The decline of nominal Christian belief provides an opportunity
”Have faith in God’s faith in us” –Jonathan Sacks
Creative minorities bring renewal by withdrawing and returning
Although the Israelites were in exile surrounded by a hostile and more powerful culture, they were commended by God to:
Transclude of Jer-29#5
Transclude of Jer-29#6
Transclude of Jer-29#7–Jer 29:5–7
Through distance creative minorities are able to see the blindspots in their culture, reject the myths and have deeper dependency on God. Thy must withdraw from their culture to return with healing truth.
In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell cites studies showing that when a larger country engages a smaller one in warfare, the larger wins 70 percent of the time. However, when the smaller country employs unconventional tactics, weaker nations win 60 percent of the time.
Rather than mourning the church’s loss of power in the public square, we should embrace our cultural exile and see the unique advantages it brings.
Biographies of withdraw/return
Sayers illustrates the process of withdraw/return through the lives of Calvin and Ignatius. Both went through a process of exile, a time where seperate from their cultural homes they went deep in dependance on God. Both came back with greater resilience and a deeper prophetic insights into their culture that resonated with the people of the day.
Origin
Creative minorities bring renewal by withdrawing and returning