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Exiles

Preston Sprinkle

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Preston Sprinkle examines how Israel’s exile to Babylon, Jesus’ mission on earth, and the teachings of Paul all shaped the church’s relationship with politics and can inform our own relationship with politics today.

In recent years, politics have divided our families, friendships, and churches in shocking ways. What if instead of defining ourselves as Republican or Democrat, we considered ourselves “exiles in Babylon” and turned to Scripture, not political parties, to shape our most passionate values?

As Preston Sprinkle teaches us in Exiles, the first-century church was not an apolitical spiritual 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 meant to be a place, a family, a gathering where God’s plan for governing the world was revealed and practiced, where one could witness what God thinks about economics, immigration, abortion, the death penalty, war, violence, power, justice, sexuality, and what it means to follow the Creator’s design for human flourishing.

In this rich and timely book, Preston explores why:

Prophetic witness—rather than isolation or transformation—is the best approach to the
relationship between church and state
A Christian’s allegiance to Christ’s global, multi-ethnic kingdom triumphs over one’s national identity
Israel’s exile to Babylon profoundly shaped their political identity
The Roman empire was in the foreground of Jesus’ mission
Revelation can shape our understanding of political resistance

Total allegiance to either political party is toxic. It dilutes the church’s witness, damages our relationships, and weakens our faith. Discover a more biblical, powerful way to live in a secular world. Discover what it means to live in exile.

Join Preston’s Launch Team today and get a signed advance copy and access to an exclusive livestream with Preston (date and time TBD, but will be in the first week of April). To join the launch team please (1.) preorder a copy of Exiles, (2.) complete the form below, (3.) send us a copy of your preorder receipt, and (4.) agree to post an Amazon review and a social media post of Exiles during launch week (we will provide you with the graphics).

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About the Author:

Preston Sprinkle

New York Times–bestselling author Dr. Preston M. Sprinkle has written more than a dozen books. He serves as the president of the Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender and the host of the Theology in the Raw podcast.

The Left and the Right don’t just want your vote; they want your soul. So it’s no surprise that, in the absence of an alternate political vision, many Christians are hitching their theological wagons to secular political programs. In Exiles, Preston Sprinkle shows that Jesus offers a better way. Only a church of exiles—those who pledge allegiance to Jesus over the empire—can cut across our tired political divisions and become the subversive, loving, self-sacrificial counterculture that God calls us to be. Exiles is a must-read for pastors and leaders desperate to win people to a kingdom-centered vision of political identity that’s far more compelling and satisfying than the culture war.

Patrick Miller

pastor, author and co-host of Truth Over Tribe

Allegiance to the American empire and religious devotion to partisan politics has resulted in a deeply compromised church. Instead of offering the beautiful alternative found in the gospel of Jesus Christ, far too many Christians have become zealous combatants in America’s corrosive culture wars. It’s in this context that Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire arrives as a word
from elsewhere. With careful attention to the biblical text, Preston Sprinkle calls us to emulate faithful Jewish exiles in Babylon and early Christians in the Roman Empire by living as true citizens of the kingdom of God. This book is just what we need!

Brian Zahnd

author of Postcards from Babylon

Preston Sprinkle’s Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire is the most exciting book of biblical theology I have read in a long time. Thoroughly researched, both bold and nuanced, and written in an engaging and understandable style, it should be read by every Christian, leader or lay, who wants the church to understand the biblical call to discipleship in our contemporary social and political contexts.

Michael J. Gorman

Raymond E. Brown professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, St. Mary's Seminary & University, Baltimore

Exiles

Preston Sprinkle

Share the book!

Preorder Now:

About the Author:

Preston Sprinkle

Join Preston's Launch Team to claim your free signed ARC! (US only)