Introduction To Geopolitics And International Relations

PPOG 506: Introduction to geopolitics and international relations Name Institution Date Q: What are the responsibility of Christians with regards to geopolitics and the mandates of the Gospel?” Religion and geopolitics are linked since the belief in the second coming of Christ influences perceptions, practices and policy choices on Israel. Religious imaginations have influenced discussions on how religious geopolitics influences political exclusion, policies, and expansionism. Even prior to the emergence of modern states, philosophers, political theorists and theologians had looked into the place of geopolitics in different societies. St. Augustine of Hippo sought to write a philosophical history of Christianity in the 15th century at a time when the Roman Empire was crumbling, and his ideas were articulated in the City of God. The Rise and Fall of Nations highlights the responsibility of Christians with regards to geopolitics and the mandates of the Gospel where Christians support peace and justice. The history of the Roman people who engaged in violence and idolatry illustrates that without God’s protection, cities, states, and nations are likely to go into self-destruction for lacking a firm moral foundation. Augustine wrote the City of God targeting the Roman pagans and Roman Christians at a time when the city fell and this is the basis for his thoughts that there is an earthly city and heavenly city. Even as Rome had different gods, the roles were contradictory, and did not offer any protection to the people of Rome. Nowadays for evangelical Christians, God’s love and protection extend to their engagement in geopolitical concerns affecting the U.S. and Israel. The difference between the Roman pagans and Christians was great that they represented different values, and Christians ought to consider how their actions, affect peacemaking. To Augustine the fall of Rome was simply an extension of the fall of man, but Roman pagans saw this as one of the most disastrous events in their history at the time. The earthly city that represented the life of Romans was characterized with self-love, violence and instability, and was contrasted with the heavenly homes (churches), which represente...