What is a “City upon a Hill”

If I am going to name this blog City upon a Hill, I need to explain where it comes from and the significance of it. The concept of a "City upon a Hill" comes from John Winthrop, who led the English Puritans to the New World in 1630. He was the first Governor of Massachusetts and is well known for his literary writings. What is so interesting that at the time this speech was originally given it was not thought much of. The reason being is because the ideas and concepts were widely held and recognized by the community of that time and place, which leads me to another thought of how far we have gone from there to here. Anyways, the concept that we are raised as an example to others of what should be in words, actions and deeds. That we "rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together". We, being our beloved nation, is set apart as something that is peculiar, distinct and exempt from simple mediocrity. However, there comes caution and warnings if that responsibility is not to be taken seriously or guarded against all that would seek to destroy it. " for we must Consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world, we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God and all professors for Gods sake; we shall shame the faces of many of gods worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into Curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whether we are going".

My question is this, are we still standing as the City upon a Hill or have we open the "mouths of enemies" and caused "their prayers to be turned to Curses"? I think that significant changes do not happen overnight. I think that our standards, morals and values erode slowly over a long period of time. That is obvious as you compare and contrast the generation of our grandparents to the generation of our children. What I think is that there are currently more people out there that have hope in what once was will one day be again. I sincerely believe that the principles and foundations of this country were not built upon the strength of man alone. Outside of the world of manufactured news and media, I still think that the greater part of our society believes that too. The time will come when the generation of our children forget the generation of their grandparents, and no one will be left to remember what it once meant to be a City upon a Hill.

And that is why this blog is called a City upon a Hill, so that we can learn and remember what it means to be a City upon a Hill. So that we can recognize the inherent greatness of our nation and take an active part in making it better. To make a conscientious decision about what you believe and stand on the line.

Source: John Winthrop, City Upon a Hill, 1630