“The pastoral has been exalted over the urban since our exile from Eden.”
Yes, there is this idea that country and homespun is more wholesome and more godly than urban or city.

The Old Testament cities were wicked not because they were cities instead of gardens but rather because they were unwilling to “‘patiently grow a city out of a garden’ but sought to reap of the harvest without sowing godly dominion”
Babylon and the city of Enoch, and the city of Nimrod seek to make a name for themselves not a city of God.

Progression from a garden to a city for God’s glory is critical.

“Jerusalem is distinctly different from Enoch and Babel. It looks different from the Garden, but only because the Lord has matured and developed the way in which a civilization is to be established.”

“As His people, we are to build communities where the Lord shall dwell among His people, the church.”

I knew I loved the city, I knew it is a sinful place, I knew that pastoral living wasn’t better than urban, I knew maturity had to take place to make the city work.
Lisa helped clarify my thinking

I wrote a paper on this subject, which can be found here: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AUW0aqN5SBejZHNyYjlkN18xMmQyc3Zic2Nx&hl=en

Yet Dr. Leithart’s pithy comments on my paper are probably much more valuable: http://www.leithart.com/2008/12/26/the-city/

Living out on your own in the big wide open will give you the same lack of accountability and ability to avoid rubbing shoulders or being involved in anyone’s life. It can lead to the same selfish end. But it does remove the temptations that a city has to offer.

It is harder to be involved with anyone else’s life when you live a long way from others though.

Maybe it needs to be community within a city. Or maybe community in a town. Or maybe really purposing to be a part of community when you do live way out.

The start in the garden to the ending in the city in the Bible was intriguing.

I am still rolling the whole thing around in my mind.

But as to cities and being selfish… living in a city may cause you to rub shoulders more, on crowded streets and busses, or in your apartment buidling, but it doesn’t mean you actually talk to those nameless faces. Let alone get along with them. I think people have the potential to be MORE selfish in a city, or at least just stay out of everyone’s business.