As astute as these two critiques of Reagan’s civil theology are, they fail to consider one widely neglected but critical question: whether Reagan, or any American leader for that matter, should ever have called the United States the ‘city on a hill’ in the first place. Americans need not choose from among an anti-religious secularism that is deaf and blind to theology, or a low-voltage populist civil religion, or even a more chastened Puritan or Edwardsian sense of national election that keeps a place for divine judgment. The Christians among them can instead reserve divine election and the ‘city on a hill’ for the Christian church alone. Christians in the United States can think of themselves from an Augustinian perspective as, first and foremost, citizens of the City of God, living in tension with the world, and sojourning as pilgrims for a time within the current manifestation of the City of Man called ‘America’. Keeping their eternal citizenship in mind, they can object when either Democrats or Republicans co-opt any part of the church’s identity for their own use, no matter how good their intentions. They can live much of day-to-day life in common with their neighbours, but in the matter of worship, as Augustine wrote in the City of God, they must dissent. Part of that dissent means guarding the church’s unique identity and calling. (Richard M. Gamble, In Search of the City on a Hill, 161)
If presidents shouldn’t use the Bible to speak about the identity of the United States, how much more should ministers — specialists in the Bible — avoid identifying a nation with the city on a hill? And this is why the all-of-life Christianity that w-wists promote inevitably leads to identifying the nation in which 24-7 Christians live with the City of God. If my everyday activities are simply an extension of my spiritual duties, then everyday life in the United States must be an extension of God’s kingdom.
Augustinians are a rare breed.
Old Life 
You just need to embrace “Unam Sanctam” and you can have it all. “Tastes Great” and “Less Filling”.
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D.G. Hart: And this is why the all-of-life Christianity that w-wists promote inevitably leads to identifying the nation in which 24-7 Christians live with the City of God. If my everyday activities are simply an extension of my spiritual duties, then everyday life in the United States must be an extension of God’s kingdom.
Augustinians are a rare breed.
RS: This is a very deep puzzle for me and I simply cannot comprehend it. So surely, I think, I must be misunderstanding you. If we think of the first question to the Westminster Catechisms as standing for the Greatest Commandment and I Cor 10:31 (Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God), then how can it be that all my activities are not to be to the glory, enjoyment, and love of God? Augustine said this, but since it is from memory it will not be exact, “He loves Thee too little who does not love all things for Thy sake.”
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And something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?
You have many contacts
Among the lumberjacks
To get you facts
When someone attacks your imagination
But nobody has any respect
Anyway they already expect you
To all give a check
To tax-deductible charity organizations.
You’ve been with the professors
And they’ve all liked your looks
With great lawyers you have
Discussed lepers and crooks
You’ve been through all of
Jonathan Edwards books
But something is happening here
And you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?
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RS, okay, so if you want to live in such a way that all you do glorifies God, do you watch your Roman Catholic neighbor’s home while the family is away even though you’re apparently approving of idolatry?
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D. G. Hart: RS, okay, so if you want to live in such a way that all you do glorifies God, do you watch your Roman Catholic neighbor’s home while the family is away even though you’re apparently approving of idolatry?
RS: Which does not answer my question. However, what should be my motive in watching or not watching my RC neighbor’s home? Why couldn’t I watch their home out of obedience to the command of loving an enemy? IF my motive is of the comfort and ease of self, I may not watch their home and could come up with a confessional (as opposed to pious) excuse for doing so. But the issue is whether I can watch or not watch the neighbor’s home apart from the love of God being my primary motive as an aspect of the Greatest Commandment. Watching their home would not necessarily be approving idolatry any more than giving a hitchiker a ride approves of his or her idolatry of self, but instead might show me my heart in whether I love God in doing so or not doing so.
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It would seem that by any literate reading of Augustine, America is neither a subset of the City of Man nor a subset of the City of God: we’re a mixed lot. Read Augustine for yourself: both cities are supernatural, one resulting from the fallen angels, one from the holy angels. One is the Seed of Cain, the other the Seed of Seth. One is the set of the damned, the other of the elect. Augustine’s two cities is not about the Lutheran two kingdoms at all. Please read Augustine before appropriating him.
Additionally, every Reformed confession (except the London Baptist) calls on all civil magistrates, including Reagan in his day, and Obama today, to be a nursing father (or mother) to Christ’s church. That’s vastly different from claiming that the USA is a “city on a hill.”
Which is why I say that 2Kers are more like the London Baptists than Presbyterians and Reformed thinkers at this point. 2K relies on the new American confessionalism. It’s view of “Old Life” is actually “new-Old Life.”
