Exiles
The Church in the Shadow of Empire
- Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
- Publisher: David C. Cook
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Publisher's Description
Preston Sprinkle examines how Israel’s exile to Babylon, Jesus’ mission on earth, and the teachings of Paul all shaped the church’s relationship with politics and can inform our own relationship with politics today. In recent years, politics have divided our families, friendships, and churches in shocking ways. What if instead of defining ourselves as Republican or Democrat, we considered ourselves “exiles in Babylon” and turned to Scripture, not political parties, to shape our most passionate values? As Preston Sprinkle teaches us in Exiles, the first-century church was not an apolitical spiritual gathering, where Christians left their Roman politics at the door. It also wasn’t a place where Christians mounted a Roman flag next to—or above—a Christian one. Church was meant to be a place, a family, a gathering where God’s plan for governing the world was revealed and practiced, where one could witness what God thinks about economics, immigration, abortion, the death penalty, war, violence, power, justice, sexuality, and what it means to follow the Creator’s design for human flourishing. In this rich and timely book, Preston explores why: Prophetic witness—rather than isolation or transformation—is the best approach to the relationship between church and state Tearing down walls of ethnocentricism is critical to spreading the gospel Israel’s exile to Babylon profoundly shaped their political identity The Roman empire was in the foreground of Jesus’ mission Revelation can shape our understanding of political resistance Total allegiance to either political party is toxic. It dilutes the church’s witness, damages our relationships, and weakens our faith. Discover a more biblical, powerful way to live in a secular world. Discover what it means to live in exile. About the Author Dr. Preston M. Sprinkle is the president of the Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender and a New York Times–bestselling author who’s written a dozen books, including People to Be Loved, an award-winning book on faith and homosexuality. Preston and his wife, Chris, live in Boise, Idaho, with their four kids. See more books by Preston Sprinkle
Endorsements (4)
“Allegiance to the American empire and religious devotion to partisan politics has resulted in a deeply compromised church. Instead of offering the beautiful alternative found in the gospel of Jesus Christ, far too many Christians have become zealous combatants in America’s corrosive culture wars. It’s in this context that Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire arrives as a word from elsewhere. With careful attention to the biblical text, Preston Sprinkle calls us to emulate faithful Jewish exiles in Babylon and early Christians in the Roman Empire by living as true citizens of the kingdom of God. This book is just what we need!”
“Preston Sprinkle’s Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire is the most exciting book of biblical theology I have read in a long time. Thoroughly researched, both bold and nuanced, and written in an engaging and understandable style, it should be read by every Christian, leader or lay, who wants the church to understand the biblical call to discipleship in our contemporary social and political contexts.”
““Sprinkle does what is necessary in Christian political discourse—he brings us back to the Bible. By situating our story in the larger sweep of the biblical narrative, he demonstrates how politics is not a separate sphere for Christians but at the very core of our discipleship to Jesus. This book challenges party loyalists, and while people might disagree with how he describes ordering our allegiances, I hope it will spur on a new generation of faithful witnesses to the King of Kings.”
“Sprinkle does what is necessary in Christian political discourse—he brings us back to the Bible. By situating our story in the larger sweep of the biblical narrative, he demonstrates how politics is not a separate sphere for Christians but at the very core of our discipleship to Jesus. This book challenges party loyalists, and while people might disagree with how he describes ordering our allegiances, I hope it will spur on a new generation of faithful witnesses to the King of Kings.”
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