In this episode, we continue the conversation with Princeton professor Eric Gregory about what we can learn from Augustine as we consider our fraught social life and divisive political culture. In true Augustinian fashion, we discuss how Christians should resist the false choices that are often presented to us, for example, between either idolizing America or condemning it, between either fleeing from the secular world of politics or embracing it in a kind of power grab, between either committing oneself to one’s nation or considering oneself a citizen of the world. Eric concludes the episode by offering some practical suggestions for how Christians can take inspiration from the past while creatively addressing problems in the present.
Eric Gregory is Professor of Religion at Princeton University and the author of Politics and the Order of Love: An Augustinian Ethic of Democratic Citizenship. A graduate of Harvard College, he earned a Master of Philosophy and Diploma in Theology from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and his doctorate in Religious Studies from Yale University. In addition to being an expert on Augustine, Eric teaches courses on religion, ethics, and politics.
Politics and the Order of Love: An Augustinian Ethic of Democratic Citizenship, by Eric Gregory
