christian cosmopolitanism
diogenes the cynic lived in greece in the 4th century b.c. and was a contemporary of plato. it is said that when diogenes was asked where he came from, he replied: 'i am a citizen of the world' (κοσμοπολιτης). thus, diogenes is perhaps the originator of the term, if not the idea, of cosmopolitanism.
it is interesting to contrast diogenes claim to be a κοσμοπολιτης with the new testament's claim that christians are not of this world, that 'our citizenship (πολιτευμα) is in heaven' (phil 3:20). at first glance, it might seem that christians are anti-cosmpolitan: whereas the cosmopolitan individual is a citizen of the world, christians are citizens of no place in this world, citizens of another world entirely.
in another way, however, the 'other-worldliness' of the gospel opens up the space for a new kind of cosmopolitanism. precisely because the christian has a citizenship in heaven, his basic loyalty is not to any particular place or culture; his heart is to be in heaven (matt 6:19-21) moreover, the christian's loyalty is not to any local or national diety, but to the god who is the creator and redeemer of the whole world. and the christian is to be like his father in heaven, who treats all people, both the good an evil, with impartiality (matt 6:43-48). thus, the christian is free not to define himself in terms of any particular place or culture, and free also to care impartially for the whole world.
in our culture, it seems that christian cosmopolitanism is fairly uncommon. rather, christian patriotism is the order of the day. the signs of christian patriotism are ubiquitous, from 'god bless america' bumper stickers to american flags in churches. even among those of us christians who might not think of ourselves as 'patriotic' in any strong sense of the word, we are, i think, more influenced than we realized by the fact that we are amerian citizens. this influence includes the way in which our discussions and debates about world affairs are typically framed in terms of america's interests. perhaps even more importantly, this influence also includes the our general lack of knowledge and concern about what is going on outside of america -including the 30,000 children who die every from hunger-related causes or preventable diseases.
for example, how many american churches mourned, prayed and held services in response to september 11? many, if not most. and how many american churches have given a moment's thought to the civil war in congo, which has killed millions in the last few years? my point is not that we shouldn't have mourned and prayed for the victims of sept 11. on the contrary, as christians we are called to respond to and share in the suffuring of others, and sept 11 was clearly an example of great suffering that demanded a response. my point, rather, is that our sense of the suffering in the world is exceptionally blinkered. and the narrowness of our vision is connected to habits of mind and behavior which embody a view of ourselves as americans first, and christians second, rather than the other way around.
what we need, i suggest, is a renewed ethos of christian cosmopolitanism. such christian cosmopolitanism is rooted in a delight in the human world as the field of god's presence and redemptive activity. and it is marked by a resistance to anything which would, in the name of national or local loyalities, stand in the way of our love for all people. the christian cosmopolitan is at home in every place in the world, precisely because he is aware that no place in the world is his true home, while every place is the site of god's grace and love.
it is interesting to contrast diogenes claim to be a κοσμοπολιτης with the new testament's claim that christians are not of this world, that 'our citizenship (πολιτευμα) is in heaven' (phil 3:20). at first glance, it might seem that christians are anti-cosmpolitan: whereas the cosmopolitan individual is a citizen of the world, christians are citizens of no place in this world, citizens of another world entirely.
in another way, however, the 'other-worldliness' of the gospel opens up the space for a new kind of cosmopolitanism. precisely because the christian has a citizenship in heaven, his basic loyalty is not to any particular place or culture; his heart is to be in heaven (matt 6:19-21) moreover, the christian's loyalty is not to any local or national diety, but to the god who is the creator and redeemer of the whole world. and the christian is to be like his father in heaven, who treats all people, both the good an evil, with impartiality (matt 6:43-48). thus, the christian is free not to define himself in terms of any particular place or culture, and free also to care impartially for the whole world.
in our culture, it seems that christian cosmopolitanism is fairly uncommon. rather, christian patriotism is the order of the day. the signs of christian patriotism are ubiquitous, from 'god bless america' bumper stickers to american flags in churches. even among those of us christians who might not think of ourselves as 'patriotic' in any strong sense of the word, we are, i think, more influenced than we realized by the fact that we are amerian citizens. this influence includes the way in which our discussions and debates about world affairs are typically framed in terms of america's interests. perhaps even more importantly, this influence also includes the our general lack of knowledge and concern about what is going on outside of america -including the 30,000 children who die every from hunger-related causes or preventable diseases.
for example, how many american churches mourned, prayed and held services in response to september 11? many, if not most. and how many american churches have given a moment's thought to the civil war in congo, which has killed millions in the last few years? my point is not that we shouldn't have mourned and prayed for the victims of sept 11. on the contrary, as christians we are called to respond to and share in the suffuring of others, and sept 11 was clearly an example of great suffering that demanded a response. my point, rather, is that our sense of the suffering in the world is exceptionally blinkered. and the narrowness of our vision is connected to habits of mind and behavior which embody a view of ourselves as americans first, and christians second, rather than the other way around.
what we need, i suggest, is a renewed ethos of christian cosmopolitanism. such christian cosmopolitanism is rooted in a delight in the human world as the field of god's presence and redemptive activity. and it is marked by a resistance to anything which would, in the name of national or local loyalities, stand in the way of our love for all people. the christian cosmopolitan is at home in every place in the world, precisely because he is aware that no place in the world is his true home, while every place is the site of god's grace and love.
posted by micah at 12:14 AM
1 Comments:
So true. Your post made me think of the bumper stickers popular here at my seminary that say "God bless the people of every nation." It's also interesting to realize how small nations (like Jamaica, where I had a class for 3 weeks in January) don't even have the option to be focused only on their own nation--for their own survival they have to care about their neighbors.
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