Dr. Robert Joustra is a professor of politics and international studies whose family history reads like a window into the 20th century — a father born under Nazi occupation, a name on the Wall of the Righteous Gentiles, and a Dutch Reformed tradition carried across an ocean into Canada. All of that is the backstory for his forthcoming IVP book, Christ and Covenant in Global Politics.
In this episode, Currey and Rob explore what it looks like to follow Jesus in the middle of the mess of international relations. They dig into Augustine’s concept of Ordo Amoris — the ordered loves — and how it applies not just to individuals but to entire nations. Rob makes a compelling case that America’s current crisis is neither unprecedented nor hopeless, drawing on everything from the Marshall Plan to Martin Luther King’s “promissory note” of the Declaration of Independence.
If you’ve been anxious about the state of the world, this conversation is a reframe you probably need.
Topics covered: Augustine and political theology | Ordered loves and national character | The Dutch Reformed tradition | 9/11 and emotional politics | World vision vs. worldview | American resilience and the current moment | Neo-Calvinism and suffering
