Around this sort of thinking emerges the idea of God’s people exercising a priestly role, in which God’s goodness is mediated to the world in less confrontational ways than those associated with evangelism (which sets up the us/them relationship).

Perhaps that needs clarifying a bit. The point is not so much to avoid being confrontational as simply to grasp the fact that there is far more to this priestly function than evangelism, converting people, saving souls. God has called a people into relationship with himself by grace - we have become reconciled to him. But he has done so for the sake of a priestly presence in the world. At times, no doubt, this presence will be confrontational, critical, dissident, difficult, cantakerous - why not? At times it will be healing, serving, upbuilding, creative, enlightening - at least, one sincerely hopes so. Would it make sense to see this priestly role as being the fulness of God for the world, embodying at least symbolically - as a prophetic sign - the full spectrum of the creator’s interest in his creation?