Sociologist Aaron Renn says that Christians have now entered “the negative world.”
The “positive world,” he says, was the world in which Christianity was regarded to be a social asset, part of the underlying fabric of civilization (1964–1994); in the “neutral world,” Christianity was considered one option among many (1994–2014); but now, in the “negative world,” Christianity is considered a social cancer (2014–present). In the neutral world, secular society often regarded Christianity as a mistake to be corrected, an option to be rejected in favor of better ones. In the negative world, however, Christianity is seen as an evil to be resisted or even eliminated.
Most Christians I know wonder what faithfulness looks like in an environment like that. Is the answer to embrace an all-out, partisan-driven culture war, with one side representing light and the other darkness? Or is it withdrawal, isolation and focus on our families and churches? These aren’t idle questions: I’ve heard loud proponents of both of these positions.
Many of us suspect there’s a better way — though we struggle to articulate what it is. I believe the book of Daniel helps with the answer. Daniel is one of the only books in the Old Testament not written entirely in the Hebrew language. The introduction and conclusion of Daniel are in Hebrew, indicating that it was written primarily for Jews, but the huge narrative parts in the middle are in Aramaic.
Why does that matter?
Because Aramaic was the language of Babylon, where all the events of the book take place.
Is Faithfulness Possible in Babylon?
Daniel was part of a Jewish contingent carried into exile by the conquering Babylonians in the sixth century BC. In this new context away from their homeland, Daniel and his friends were unable to follow some of the divine directives regarding how to live. They could not, for example, follow all the Mosaic laws about ritual cleansings, feasts and holidays, or community structure. Furthermore, Nebuchadnezzar’s administration, which they served, was characterized by conquest, violence, and immorality. Daniel had been swept up into a literal Game of Thrones, and he had to figure out how to live as a servant of the true God in that context.
The very structure of the book presents a question to Israelites: You know how to be faithful to God “in Hebrew,” but can you be faithful “in Aramaic”?
Is faithfulness “in Babylon” even possible? How can you be faithful to God in a place where the cultural “language” is entirely different from your own? Where scriptural definitions of right and wrong are turned upside down? Where what should be grieved is celebrated, and what is honorable is considered shameful?
Daniel’s experience was harrowing and painful, but amazing nonetheless. Daniel brought not one but two Babylonian kings to profess faith in the God of Israel (Dan. 4:34-37, 6:25-27). Daniel didn’t fit in — often awkwardly and dangerously so. Daniel wouldn’t eat what others ate. He stood when others knelt and knelt where others stood.
Daniel was so countercultural that he got thrown into a lions’ den … and yet so beloved at the same time that the king whose decree put him there stayed awake all night, distressed that he might have lost him (Dan. 6:16-18)!
How do we become like that in our society?
‘Seek the Welfare of the City Where I Have Sent You’
Another exilic prophet, Jeremiah, gives us a clue. Jeremiah lived and prophesied around the same time as Daniel, and through him, God told Israel not to work for the overthrow of Babylon, whether subtly or aggressively, nor to seek out some secret enclave in Babylon where they could sequester themselves waiting on God to deliver them. Instead, God instructed them,
Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters … multiply there, and do not decrease. … Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jer. 29:5–7 ESV)
That doesn’t fit into any of the common approaches I see today: It’s not opposition, it’s not isolation, it’s not accommodation, it’s not even subversion. This is something else altogether. They were to live in Babylon, to build their homes there, and work, counterintuitively, for Babylon’s prosperity.
Their role was not to be one of antagonistic separation, nor was it to be one of careless assimilation. There were things that the Babylonians did that Daniel and his friends could never do, things the Babylonians ate and drank that they must not touch, places the Babylonians knelt where they must stand, and places the Babylonians stood where they must kneel.
Daniel was to live, love, and work in Babylon, for Babylon, but not as a Babylonian. As a Hebrew exile.
5 Components of a Quiet Life
Peter and Paul pick up on Daniel’s and Jeremiah’s themes in their New Testament letters. Peter, in fact, writes to “exiles” living in a new “Babylon” (1 Peter 1:1; 5:13) tying his letter to Daniel’s generation. Paul tells believers to “live quietly” (1 Thess. 4:11; Peter actually uses the word “honorably” instead of “quietly” [1 Peter 2:12], but he’s pointing to the same idea).
