Christians are not "exiles"
- Chris Thomson
- Jan 25, 2023
- 1 min read
I am uneasy about the way some Christian thinkers have used the language of “exile” to describe an experience of cultural marginalisation or hostility. Despite some recent translations, the New Testament describes us as “sojourners” (paroikoi) and “resident aliens” (parepidēmoi), not exiles (1 Peter 1:1, 2:11; see Heb 11:13–16). If Christians are not at home in this world it is because we have not yet arrived at our true homeland, not because we have been cast out of it.
Hi Chris,
Really helpful! Thank you!
I'm never quite sure how to gloss paroikoi and parepidēmoi in a world where passports, visas and borders are such a big part of life. "Sojourner" feels like a very unfamiliar word to my audiences, and to me suggests a very brief stay; but I guess "exile" isn't used a lot more in contemporary discourse and (as you point out) carries the idea of expulsion. I have generally said something like, "It's someone who when you asked them where's home would say 'not here'. They get their culture and identity from somewhere else." How accurate is that?
"Expat"? "Migrant"?
In my context, the term expat conjures up wealthy executives or retirees abroad, so I've…