"A City upon a Hill" is a phrase derived from the teaching of Salt and Light in Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. In an American context, it is used in United States politics to refer to America acting as a "beacon of hope" for the world.
Winthrop “preached to the emigrants during the voyage that the eyes of the world would be upon them, that they would be as a city set upon a hill for all to observe.” If this sermon were the origin of America, then America, from the first, had a role to play in putting the world right.
leader John Winthrop"CITY ON A HILL." The term "city on a hill" was initially invoked by English-born Puritan leader John Winthrop. The concept became central to the United States' conception of itself as an exceptional and exemplary nation.
John Winthrop delivered the following sermon before he and his fellow settlers reached New England. The sermon is famous largely for its use of the phrase “a city on a hill,” used to describe the expectation that the Massachusetts Bay colony would shine like an example to the world.
beacon of hopeA “city on a hill” is a phrase used to refer to America's supposed standing in the world, as a “beacon of hope” which other nations can look to for moral guidance. The phrase can be traced back to the New Testament.
Following a brief background discussion of John Winthrop, I will outline three paradoxes illustrated by the sermon to sustain Puritan public life: (1) a body politic must maintain difference among its members to ensure community, (2) worldly activities such as the acquisition of money can serve spiritual ends, and (3) ...
A phrase referring to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where Congress meets: “They're debating that nuclear waste issue on the Hill today.”
That's “City on a Hill” in a nutshell: A show about 1990s Boston that's inspired by true events and features numerous references to real-life occurrences, but is ultimately a work of fiction, a point that Showtime stressed during the run-up to the show's premiere on Sunday.
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From colonial times to the present, from Abraham Lincoln to Billy Graham, the sermon has been the dynamic medium through which America conducts its most important debates, motivating us to fight wars as well as fight for peace and ultimately defining the course of our history. A City Upon a Hill tells the American story through these powerful words, showing us at our best—and sometimes at our worst.
Larry Witham is the author of The Measure of God, Where Darwin Meets the Bible, and By Design: Science and the Search for God. As a journalist, he has won the Religion Communicators Council's Wilbur Award three times and has received several prizes from the Religion Newswriters Association as well as a Templeton Foundation award for his articles on science and religion.