What does it mean to be in the world, but not of the world?
In his recent bestselling book Strange New World (2022), Dr. Carl Trueman suggests that in order to live faithfully as Christians in our contemporary culture, we must learn from the ancient church: specifically the Didache, Greek apologists such as Justin Martyr, and "Augustine in Book XIX of his masterpiece The City of God" (177)
Trueman explains that Book 19 of Augustine's City of God is a classic account of our "dual citizenship" as Christian believers. Augustine gives "a vision of the church in a hostile culture that calls on the church to be the church and on Christians to be constructive members of the wider society in which they are placed." It is a vision of Christian cultural engagement which renounces the "tools, rhetoric, and weapons" of the world. Instead, we must seek God-glorifying goals via God-glorifying means.
Augustine's City of God is a Christian classic which richly rewards study and discussion. And Book 19 has long been considered one of the best "on-ramps" into Augustine's Bible-saturated worldview. Book 19 is the place where he explicitly explains the purpose -- and the way -- of the Christian life in the world, in this present age. But the greatest asset of Augustine is also his greatest liability: He is a 5th-century author. His culture is unfamiliar to most of us. And so we need help to understand him.
This "small group discussion" edition of Book 19 of Augustine's City of God is designed to help contemporary readers understand and discuss this marvelous ancient Christian text. Features include:
Explanatory annotations of names, terms, and concepts -- similar to what you find in a study Bible
Discussion questions for each of the 28 chapters (sections)
A reading plan for a 12-week study
Use of Marcus Dods' English translation, which is in the public domain
One or more appendices to explain background information
Admittedly, this book is likely to interest only a relatively small "niche" readership. But with an election year coming up in the United States in 2024, interest in "Christianity and politics," "Christ and culture," and "Christian cultural engagement" is likely to be higher than average. So this is probably a better-than-average time to try to launch a book like this. And it also definitely helps that a best-selling author such as Dr. Carl Trueman has recently recommended reading this ancient text in his most recent best-selling book.
Daniel Vos
2 years ago
What does it mean to be in the world, but not of the world?
In his recent bestselling book Strange New World (2022), Dr. Carl Trueman suggests that in order to live faithfully as Christians in our contemporary culture, we must learn from the ancient church: specifically the Didache, Greek apologists such as Justin Martyr, and "Augustine in Book XIX of his masterpiece The City of God" (177)
Trueman explains that Book 19 of Augustine's City of God is a classic account of our "dual citizenship" as Christian believers. Augustine gives "a vision of the church in a hostile culture that calls on the church to be the church and on Christians to be constructive members of the wider society in which they are placed." It is a vision of Christian cultural engagement which renounces the "tools, rhetoric, and weapons" of the world. Instead, we must seek God-glorifying goals via God-glorifying means.
Augustine's City of God is a Christian classic which richly rewards study and discussion. And Book 19 has long been considered one of the best "on-ramps" into Augustine's Bible-saturated worldview. Book 19 is the place where he explicitly explains the purpose -- and the way -- of the Christian life in the world, in this present age. But the greatest asset of Augustine is also his greatest liability: He is a 5th-century author. His culture is unfamiliar to most of us. And so we need help to understand him.
This "small group discussion" edition of Book 19 of Augustine's City of God is designed to help contemporary readers understand and discuss this marvelous ancient Christian text. Features include:
Explanatory annotations of names, terms, and concepts -- similar to what you find in a study Bible
Discussion questions for each of the 28 chapters (sections)
A reading plan for a 12-week study
Use of Marcus Dods' English translation, which is in the public domain
One or more appendices to explain background information
Admittedly, this book is likely to interest only a relatively small "niche" readership. But with an election year coming up in the United States in 2024, interest in "Christianity and politics," "Christ and culture," and "Christian cultural engagement" is likely to be higher than average. So this is probably a better-than-average time to try to launch a book like this. And it also definitely helps that a best-selling author such as Dr. Carl Trueman has recently recommended reading this ancient text in his most recent best-selling book.