The Value in Exile, an Introduction

The Coronavirus pandemic disrupted the day-in and day-out normality of life throughout the world. It forced individuals, families, businesses, and restaurants to adapt to seemingly unideal forms of operating with the hopes of survival. Churches had to quickly adapt to digital platforms to provide worship content and services, while Christian families and individuals worshiped at home. In short, the Pandemic disrupted everyone and it pushed Christ-followers out into a sense of "exile."

Of course, worshipping online where everyone is scattered and unable to come together in fullness is a less than ideal situation for Christians. We know we are intended to come together and gather. Yet beyond the pandemic forcing this, federal and state guidelines and restrictions forced the exile even further. Churches have been subjugated under the state to close, open, and how. Uncertainty plagued many Christians as many cry out, "how long?" Frustration ruled the day as churches and Christians believed their rights were violated in the states mandates. For many, this ceased being an exceptional time due to a Pandemic and many equated this period of 2 months to Christian persecution. Many churches and Christians made their dissatisfaction public, in lawsuits, social media, and headlines.

As Christian-Americans, exile has not been our collective experience, nor has any real persecution. We have enjoyed this privilege and because of America's unique history, lines between Christian identity and American identity blurred together, as well as lines between cultural Christianity and American culture. However, dissonance echoes between the Christian populous and the changing American landscape, creating an exponentially destabilizing hum for the churches in America. As with all de-stabilizing events and times, humans seek to regain control and sense of stability. So, too, with the church in America. This recent pandemic, through which we are still journeying, became a symbol or icon for this struggle. Governmental mandates that limited churches' functions rang the bell to a new round of the cultural boxing match. Peoples' growing anger toward Christianity's loss of influence and prestige came to a head during the Pandemic and decisions made by authorities only seemed to confirm fears and affirm perceived persecution.

Yet, I sit back, wonder, and truly believe that amidst this convolution and disruption of rights, the value in exile has been missed as Christians, especially as Christians in America. It's hard for us to fathom that the majority of the narrative within the Old Testament consisted of Israel being in exile for hundreds of years at a time. Its hard for us to empathize with Paul's letters in the New Testament that was written completely within the context of "exile," persecution, and where Christians were societal outsiders with little privilege given them. It's foreign to us to fully internalize all the words that place the value of suffering, trials, and exile and the virtues they bring over and above any value of privilege. It's "un-American" to us to embody the value of sacrificing rights over an above asserting rights.

For perspective (this is not exhaustive):

-The Egyptians held the Israelites in slavery for 400 years;

-The Israelites wandered the dessert for 40 years;

-The Israelites were exiled and scattered for nearly 200 years under the Assyrians;

-Exiled for nearly 100 years under the Babylonians.

-The Diaspora (the scattering of Israelites throughout the world) began in these exiles and have persisted since then;

-Subjected under Greek Rule for nearly 200 years;

-Subjected under Roman Rule since approx. 70B.C.;

-The Early Church suffered persecution as societal outsiders for nearly 300 years.

In contrast:

-The United States of America is only 243 years old;

-Christians have really only been challenged for their faith by culture for the past few decades;

-The Pandemic exile and diaspora has been only 2 months.

Interestingly, in looking just at the New Testament, no where in Jesus' words or in Paul's letters are Christ-followers called forth to fight the exile they find themselves in and any lack of privilege, or to try to battle their circumstances and lot. Christian leaders did not project an ethos of "stirring the pot" nor "fueling the flame" of any cultural war. Nowhere does Jesus tell us to expect privilege as Christians within whatever society or kingdom in which we find ourselves. In fact, He tells us to expect persecution, suffering, and limited privilege as Christ-followers. Paul's letters echo such expectations.

The focal point is the concern over their (the readers) faith, their salvation, their hope, and their virtues and character amidst and regardless of what was happening around them. The invocations are for the Church and Christ-followers to depend on God, in His divine counsel, and the work He could accomplish despite themselves and the plights that be. The exhortations are for how the Church believed and lived as Christ's visible body and witness to the world. They seem less concerned about trying to control how the world behaved around them or control how the authorities treated them (they could expect poor behavior and to be ill-treated). The true spiritual battle was how they as Christ-followers would live and be amidst it and in the face of it.

So, here we are today, in our own "exile" of sorts. Even if church buildings open up again this Sunday or the next or the next, it will not look the same as it once did due to continued restrictions. This will last for some time, and many Church goers will not show up for sometime out of concern for safety. Christianity will still continue to be pushed aside to be ever-increasing societal outsiders. However, this is evermore and abundantly true: there is value in exile and diaspora for God's people. It seems to be the way of God's people from days of old. I pray that Christ's church, particularly in America, would see and learn the value, and join the great cloud of witnesses and generations of God's people who knew only exile. I invite you to join me in delving into this deeper over the coming weeks and months.

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."-Eph. 4:20-21