Philip Taylor

“Being absolutely clear on Christ’s lordship as our primary allegiance and our heavenly citizenship as our core identity is the starting point for a right ordering of our relationships, attachments, and desires in all areas of life, including our posture toward contemporary society.”
― Paul S. Williams, Exiles on Mission: How Christians Can Thrive in a Post-Christian World

“One can speculate as to why creation ex nihilo seems less important to biblical authors than transcendent sovereignty. Had it been more important, it would be explicated or implicated more strongly. Certainly, it is not expressed in the terms we might wish to find. But the doctrine is nevertheless there, assumed by orthodox Israelites, implicated in Isaiah, Proverbs, and Psalms, and likely implicit in Gen 1 even though it is neither explicated nor implicated in that particular passage.”
― John W. Hilber, Old Testament Cosmology and Divine Accommodation: A Relevance Theory Approach

“Our willingness to maintain our allegiance to Christ is fundamentally challenged in the context of exile. The feeling of being captive aliens, trapped in a culture that is rejecting our values, generates fear that we don’t belong, that our identity is being overwhelmed, and that we will be rejected if we don’t fit in.”
― Paul S. Williams, Exiles on Mission: How Christians Can Thrive in a Post-Christian World

“Inviting people to become Christians and then to start training to stand in battle as a test of their faith does not seem like a good selling point! We are tempted to reduce discipleship to positive aspects of pastoral ministry, such as healing and pastoral care, alongside serving in various church programs and community projects.”
― Paul S. Williams, Exiles on Mission: How Christians Can Thrive in a Post-Christian World