What is a Christian in Exile?
A Christian in Exile is a person who feels estranged from what passes for Christianity today for any number of reasons. Some of those reasons might include:
1. A discomfort that the word "Christian" is often used in a way that suggests that to be a Christian one must be a fundamentalist extremist, preaching a gospel of spite and vindictiveness that has nothing to do with the God of Love we have experienced in our lives.
2. A discomfort with the lack of integrity seen on the part of many Christian leaders today.
3. A preoccupation with spin and conservative politics by some "Christian" leaders to the exclusion of the 3000 scripture verses that tell of God's concern for the poor and marginalized.
4. A conviction that, despite the behavior of fundamentalist extremists, a theocracy is never a desirable form of government.
5. A recognition that science reveals truths about God's world, and any God whose divinity would be so threatened by scientific advancement that it is necessary to invent "psudo-science" such as so-called "creation science" is a god so small as to not be worthy of our worship or attention.
6. A recognition that the Bible never was intended to be interpreted literally and that such practices only arose in the 19th century and are the product of "Christians" who are more interested in thought and behavior control than the reality of God as experience in and through (among others) Jesus Christ.
7. Christians in Exile identify themselves as Christians, even though they might not be considered Christian by fundamentalist extremists.
Most importantly, Christians in exile seek to build a Church community where all people are truly welcome and respected, where no one is manipulated or coerced into feeling or believing in a particular way but rather are allowed to follow where God is calling them to be - supported by a loving faith community.

