/article/world/trump-empire-decline/; Richard Lachmann, Life at the End of American Empire: Richard Lachmann on the Slow Decline of a Superpower, Literary Hub, January 14, 2020, https://lithub.com/life-atthe-end-of-american-empire/. 6
7
Augustine, The City of God, 198.
8
Ibid., 473.
J. Philip Wogaman, Christian Ethics: A Historical Introduction, Second. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2011), 58–60. 9
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