Live as Exiles in the Majority Culture

In the previous article we examined how life as an exile informs the lives of Christian minorities. Now we’re going to switch gears and speak specifically to Christians who are part of the majority culture.

The more power a person has in a society, the more “at home” they usually feel in the world, because the world around them caters to their desires. But as Christian exiles, we are called to live as though our home is in Heaven, not on Earth.

This can be extremely difficult if you already feel at home on earth. In America, the majority culture that has historically held the most power has been the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant group of people (WASP for short). The group in the majority can change as the cultural tides shift, and indeed we see WASP’s losing their influence in 2020. But if you are part of the WASP group, you don’t need to fear this. It’s an opportunity to be more like Christ. 

Citizen of Heaven, or America?

Being a WASP in America means that you’ve been afforded incredible opportunities as a cultural leader in a country ripe for comfort and success. But this can make it tempting to forget your citizenship in Heaven. Being a Christian Exile means that your primary citizenship is in Heaven, not on Earth (Philippians 3:20). 

Your American citizenship is secondary. You are here to bless this nation while you are a part of it, but never to settle in as though this country is your final resting place (Hebrews 13:14, NLT). Be grateful to have the incredible opportunities that this country affords you as part of the majority culture, but never confuse your citizenship in Heaven with your citizenship in America. 

As Christians, we should avoid any messages to the world that intermingle American Citizenship with Heavenly Citizenship, whether on bumper stickers, Facebook posts, or any other form of communication.

The Holy Nation

The Israel that we read about in the Bible is God’s only chosen nation, not America (Deuteronomy 7:6). Israel transcends all worldly nations which are temporary and will one day be dismantled (Daniel 2:44). 

However, we should not confuse this with the modern day geo-political country of Israel. According to the Bible, Jesus fulfilled the purposes of Israel and became the New Israel. Now we enter into this new, True Israel when we believe in Him (Gal. 3:29; 1 Peter 2:9-10).

As part of God’s Holy nation in Christ, we are never commanded to take over a society and force our will upon it. He commands that we live as citizens of Heaven while blessing the city in which we find ourselves on Earth. This has been the theme of all our exiles articles (Jeremiah 29:7). 

Following Jesus means following Him into exile in America. You are called to identify more with being a citizen of Heaven than a citizen of America, and to build Jesus’ Kingdom rather than defending your own kingdom.

Giving Up Majority Culture

Being in the majority culture gives you incredible power, privilege, and opportunity, and being a Christian means you have given up all of it in order to gain Christ (Philippians 3:7-8).

You give up your whole life because you receive so much more in Christ! In Luke 14:33, Jesus says, “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” This is such a hard word for the Christian Majority in America, because we have been given so much! Like the rich young ruler in Luke 18:23, we may feel we cannot bear to give up all we have, including our privilege. But God warned the Israelites not to forget him when they received power and privilege in the promised land. He warns us in the same way (Deuteronomy 6:10-15). We must let Christ determine how we will use what we have on Earth. 

As you do that, you will find incredible freedom. You will know you have riches in Heaven that will support you for eternity, so you won’t need to hold on so tightly to what you have here and now. You can leverage all of it to advance God’s Kingdom.

In Luke 12:48, Jesus says, “To whom much is given, much will be required.” Those in the cultural majority have been given so much!  We must leverage all these gifts to do what God cares most about: His Mission.

God’s Mission

God’s mission is not only to bring personal salvation, it’s also about bringing societal change. The Gospel is a story that leads to action. When we use our power in society to bring justice and mercy, we are enacting the Gospel in our communities just like Jesus did.

When Jesus inaugurates His ministry, He says He came to proclaim:

“Good news to the poor…. Liberty to the captives… To set at liberty those who are oppressed.” 

Luke 4:18-19

The word “poor” here is not spiritual poverty; it refers to a low social status. The captives and the oppressed that Jesus has in mind are the most vulnerable in society.

The rich will no longer rule over the poor, but use their resources to help the poor (Acts 2:45). But not in a paternalistic way, because the memory that we were all once held captive by sin motivates us to work towards correcting other forms of slavery we see in our society now. God is calling the cultural majority to use their power and privilege to spread the Gospel message.

That’s what Jesus did, and that’s how the Gospel spreads: in words and actions that change people and societies.

Leveraging Privilege

We cannot hold on tightly to our cultural power and hold onto Christ at the same time. If you are in the majority, you must leverage your position in our culture as a demonstration of the Gospel. 

Christian self-sacrifice does not mean we abandon capitalism, or forcibly level the playing field for everyone, like communism or Marxism. But it does call individuals with more power to exercise that power for the good of others. With God, change happens from the bottom up, not the top down. 

So if you’re a Christian in the majority culture, don’t feel guilty about that. Thank God for the life you’ve been given. But be SO thankful that you willingly give up your power to help those in need. This is the Gospel in action, and it proclaims to a watching world that this world is not your home. 

Application

Study the following passages in the Gospel account of Luke and ask yourself what someone with influence in society is called to as an Exile:

1. Luke 4:16-19
2. Luke 14:25-33
3. Luke 18:18-30
4. Luke 19:1-10
5. Luke 22:24-27