Honest Assessment 

   Part 5 of 7

     "So how do we avoid using religion to prop up a doomed way of life? Augustine said an honest assessment of history should do the trick."

     "Romans, pagan and Christian alike, shared an inordinate pride in their empire. In The City of God Augustine wrote that citizens of small states are often happier than those in large empires. He claimed that without justice the only difference between a kingdom and a criminal gang is size, implying the Roman government was no better than the Goths."

     "Augustine attacked the heart of Roman nationalism, dismantling Rome's most cherished stories. He wrote about how the country was founded in blood and that it wasn't so golden. Augustine denied that the Roman Republic even warranted the name 'Republic,' a word that denotes a government by and for the people." 

     "A true republic possesses true justice, and one can't find true justice apart from Christ. At its best, Rome was a shadowy facsimile of a republic, driven by pride and lust for domination." 

     "In the fifth century, pagans and Christians alike wanted to make Rome great again. Augustine asked, 'When was it ever great?' Americans often fall into this Roman tendency of idealizing the past, but is there a period in our history in which we can honestly say we fulfilled the mandate of justice for all?" 

     "This isn't to say America is as bad as it could be, devoid of common grace." 

Tomorrow: Virtues or Vices?