Dr. Preston Sprinkle is a biblical scholar, speaker, podcaster, a New York Times bestselling author, and is the co-founder and president of The Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender. He earned a Ph.D. in New Testament from Aberdeen University in Scotland (2007). Preston loves talking and writing about hot-button cultural and theological issues with thoughtfulness, honesty and grace. He has written a dozen books including Erasing Hell (w/ Francis Chan), Nonviolence, Scandalous Grace, People to Be Loved, Living in a Gray World, and Embodied. Preston also hosts a popular bi-weekly podcast titled Theology in the Raw (na01.safelinks.protection.out..., where he engages in honest conversations with interesting people.
Today we will be talking with Preston about his new book Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of the Empire.
CONVERSATION QUESTIONS
What would your journey like in writing this book and your political journey?
What is this book about and what do you hope people will take away from it?
Before we dive into some of the content and exegesis of the book, could you explain some of the terms you use such as Empire and Babylon? And do you see these as paradigms? (People will often claim that America is not an empire or is not like Babylon as a democracy to a constitutional republic)
Let’s dive into some of the OT context of your book. Tell us about Israel in the OT and how they were supposed to be an upside down kingdom of priests
Chapter 3 really gets into the concept of exile and Babylon and how were the Jews called to respond to Babylon in exile?
Chapters 4 and 5 are all about Jesus and how his kingdom is not like this world’s kingdom. Walk us through how Jesus subverts the Empire with his kingdom?
Throughout the NT the proclamation of the Gospel is politically subversive. Speak a little to this then and how should it be this way today as well
We know Exile was definitely a OT and Israel thing but where do we find this concept of being exiles in the NT for the church. Also, I find when people read exile language in the NT they just see it as spiritual (This world is not my home, I’m just passing through- going to heaven) rather than about citizenship now.
The book of Revelation maybe one of the most politically subversive books in the NT but many modern evangelical readers do not interpret it that way. But scholars such as yourself, Scot McKnight, and Michael Gorman are bring out the political nature of the letter. Walk us through some of the themes in Revelation and how this applies to living as exiles
You begin the book with: “Going to church should be a subversive political act”. Speak a little to the three approaches you bring up in the book Separatism, transformation, and prophetic witness. How should the church be the church in the world, especially politically? (Eklessia)
So let’s get to the practical part of this book in Chapter 10 where you look at what it might look like to live as an exile today, as a prophetic witness. What about:
• Abortion
• Political parties
• Immigration
• Pledging allegiance to the flag
24 июл 2024
