Jeremy L. Berg

The book Christians in America have needed for a long time has finally arrived thanks to the wise, Biblically-informed, and nuanced pen of Preston Sprinkle.

Many pastors, writers and teachers like me have had that experience of reading a book and proclaiming, “This is exactly the message I’ve been wanting and trying to say, and this book says it far more effectively than I could (or have).” This is definitely the case with Preston Sprinkle’s release of Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire.

I just finished this short and accessible read on my morning walk, and I agree with Preston Sprinkle that the greatest threat to the Christian church (and the reputation of Jesus Christ) these days is political idolatry and a lack of a biblically-informed Christian political identity.

Beginning around 2016, I began preaching and writing about the importance of Christians avoiding partisan tribalism and to embrace our calling to be a set-apart people embodying Jesus’ unique upside down Kingdom politics and social ethics that calls all political ideologies to account.

Such preaching and writing is often viewed through a Right vs. Left prism, where one is accused of being a Joe Biden supporting Lefty if they say something critical about the Right, or a MAGA Republican if they critique something or someone on the Left. And both parties have made clear that if you don’t vote for “our team” and the other team wins, it will be the end of our country and democracy as we know it.

But I’m not a Republican. I’m not a Democrat. I don’t like Trump or Biden. I’m what Preston Sprinkle calls an “exile living in Babylon.”

In the midst of such apocalyptic, political alarmist propaganda, I have tried to sound a different alarm and offer a more urgent summons. I have tried to communicate and embody a distinctly “Christian political identity” and call people to allegiance to a different polis, the Kingdom of Jesus. I am first and foremost a citizen of Jesus’ global, transnational Kingdom comprised of baptized brothers and sisters from every tribe, tongue and nation. Preston and I are kindred spirits on this and many other matters.

But does this mean I sit aloof to and disengaged from the pressing political issues of the land of my sojourn? Does my citizenship in Christ’s kingdom mean I don’t participate in the politics of the United States? What is the relationship between church and state? These are some of the questions and topics Sprinkle addresses in Exiles. Most importantly, he presses our noses into our Bibles to make his case for a “prophetic witness” political identity as “exiles” living in a world of Babylon-like empires then and now.

Here’s a short video trailer from Preston and read the publisher’s description of the book below. May Christians buy and read and wrestle with this timely book. May churches gather in small groups this summer to read and discuss it together as we move closer to the next election. I’m grateful for the ministry and teaching of Preston Sprinkle and commend his podcast Theology in the Raw and other ministries to you.

Exiles from Theology in the Raw on Vimeo.

A thoughtful exploration of the intersection of faith and politics, Exiles asks: What if we considered ourselves “exiles in Babylon” and turned to Scripture, not political parties, to shape our most passionate values?

Politics are dividing our churches like never before. New York Times–bestselling author Dr. Preston M. Sprinkle reminds us that the first-century church was not an apolitical 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 a place where God’s plan for governing the world was revealed, where one could witness what it means to follow the Creator’s design for human flourishing.

In this timely book, Preston explores why:

• Israel’s exile to Babylon profoundly shaped the political identity of God’s people—and still does today. 
• Christians should see themselves as foreigners in the country where they live. 
• The gospel of Jesus’ kingdom was politically subversive. 
• The church today should view its political identity as fundamentally separate from the empire. 

Total allegiance to a political party dilutes the church’s witness. Discover a more biblical, powerful way to live in a secular world. Discover what it means to live in exile.

Get a copy!