Faithful Exiles: Finding Hope in a Hostile World

by Ivan Mesa, Elliot Clark (Editor)

How do we live by faith when we're far from home? More than a simple fight-or-flight response, the authors of Faithful Exiles offer us hope when we're far from home. Gleaning courage and insight from biblical characters in both the Old and New Testaments, they consider how God's people through the ages have been faithful in the face of hostility. They show how those with hope beyond this world can be faithful in it.

Genres: Christian Living, Christian, Theology

208 pages, Paperback

Published September 24, 2023

About the author

n Mesa (PhD candidate, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is editorial director for The Gospel Coalition. He’s editor of Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstructing Doubt in the Church. He and his wife, Sarah, have four children, and they live in eastern Georgia.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apologetics and prayer chapters were my fave

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of chapters on what it means to be "faithful exiles" in this world. This title comes from the book of 1 Peter in which he writes to "the elect exiles of the dispersion." Each chapter focused on a different Bible character (or characters), beginning with Adam and Eve, tells how they were exiles in their time and how we can follow their example in our day. In any book that is a compilation of authors, some of the chapters were excellent, some good, and some mediocre. I thought it was a good reminder that the saints in the Bible are examples for us, and even though they faced different cultural problems than we face today, they also faced many of the same problems, and God placed them where He did for a purpose.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is essentially a collection of blog posts that, in my opinion, aren't worth putting in a book. Just go read some TGC articles and you'll get the same thing. I wouldn't be surprised if that is what this actually is. That may seem a bit harsh, but even the paperback version (hopefully there aren't other versions) of this book has a $15 list price. It was hardly worth getting for free at a conference.

That being said, the theme is a good one to focus on and there are some scattered nuggets throughout worth considering.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book by an impressive lineup of writers. Very helpful in equipping believers to live faithfully in ‘exile’. The chapters on contending, worship, politics,apologetics and the end of our exile to come, were all exceptionally strong. Highly recommended!

[Margaret Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I especially loved Ken Mbugua’s section. My new favorite. “The Psalms don’t shy away from the bitter realities of excuse. Instead, they step into the darkness of exile and teach us how to sing in the night.”

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Like all collaborative books some chapters were better than others for me. The real standout was chapter 10 “apologetics as exiles” by Claude Atcho looking at how the woman at the well used her testimony to proclaim Christ to her whole town. Ch. 11 was another highlight addressing vocation.

[Megan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book full of different authors writing about how we are faithful exiles and how people throughout the bible were as well. It is always good to be reminded that exile is what we feel until Christ's return, this world is not all there is.

[Ivan]

I enjoyed working with this stellar cast of writers.

[Missy Maurer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that this book is written by Believers around the world. I closed it sobered and full of hope! I highly recommend it!!

[William Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. Some chapters were better than others regarding the various ways that Christians are exiles in this culture as each chapter a different author.