The following extract comes from the foreword, written by D.A. Carson, to the book by Eliot Clark, entitled “Evangelism as Exiles: Life on Mission as Strangers in our Own Land.”
“As the number of nominal Christians thins out, it’s becoming a little clearer who is a Christian and who is not. Christians are encouraged not to be like the culture, but to be countercultural. Pastors and others enjoin us to be like the people the apostle Peter addresses: sojourners, aliens, exiles. Instead of whining and feeling sorry for ourselves because the culture is becoming unrecognizable, Christians should align their vision with that of the most mature first-century Christians. If opposition mounts to the place where it can be rightly called persecution, well, then we are called to follow the apostles, who “left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41). After all, hadn’t the Master, only a short while earlier, told his followers that if people oppose Christ they will oppose Christians (John 15:18–25)? So stop living your life in fear, and wear the cultural dissonance as a badge of honor. Fear no one but God.”
Elliot Clark lived in Central Asia, where he served as a cross-cultural church planter along with his wife and children. He currently works to train local church leaders overseas with Training Leaders International.
He poses this question “How exactly do you preach the gospel when both you and your message are unwelcome?” And in this post-Christian world, our message of good news is not welcome! His next question really makes one think: “if this is what union with Christ means for the believer, why would anyone sign up for such a life? Where’s the dignity and privilege in being chosen by God if that same calling destines you to a life of shame and ostracism in the world? Why would anyone want to be associated with this Jesus? Then again, what did we Christians expect when we chose to follow a King on death row?” People around the world have been subjected to the most confusing and conflicting information about viruses and vaccines, and economic meltdowns and dooms-day conspiracies. In some cases, Christians have withdrawn into their ‘safe-places’ and tried to ‘wait things out’, whatever that may mean to them. In other cases, Christian families have been seen to be fragmenting, as one faction argues against the other. Like those in the world, many Christians have known friends and family who have succumbed to this pandemic. Those who have been through it can bear testimony to its dangers.
But, we must never forget that though we are in this world – like every non-Christian – we are not of this world, and so we need to behave in a different manner.