ABSTRACT
Three conclusions are drawn here concerning the identity and calling of the church as a minority. (1) The minority situation of the church interpreted as alien residency is not accidental, but part of the church's DNA. (2) We need a good theology of suffering and persecution that takes into consideration the liminality and vulnerability of the Christian community, and the reality of suffering as part of the identity of followers of Christ, in the hope of the final victory of Christ's glory over all evil and suffering when the faithful will be vindicated. (3) The vocation of the Christian community as a minority is not to strive for power, but to live out its alien residency to the full.
