{"id":2117,"date":"2026-06-17T15:36:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:36:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/?post_type=furman-update&p=2117"},"modified":"2026-06-17T15:37:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:37:18","slug":"tocqueville-fellows-blog-by-michaela-valentine-between-the-temporal-and-the-spiritual-why-the-conception-of-dual-citizenship-matters-for-the-christian","status":"publish","type":"furman-update","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/lectures\/tocqueville-fellows-blog-by-michaela-valentine-between-the-temporal-and-the-spiritual-why-the-conception-of-dual-citizenship-matters-for-the-christian\/","title":{"rendered":"Tocqueville Fellows Blog by Michaela Valentine: “Between the Temporal and the Spiritual: Why the Conception of Dual Citizenship Matters for the Christian”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michaela Valentine is a Tocqueville Fellow and member of Furman University’s Class of 2026 from Boone, North Carolina, studying Politics and International Affairs and Spanish.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Christianity and the Idea of Dual Citizenship<\/h2>\n

What is the role of the Church in society? This topic has been the source of centuries of debate and was the question presented by Dr. Mark Amstutz in the February 2026 Tocqueville lecture series<\/a>. In his talk titled \u201cCan the Church Contribute to Global Peace and Prosperity,\u201d Dr. Amstutz specifically discussed the ways Christians engage in society and how they can influence political decisions, especially those related to foreign affairs. He began by presenting a framework of Biblical ethics and described alternative visions of world order, demonstrating how followers of Christ ought to be grounded both in Christian morality and in knowledge of global issues. He then concluded with a few thoughts on how the Church can speak into current political issues.<\/p>\n

As I listened to his lecture, I was struck by how often Dr. Amstutz referred to the dual nature of Christian citizenship as foundational to the way in which believers interact with politics. His argument reminded me of the Letter to Diognetus<\/em>, an early Christian text dealing extensively with this topic. When placed in dialogue with Dr. Amstutz, it offers several helpful insights into the nature of Christian citizenship and the role of the Church in the world.<\/p>\n

\"Mark

Mark Amstutz, Peter Feaver, and Larry Richter participate in a panel discussion moderated by Brent Nelsen before students and faculty at Furman University.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Letter to Diognetus and Christian Citizenship<\/h2>\n

Firstly, the Letter to Diognetus<\/em> defines Christians’ approach to citizenship. Like Dr. Amstutz, the recipient of the letter, Diognetus, sought to understand how the Christian interacts with the world and \u201cwhat is it about the God they believe in, and the form of religion they observe, that lets them look down upon the world and despise death\u201d (Diognetus 1). The unknown author, in his response, presents the notion of dual citizenship, in which the Christian is called to be in the world but not of it. He grounds his argument in 2 Corinthians 10:3, where the apostle Paul writes that \u201cthough we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.\u201d In other words, although Christians dwell in earthly cities and participate in physical cultures and communities, the nature of their religion calls them to be inherently outside of the world; that is, to reject fleshly, sinful desires and pursue the righteousness of God (Diognetus 4).<\/p>\n

This idea is echoed in the Letter to the Philippians, in which Paul writes, \u201cBut our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ\u201d (Phil. 3:20). In this way, followers of Christ consider their true home to be in Heaven with the Lord and view themselves as sojourners on the earth. This then is the duality of their citizenship\u2014it is temporal in that believers are subject to and participate in earthly laws, yet also spiritual, as their ultimate authority and final law is Christ and His Word.<\/p>\n

Why Dual Citizenship Matters for Christians<\/h2>\n

Not only does the Letter to Diognetus<\/em> describe the dual nature of Christian citizenship, but it also explains why it is significant. For the author, possessing citizenship in both Heaven and Earth, in the spiritual and the temporal realms, allows the believer to properly order their loves or allegiances. That is, viewing their homelands as \u201ca land of strangers,\u201d Christians are oriented toward Heaven and avoid idolizing the temporal state (Diognetus 4). Instead of finding ultimate security and identity in government, they understand these institutions to be finite and limited. Similarly, they do not fear regime change or political violence, as their true king reigns above the disorder and is sovereign over all things.<\/p>\n

As Dr. Amstutz noted in his lecture, this knowledge gives the Christian a certain maturity and effectiveness when navigating issues in which the laws of the State come into conflict with the Law of God. Because the believer’s final authority is God, they live first and foremost for His kingdom and place eternal laws over temporal political ones (Diognetus 5).<\/p>\n

\"An

An audience member asks a question during a Tocqueville Center discussion on religion and American foreign policy at Furman University.<\/p><\/div>\n

Christian Citizenship and the Common Good<\/h2>\n

Moreover, this spiritual citizenship also makes Christians exemplary earthly citizens. One scholar, reflecting on the Letter to Diognetus<\/em> and its impact on Roman society, writes that Christians\u2019 outsider viewpoint and ability to \u201cconform to Roman norms even better than the Romans do\u201d make them \u201cof absolutely vital importance for the social order\u201d (Dunning, 76). This is because the Law of God to which Christians adhere calls them to love their neighbors, care for the poor and neglected, submit to authority, and pray for and obey their political authorities (Diognetus 4). Additionally, they are inspired to orient their societies toward salvation and, in doing so, help their communities to function rightly (Diognetus 5).<\/p>\n

The Church’s Role in Politics and Public Life<\/h2>\n

Caught between the spiritual and the temporal, Dr. Amstutz argues that it is important for followers of Christ to be involved in the politics of their countries, both domestically and internationally. As the Letter to Diognetus<\/em> demonstrates, the dual nature of Christian citizenship, with its emphasis on both heaven and earth, places followers of Christ in a unique position to contribute to global peace and prosperity and to guide the Church as it seeks to be salt and light to the world.<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/p>\n

\n

Dunning, Benjamin H. 2009. Aliens and Sojourners: Self as Other in Early Christianity<\/em>. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Letter to Diognetus<\/em>. In The Apostolic Fathers<\/em>, translated by Michael W. Holmes. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version<\/em>. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2001.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michaela Valentine is a Tocqueville Fellow and member of Furman University’s Class of 2026 from Boone, North Carolina, studying Politics and International Affairs and Spanish. Christianity and the Idea of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2118,"template":"","update-categories":[8],"class_list":["post-2117","furman-update","type-furman-update","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","furman-update-category-student-blogs"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures\/2117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/furman-update"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures\/2117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2122,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures\/2117\/revisions\/2122"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"furman-update-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update-categories?post=2117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}