The people of God throughout history have been a people of exile and diaspora. Whether under the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks or Romans, the people chosen by God have had to learn how to be a holy people in alien lands and under foreign rule. For much of its history, however, the Christian church lived with the sense of being at home in the world, with considerable influence and power. That age of Christendom is now over, and as Lee Beach demonstrates, this is something for which the church should be grateful. The "peace" of Christendom was a false one, and there is no comfortable normalcy to which we can or should return. Drawing on a close engagement with Old Testament and New Testament texts, The Church in Exile offers a biblical and practical theology for the church in a post-Christian age. Beach helps the people of God today to develop a hopeful and prophetic imagination, a theology responsive to its context, and an exilic identity.

Is the church of the twenty-first century supposed to regain its former glory, or is it too late? Are the people of God in exile yet again? Have we lost our cultural footing and are now in desperate need to find a new way for the present millennium? Daniel was born into a nation of God-fearers, where the Scriptures were embraced and biblical values espoused. But that all changed with the Babylonian exile. Daniel's God, his values, and his faith had become irrelevant and even despised in his society. With the erosion of Christendom, Daniel's story has become the church's story! We've Lost. What Now? offers a clear, insightful, and relevant exposition of Daniel in order to empower believers to minister more effectively than ever before from the social and cultural margins the church now inhabits.

Like most Protestant denominations, the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) was founded upon ideas that shaped its vision and ethos throughout its history. Also like most denominations, over time the influence of these ideas on the movement tends to diminish. Denominations, like any organization, have to consistently revisit their original vision in order to remain vitally sustained by those things that gave it a reason for existing in the first place. This book addresses six key ideas that have shaped the Christian and Missionary Alliance throughout its history: Jesus as our savior, sanctifier, healer, and coming king, which are known as the "fourfold gospel," as well as the concepts of "Jesus only" and world mission. These ideas are at the heart of the C&MA identity. However, there has long been a sense within C&MA circles that these core ideas are not always given the kind of attention that they deserve so that they can dynamically shape the movement as it faces the challenges…