I stand on the precipice of impending doom. I stare down at the abyss of liars, looters and lunatics. Behind me stands culture, pushing me to the edge of the cliff that will lead me into the bottomless chasm. Many a society has stood where I am. Many a society has fallen. Will I be any different?
My name is America.
For over two centuries, the United States has stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity in a world where oppression was commonplace. America was founded and preserved by the sacrifice of those who believed in the right of every individual to have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Sadly, every great world empire eventually comes to an end and succumbs to the “barbarian” culture surrounding it.
This historical pattern raises a question for Christians. How should a believer live within an inevitably barbarian society?
Dr. Brad Green, professor of theological studies at Union University, answers this question within his new book Augustine of Hippo: His Life and Impact.
“I think you can relate to Augustine because you could think of our culture as one in which the barbarian mentality is taking root,” said Dr. Green. “He is doing a lot of reflecting on what it means to live as Christians in a world that is not fully Christian. He is writing on how to live faithful Christian lives in challenging times.”
Dr. Green discussed how Augustine can be very relatable to readers. Augustine, who shares his own faith journey, can be engaging and relevant for college students living in contemporary times.
“I think (Confessions of Augustine) is written at a personal, existential level,” Green said. “It’s not a systematic theological thing. It’s not like reading a textbook. It’s like reading someone’s personal narrative on how they came to faith.”
Dr. Green began teaching at Union University 23 years ago. He wanted to be a college professor because it is within that season of life one truly decides what he or she believes.
However, this generation is living within a unique time. Like Augustine’s period of history, before the fall of Rome, America is in the moment right before the “barbarians invade.”
“I think the excitement of me teaching here is that students are really living in an odd era,” said Green. “You are coming into contact with things and having to rethink in light of Christian truth. And I don’t think you are being encouraged to do that in the broader culture. So if I can play a small part in that, so be it.”
Green teaches discussion-based classes. He acts as a guide for students who have questions about God’s word or about how to think about aspects of culture.
“If there is any question that seems like a concern or if someone is struggling with a Biblical truth, he’s really good at kind of explaining it out in a way that helps us understand and unpack the Bible,” said Brennan Kress, a junior Christian studies major.
Green tries to create a learning environment in which ideas can be fostered and grown.
“I guess the college years are years of exploration, so students are deciding whether to make the faith of mom and dad their own. It is often some existential crisis or decision time or whether you are going to stay in the faith,” said Green.
More than ever, America is a society that is slowly rejecting Christian principles and is pursuing relativistic values. In a time where Biblical truth is ignored, the church needs Christian academic communities with professors dedicated to fostering moral development within the next generation.
Green tries to create this kind of community among students in which discipleship can occur.
“You know, C.S. Lewis speaks about in Learning in Wartime that if all the world were Christian, we wouldn’t really need Christian academics or Christian intellectual efforts,” said Green. “But we aren’t living in a Christianized world. We are living with a lot of issues, rebellion, darkness.”
Green’s argument that we are living in a world of darkness creates the very basis and relevance for his book on Augustine.
“One of the things I learned from Augustine is that intellectual life is never a neutral thing,” Green said. “The intellectual life is always a moral life. I like to say, intellectual life is a subset of lack of discipleship. True understanding requires to approach it with a certain priority to faith. That doesn’t hamper intellectual deliberation, but with Augustine, it drives it or encourages it.”
Green always encourages his students towards intellectual, Christian truth. While Augustine lived over 1,600 years ago, Green is carrying the wisdom of this church father to his own students and readers.
