📘 Lexicon Entry: Eschatological Citizenship

Short Definition
Christian framework emphasizing primary loyalty to God’s Kingdom that relativizes earthly political commitments while enabling faithful civic engagement
Definition
Theological framework emphasizing Christians’ primary loyalty to the Kingdom of God that relativizes all earthly political loyalties, creates transnational identity transcending ethnic and national boundaries, and enables faithful political engagement without theological compromise of ultimate allegiance. Drawing from Paul’s declaration of heavenly citizenship in Philippians 3:20, this framework demonstrates how baptismal identity establishes hierarchy of loyalties that relativizes temporal political commitments while maintaining constructive civic responsibility. See also: Counter-Imperial, Kingdom Ethics, Prophetic Witness.
Category
Primary Concept
Keywords
eschatology, citizenship, political theology, transnational identity, Kingdom of God, civic engagement, prophetic witness, baptismal identity
Citation Guide
Geevarghese-Uffman, Craig. “Eschatological Citizenship.” *Political Theology Lexicon*. https://www.commonlifepolitics.com/p/lexicon. Accessed [date].
Orthodox Position
Christian identity fundamentally transcends national, ethnic, and political boundaries through baptismal rather than biological or geographical identity, establishing transnational community
Primary citizenship is in Kingdom of God rather than any earthly nation, as declared in Philippians 3:20, creating hierarchy of loyalties that relativizes temporal political commitments
Eschatological perspective provides critical distance from political systems while maintaining civic engagement through faithful presence rather than withdrawal or co-optation
Church’s transnational character witnesses to ultimate unity in Christ across human divisions, demonstrating alternative community that crosses ethnic, class, and national boundaries
Divine election creates universal rather than nationalist community, challenging all claims of special covenant with particular nations through biblical understanding of God’s universal purposes
Mutated Position
Conflation of divine purpose with specific national destiny or political program, reducing transcendent citizenship to civic religion and political triumphalism as seen in American exceptionalism
Subordination of Kingdom loyalty to nationalist identity and political allegiance, reversing proper hierarchy between temporal and eternal citizenship through Christian nationalism
Reduction of eschatological hope to temporal political achievement or cultural dominance, eliminating transcendent dimension of Christian citizenship through prosperity materialism
Use of divine election language to justify ethnic or national supremacy, corrupting biblical understanding of universal election in Christ through providential identitarianism
American civic religion as theological idolatry through conflation of Kingdom of God with American empire, representing fundamental category error between divine and human authority
Key Characteristics
Transnational Christian identity that crosses ethnic, cultural, and political boundaries through baptismal rather than biological or geographical identity
Prophetic independence from all earthly political systems while maintaining civic engagement through faithful presence rather than withdrawal
Eschatological hope that provides perspective on temporal political developments, relativizing without eliminating earthly responsibilities
Primary loyalty to God’s kingdom that relativizes but does not eliminate earthly responsibilities, creating hierarchy of citizenship rather than dual loyalties
Church as alternative community demonstrating Kingdom values within worldly contexts, embodying transnational solidarity across human divisions
Anti-autochthonous character that opposes all forms of place-based, ethnic, or familial identity as ultimate, following Christianity’s essential boundary-crossing nature
Historical Development
Hart’s analysis reveals Constantinian settlement as fundamental alteration of Christian relationship to political power, creating ongoing tension between eschatological citizenship and imperial co-optation
Development of American civic religion as mutation of authentic Christian eschatological hope into political messianism, reducing transcendent citizenship to national identity
Patristic understanding of church as transnational community crossing ethnic boundaries provides historical foundation for eschatological citizenship against nationalist co-optation
Early church’s financial and structural independence from imperial patronage enabled prophetic freedom and eschatological witness
Theological Foundations
Pauline theology of heavenly citizenship in Philippians 3:20 as primary identity that relativizes all earthly political arrangements
Johannine understanding of Kingdom not being of this world in John 18:36, preventing conflation of divine purposes with earthly political systems
