Many Christians have the idea that it is more godly to live in the country than in the city. They make arguments about clean air, home grown food, less noise, space to play and roam. Many wonder how someone would want to raise a family in the city. They cite crime, poverty, oppression, and the overwhelming amount of sin as reasons to stand clear from city life.Tim Keller has a quote that I think is quite extreme, but fun to quote nonetheless. Keller says: The country has more plants than people and the city has more people than plants. God loves people more than plants, therefore God loves the city more than the country! Funny? Well, an overstatement at the least. (Huge overstatement)
Roger Greenway argues that no matter what your view of the city is, if you are a Christian, you are bound for urban life. Revelation 21 is his text:
The world to come, Scripture teaches, will be an urban world. The redemption drama that began in a garden will end in a city, the new Jerusalem. Heaven's citizens will be urbanites. Drawn by bonds of grace from all races, nations, and language groups, new-city citizens will live together in perfect harmony as God's redeemed people, his new covenant community. This city to be will enjoy everything the cities that might have been [if it were not for sin] would have posessed, and one thing more: the citizens of the new city will not only be sinless, they will be sinners washed clean. Their is the story of redemption.
7 comments:
Great quote! There's plenty of space in the body of Christ for country and city folk, and it seems to me the two camps are arguing over preference, truly a silly thing to do. How great a reminded that we'll all meet up in Heaven, and it won't matter anymore.
The word pagan comes from "paganus" which means 'of the country, rustic'.
"God loves people more than plants, therefore God loves the city more than the country!"
Disgustingly lame.
Well, an overstatement at the least. (Huge overstatement)
It's not an overstatement. It's a logical fallacy.
Regarding the "world to come", the scriptures do not teach that it will be an "urban" world. Plus, if we are talking about "heaven's citizens", we are talking about spirit, not flesh and blood.
Gary North's book Leviticus: An Economic Commentary is useful in that he shows that the way in which the land laws were structured in the OT were (partly at least) designed to get people of the country and into towns. The idea of living in community is one great advantage of urban life.
But living with a lot of people around is the primary thing I do not like about living in the city.... ;)
You can't hunt in the city. You can't farm in the city. You can't piss in your front yard in the city. City folk don't have survival skills, etc., etc.
"You can't piss in your front yard in the city. City folk don't have survival skills, etc., etc."
Sven, one can't piss against the wall in the city. They're not men. Blasted effeminate NIV'ers...
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