Exiles on Mission Quotes

“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

“Although the rights of Christian citizenship are incredible, the cost of obtaining them is absolute.”
― Paul S. Williams, Exiles on Mission: How Christians Can Thrive in a Post-Christian World

“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

“world” and is named by it—is crucified with Christ. It is put to death and buried with Christ. It goes down, into death, under the waters of baptism, from which we rise to a new life and a new citizenship. Baptism is thus an intensely political act. It is the spiritual equivalent of burning the flag of a nation along with our passport and identity papers and then embracing a new citizenship, under a new authority, and with an entirely new set of rights and responsibilities. We are transferred from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of light (Col. 1:12–13). Henceforth, our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20) and our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 3:5).”
― 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

“Are we angry at the persecution and suffering we’ve experienced because of our faithful witness to Christ (in which case, we need to forgive)? Or are we resenting the loss of influence and status that the cultural Christianity of the recent past has afforded us (in which case, we need to repent)?”
― 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

“We don’t have to fit in or form community because we will soon be leaving. As long as it doesn’t personally impact us, we are not concerned with understanding the cultural story or social, political, and economic life of our neighbors. Ultimately, this “just visiting” mentality has allowed Christians to avoid their calling. In the “just visiting” mentality, we focus on texts that tell us our citizenship is in heaven, that we are not “of this world,” but conveniently forget the requirements of that citizenship—namely, to be God’s representatives for and in the world.”
― Paul S. Williams, Exiles on Mission: How Christians Can Thrive in a Post-Christian World