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Phil, wow, more than a pip squeak.
Remember those nursing fathers are also supposed to do this:
How does a nursing father of the church insure that idolaters and blasphemers also receive their civil rights?
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Another question is, what the heck is a “nursing father”? Maybe gay marriage isn’t so out there…
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Is.49:23, “And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.”
The language is archaic. The church is the recipient of divine blessing through those he providentially employs. In both cases–kings or queens–these are surrogates. Instead of the lowly servant-woman offering her breast, or a hired-man being the companion tutor, the greatest of earths denizens will be conscripted for the task by the Lord of lords.
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Thanks, Bruce. Sometimes I ask a silly question and get a serious answer.
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The czar wants to nurture me. Tonto flees to another place, far away as possible from the czar.
Click to access a_politician_as_a_nursing_father.pdf
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But if the milk doesn’t do the job, maybe two swords will be enough.
Augustine: Not yet had I embraced him, though he called out, proclaiming, I am the Way and Truth and Life, nor had I known him as the food which, though I was not yet strong enough to eat it, he had mingled with our flesh; the Word became flesh so that your wisdom, through whom you created all things, might become for us the milk adapted for our infancy” (Confessions 7.18.24).
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“…guarding the church’s unique identity and calling.” How well have reformed and evangelical Americans done with that?
http://spurgeonwarquotes.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/the-church-as-she-should-be/
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Erik, the nursing fathers verse is one you toss into the stirring pot when confronted by people who have a penchant to go bonkers when you don’t agree with their views on what the only true English version Bible happens to be.
No points for guessing correctly.
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D.G. Hart
That’s why I like coming onto this plog as—I hope—an esteemed visitor. One is simply unable to read posts such as this anywhere else. Could be a marketing campaign? But better yet; I think it is far more compatible with Sacred Scripture than MANY are comfortable with in the “warm and fuzz” eeeeevangelical, sort of way.
Cheers!
djbeilstein
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Phillip Larson: Additionally, every Reformed confession (except the London Baptist) calls on all civil magistrates, including Reagan in his day, and Obama today, to be a nursing father (or mother) to Christ’s church. That’s vastly different from claiming that the USA is a “city on a hill.”
Which is why I say that 2Kers are more like the London Baptists than Presbyterians and Reformed thinkers at this point. 2K relies on the new American confessionalism. It’s view of “Old Life” is actually “new-Old Life.”
RS: I had intended to go back and post this when it came out, but providence… One can also interpret the London Baptist Confession (the 1689) as saying that the civil magistrates are to be a nursing father to the Church as well.
LBCF Chapter 24: Of the Civil Magistrate
1._____ God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates to be under him, over the people, for his own glory and the public good; and to this end hath armed them with the power of the sword, for defence and encouragement of them that do good, and for the punishment of evil doers. ( Romans 13:1-4 )
2._____ It is lawful for Christians to accept and execute the office of a magistrate when called there unto; in the management whereof, as they ought especially to maintain justice and peace, according to the wholesome laws of each kingdom and commonwealth, so for that end they may lawfully now, under the New Testament wage war upon just and necessary occasions.
( 2 Samuel 23:3; Psalms 82:3, 4; Luke 3:14 )
3._____ Civil magistrates being set up by God for the ends aforesaid; subjection, in all lawful things commanded by them, ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for wrath, but for conscience sake; and we ought to make supplications and prayers for kings and all that are in authority, that under them we may live a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty.
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Had Carl Trueman considered just the title of Winthrop’s famous address, he may have recognized the greater context: “A Model of Christian Charity.” Winthrop was not talking merely about offerings and taking care of the poor. In that 1630 sermon, given aboard the ship before he landed in Massachusetts, Winthrop was talking about how to found the entire new civilization squarely and entirely upon the word of God, so that the civilization would be, as the title suggest, a model of Christian civilization. And in his explanation of Scripture, he was quite explicit that this would involve the reconstruction of society from what they had experienced before.
” for the work we have in hand. It is by a mutual consent, through a special overvaluing providence and a more than an ordinary approbation of the churches of Christ, to seek out a place of cohabitation and consortship under a due form of government both civil and ecclesiastical. In such cases as this, the care of the public must over sway all private respects, by which, not only conscience, but mere civil policy, doth bind us. For it is a true rule that particular estates cannot subsist in the ruin of the public.
http://americanvision.org/11199/carl-truemans-total-surrender-exile-theologians/
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