“Live quietly” may seem odd coming from Paul, the guy whose preaching provoked a riot in Ephesus, or from Peter, the guy who stood up at Pentecost and accused his community of killing Christ by wicked hands. But, as Peter and Paul both explain, a “quiet” life best sets us up for loud testimony.
Peter and Paul outline five components for “living quietly” that we can pursue whether we go to work every day teaching 3rd graders or directing the operations of a multinational business conglomerate. Here they are:
- Creation-fulfilling: Believers seek to fulfill the creation mandate through their careers and calling. The first commission given to us was not the Great Commission, but the Creation Commission. By developing the world around us, we make it a better place to live in and glorify its creator. It’s no accident that the first time the phrase “filled with the Spirit” is used, it’s in relation to a man’s woodworking skills, not his sermons! Testimony to Christ begins not with our words, but with our jobs. (See Genesis 1:28; Exodus 31:1–5; Proverbs 22:29)
- Excellence-pursuing: Christians pursue excellence not for status or applause, but because our work reflects the excellence of the One we serve. Even the smallest task can become a testimony when done “as unto the Lord.” (Colossians 3:23)
- Holiness-reflecting: The quiet life reflects God’s holiness in the midst of a watching world, setting us apart through our purity and integrity. We have an ultimate Master in heaven, Paul tells us, and when we live with fairness and justice even when no one is watching, it points others to the reality of a different King and Kingdom. (Daniel 6:4; Colossians 4:1; 1 Peter 3:15)
- Redemption-displaying: In a broken world, believers put the gospel on display through forgiveness, grace, and radical acts of mercy. Living this way doesn’t mean eschewing a free market, merit-based economy, but recognizing that behind this economy, superseding it, is an even more fundamental one based on grace. Christians look for ways to inject radical displays of grace into our economy. We see this exemplified in Leviticus, where God commanded Israelites to leave the corners of their fields “unharvested,” so that the poor could glean from them. Our kindness and patience point people to the cross, the ultimate basis of the Christian’s economy. (Leviticus 19:9–10; Ephesians 4:32)
- Mission-advancing: As Peter tells us and the life of the biblical prophet Daniel illustrates for us, living quietly opens up doors to share the gospel, boldly and loudly. Our ordinary lives become platforms for extraordinary witness. (1 Peter 3:15)
These are the principles on which Daniel’s testimony was built, a testimony which provoked a horde of wise men many years later to leave Persia in pursuit of the Christ child. They are applications of Jeremiah’s command to Jewish exiles in his day, living in Babylon, to settle into the city God has placed them, seek its peace and help make it a better place to live (Jeremiah 29:4–7). As Lesslie Newbigin explained, how we go about our lives and pursue our vocations provides the first dramatic contrast with Babylon.
Conclusion: Living as Everyday Revolutionaries
Daniel and his generation offer a model for Christians seeking to live out bold testimony in an increasingly hostile, “negative” world. Daniel, Peter, and Paul show us how we can live as that paradoxical reality, “everyday revolutionaries.”
Our communities should say about us, “We may not believe what those crazy people over at that church believe, but thank God they’re here — if not, we’d have to raise our taxes!”
Tired of being a pawn in the culture war? Feeling squeezed between political and theological extremes? In Everyday Revolutionary: How to Transcend the Culture War and Transform the World, you can discover biblical insights for witnessing well in our polarized, post-Christian world.
In this fraught cultural moment, you can be an everyday revolutionary who stands up for the truth of the gospel. After all, the God who shuts the mouths of lions placed you in this time for a reason. You might just decide you wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Plus, join Pastor J.D. Greear for a Bible study — with streaming video — to explore how Daniel’s story and Peter’s example help you live as a Christian today.
J.D. Greear is the pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, where he has led the congregation from 300 members to over 12,000. He is leading the Summit in a vision to plant one thousand new churches by the year 2050.Pastor J.D. has authored many books, including Everyday Revolutionary (2025), Essential Christianity (2023), and What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? (2020). He also hosts and co-hosts multiple podcasts, includingSummit Lifewith J.D. Greear.Pastor J.D. completed his Ph.D. in Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as the 62nd president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Pastor J.D. and his wife Veronica are raising four awesome kids: Kharis, Alethia, Ryah, and Adon.
