Christians’ views about human relationships, personal growth, and international affairs are developed with time, discovering new aspects and lessons. There are many cultural, geographical, and theological issues that may influence the position of Christians. After watching the video “The Rise and Fall of Nations,” the idea of the Christian responsibility with regards to geopolitics can be properly identified and understood. The example of Rome’s decline described by Augustine of Hippo proves that Christians had clear purposes to explain why God did not protect the nation.1 In this paper, it is expected to find out the connection between human faith, religion, and geopolitics, using the doctrine of Augustine and the mandates of the Gospel.
An understanding of geopolitical terms is the first supportive argument to verify the position of Christians and their social responsibilities. Focusing on subjective and objective considerations, Sicherman defines geopolitics as a combination of natural resources and actual locations of people.2 In his work, Augustine underlined that Rome was the only civilization Christians knew at the moment of its fall, and it was evident that the resources, the land, and society turned out to be the main reason for the conquest.3 Christians were responsible for geopolitical changes in the world, but their intentions were based on logic and knowledge, not on selfishness and envy. Their goal was to find new areas for their development in different fields, and Rome was defined as the best available alternative.
Another perspective should be based on the Gospel and the lessons people could learn from the source. In Christianity, the image of Jesus was introduced through the prism of excessive love, forgiveness, and respect. Instead of being angry with people who betrayed him, Jesus was ready to forgive and give them his blessing. The same way was followed by Christians in their invasion to Rome. They did not want to punish or execute the locals because of their pagan religion. Polytheism had their deep roots that could be traced not in the fall of Rome but in the fall of men, in the Garden of Edem.4 Christians’ responsibility lied in the promotion of internal transformation and the acceptance of one God and one faith in respect to paganism.
Finally, the chosen video proved that Romans were not ready for invasion because of their deep beliefs and trust in their gods, and Christians found it necessary to show the weaknesses of the nation. After the decline of Rome, citizens, as well as invaders, were able to see that Roman gods never protected people, questioning the existence of this religion.5 Therefore, it was correct for Christians and other religious thinkers to define Christianity as the only acceptable religion that connected the world, salvation, and dependence on supreme power.6 While there were more than one religion and one God, it was always possible to doubt and distrust his power. If the representatives of one faith achieved success (like it happened to Christians) and another group of people (pagans) experienced failure, the latter’s God became weaker than the former’s one. Such contradictions and misinterpretations were not appropriate and caused constant rises and falls of nations.
In general, the main responsibility of Christians was the establishment of common religious rules and standards to strengthen people’s emotions and faith. Instead of trying to prove which religion or God had more powers, it was crucial to pay more attention to the geopolitical and social aspects. The Gospel contained general recommendations on how to behave and establish trustful relationships, and Augustine’s work showed why these guidelines were not enough, confirming the position of Christians as fair emancipators.
Bibliography
Black, Jeremy. Geopolitics and the Quest for Dominance. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2016.
“The Rise and Fall of Nations.” iTunes video, 8:57. Posted by Liberty University, Web.
Footnotes
- “The Rise and Fall of Nations,” iTunes video, 8:57, posted by Liberty University, Web.
- Jeremy Black, Geopolitics and the Quest for Dominance (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2016), 3.
- “The Rise and Fall of Nations.”
- “The Rise and Fall of Nations.”
- Ibid.
- Black, Geopolitics and the Quest for Dominance, 21.