Abraham as model of pilgrim identity in Hebrews 11:8-16, demonstrating faith that seeks eschatological city rather than earthly political fulfillment
Early church’s transnational identity crossing ethnic boundaries as described in Acts 15, providing historical precedent for eschatological citizenship
Hart’s theological anthropology emphasizing Christianity’s essential opposition to autochthonous identity and blood-and-soil attachment
Augustine’s Two Cities framework distinguishing earthly and heavenly citizenship while requiring engagement with temporal political order
Biblical Foundation
Paul’s declaration of citizenship in heaven in Philippians 3:20 as critique of earthly-minded thinking and establishment of primary citizenship in God’s kingdom
Jesus’s statement that his kingdom is not of this world in John 18:36 demonstrating Kingdom’s transcendence of worldly political categories
Jesus’s explicit rejection of political messiahship in John 6:15, defining divine power through service rather than domination
Peter’s description of Christians as aliens and strangers in 1 Peter 2:11 establishing pilgrim identity that transcends settled places
Galatians 3:28 declaration of unity in Christ across ethnic and social divisions in Galatians 3:28, eliminating fundamental human categories through baptismal identity
Revelation’s vision of multinational worship community in Revelation 7:9 demonstrating eschatological fulfillment of transnational Christian identity
Contemporary Expression
Hart’s critique of American civic religion as theological idolatry demonstrates contemporary need for eschatological citizenship against nationalist co-optation of Christian identity
Church communities that intentionally cross national, ethnic, and class boundaries as practical embodiment of transnational Christian solidarity
Christian engagement in global justice issues transcending national interests, demonstrating Kingdom loyalty over nationalist priorities
Resistance to Christian nationalism’s false claims of divine mandate for American political agenda through emphasis on primary eschatological allegiance
Immigrant and refugee ministry demonstrating transnational Christian solidarity that challenges border-focused nationalism
International Christian partnerships transcending political divisions as practical expression of eschatological citizenship
Prophetic witness against political idolatry while maintaining faithful civic engagement through eschatological perspective
Sociopolitical Context
Hart’s systematic critique of modernity’s false dialectic between “large and small” revealing how both corporate capitalism and nation-state create tyrannical oscillation between emptily universal and emptily local
Contemporary crisis of Christian nationalism attempting to use divine election language to justify ethnic or national supremacy against authentic eschatological vision
Post-Christendom context requiring recovery of pre-Constantinian understanding of church as transnational community rather than cultural establishment
Globalization creating need for theological framework that transcends nationalist reactions while maintaining authentic local community
American political polarization requiring Christian framework that enables civic engagement without partisan co-optation through eschatological grounding
Cultural Impact
Challenges dominant American narrative of Christian nationalism by demonstrating Christianity’s essential transnational character
Provides theological foundation for Christian resistance to both isolationist withdrawal and nationalist co-optation
Influences contemporary political theology discussions about proper relationship between faith and patriotism
Shapes ecclesial practices toward greater international solidarity and prophetic independence from political systems
Contributes to academic discussions about dual citizenship models and Christian public engagement in pluralistic democracies
Academic Research
Hart’s extensive work on civic religion, nationalism, and Christianity’s anti-autochthonous character provides systematic theological foundation
Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon’s *Resident Aliens* develops ecclesial implications of eschatological citizenship
Luke Bretherton’s political theology research on hospitality and ad hoc commensurability demonstrates practical applications
Willie James Jennings’ work on theological whiteness critiques nationalist distortions of Christian identity
Oliver O’Donovan’s *The Desire of the Nations* provides Anglican framework for Christian political authority through eschatological grounding
Contemporary political theology scholarship on dual citizenship models and Christian public engagement in pluralistic contexts
Key Authors
Last Updated
May 30, 2025
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*This entry is part of the Political Theology Lexicon, accessible exclusively to subscribers. View the complete lexicon to explore related concepts and the full theoretical framework.*
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