In Exiles, Michael Frost uses the biblical metaphor of exile to describe the sociological and theological state of the church today. Much like exilic Israel mourned the loss of Jerusalem, today we mourn the loss of Christendom. We face the withdrawal of state support for our faith, loss of privilege, an increasingly immoral culture, pluralism, and even persecution for our faith.
Frost says that the church should respond by taking up the disciplines of exiles: remembrance of dangerous memories, practice of dangerous promises, dangerous critiques of society, and dangerous songs that speak of a different way of life.
Frost rightly places Jesus as the most “dangerous memory” of exiles. Jesus himself was an exile, hanging out with the “riff-raff” of society, being crucified as a criminal, and facing abandonment by God. He was thoroughly human, not pseudo-human, with food and drink and meals with others near the center of his ministry. He communicated through conversations, not monologues, and he blessed people’s lives. In the same way, churches are called to reach the world through this incarnational ministry.
Frost accurately states the problem that the church has in reaching people through meal, conversation, and blessing: church members are too churched to be able to this. They are so busy attending church assemblies and activities that they have no time to be with non-Christians (if they even wanted to do this). Churches must clear their calendars and free up time for members to be incarnational. Frost says that the most crucial arena for this mission is in “third places.” Third places are places like Starbucks, with great atmosphere, food and drink, easy accessibility, and much traffic. The relaxed nature of these places encourages open, honest conversation, leading to opportunities to build relationships with non-Christians.
Frost gives many “dangerous promises,” but perhaps his best discussion centers around communitas. While there is a biblical promise of a new community, this community is not found by setting community as a goal. True community comes through the shared experiences that Christians have when they are involved in extraordinary mission and service together. The truth of this concept can be found in Paul’s writings, in which it is clear that Paul’s deepest friendships are with those with whom he has worked with on the mission field (i.e. Rom. 16).
Frost’s last section on “dangerous critiques” is the most challenging. He points out many of the abuses of the “Empire,” such as poor treatment of workers and destruction of the environment—issues usually ignored by religious conservatives. He also jabs at Christian music that is shallow and speaks of relationship with God in sexual or romantic terms. These are valid critiques; however, Frost ignores such issues as abortion and appears to cover only political issues on the left. Perhaps he feels that these issues have been well-covered, but a more balanced critique would receive a wider hearing. Overall, though, Exiles is an excellent work of practical missional living.
