Philip Taylor

“Inviting people to become Christians and then to start training to stand in battle as a test of their faith does not seem like a good selling point! We are tempted to reduce discipleship to positive aspects of pastoral ministry, such as healing and pastoral care, alongside serving in various church programs and community projects.”
― Paul S. Williams, Exiles on Mission: How Christians Can Thrive in a Post-Christian World

“Our willingness to maintain our allegiance to Christ is fundamentally challenged in the context of exile. The feeling of being captive aliens, trapped in a culture that is rejecting our values, generates fear that we don’t belong, that our identity is being overwhelmed, and that we will be rejected if we don’t fit in.”
― Paul S. Williams, Exiles on Mission: How Christians Can Thrive in a Post-Christian World

“Being absolutely clear on Christ’s lordship as our primary allegiance and our heavenly citizenship as our core identity is the starting point for a right ordering of our relationships, attachments, and desires in all areas of life, including our posture toward contemporary society.”
― Paul S. Williams, Exiles on Mission: How Christians Can Thrive in a Post-Christian World

“But a third way of living as a stranger in a foreign land is to live as an ambassador. An ambassador is still a stranger who still might miss home, but they’re not resentful, and they don’t feel trapped. Neither are they disengaged, because they know they’re living in a strange land on purpose. They’ve been sent there. They have a job to do. They try to understand the dominant cultural story in their new country, but they are completely secure in their own. They know they can expect all the help that they need from their home country. God’s call on Christians is to this third way.”
― Paul S. Williams, Exiles on Mission: How Christians Can Thrive in a Post-Christian World