pat loughery

“Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture” (Michael Frost)

1. Thesis and Argument of Author

We in the West today no longer live in a Christian culture. The world is changing, and the church has lost its foothold at the center of the dominant culture. Christians today live with a growing, nagging feeling of being in a different culture both in the world, and in the church. The Biblical model for this status is of exile.

Our status as exiles gives us the opportunity to reimagine and rethink Christianity.

B. Development of Author’s Argument

Exiles reimagine and rethink Christianity by doing four things.

Exiles remember dangerous memories of the promises and person of Jesus, who, opposite of the tame and kind image we have of him, was a dangerous subversive – and also our standard for Christian living.

Exiles practice dangerous promises of the Kingdom of God at hand.   These promises remind us to be authentic to one another, to serve a cause greater than ourselves, to create missional communities, to practice generous hospitality, and to work righteously for justice for others.

Exiles offer dangerous critique of the dominant post-Christian empire by doing acts of justice, by calling people to care for the created order, and by comforting outcasts and oppressed peoples.

Finally, exiles sing dangerous songs of worship and of revolutionary relationship with Jesus the subversive messiah.

C. Transferable Principles for My Ministry Setting

            Exiles shows a model of contemporary culture that I can identify with, and establishes what for me are intriguing connections to the Old Testament narrative, and the multiple references to Walter Bruggemann’s work are encouraging to me, as I’m also seeing other references to Bruggemann.

            The book is one of the best descriptions of the foundations of emerging-missional church that I’ve read, although I don’t believe that the book is approachable enough to recommend to others in my congregation.