I’ve done a lot of thinking about the subject of worldliness – a love for this present world and an imitation of its way of thinking, acting, and speaking – because of preaching consecutively through the book of Genesis, especially chapter 19 as it relates to Lot’s wife. She turned around, in defiance of God, and looked longingly back at Sodom and her life there, and was became a pillar of salt. The root cause of her “saltiness” was a heart filled with worldliness, not sodium.
Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World is a book that deals with the subject from several different angles, and does a good job of it. C.J. Mahaney edited the book and wrote the first chapter – a definition and description of worldliness. The five chapters that follow deal with different areas of life where worldliness can, and often does, impinge. “God, My Heart, and Media” was written by Craig Cabaniss. Bob Kauflin treats the subject of music. “Stuff,” or material things and possessions, are discussed by Dave Harvey. Mahaney writes a chapter on clothes. Jeff Purswell gives some excellent and practical thoughts on properly loving the world. Two appendices are included that venture into the minefield of modesty (“Modesty Heart Check” and “Considering Modesty on Your Wedding Day”).
There isn’t much written about the subject of worldliness (I could be wrong about that), so this book is a welcome addition. We need to think biblically and Christianly about how we relate to the world, how we think, how we act, and the fact that we’re not to be like the world even though we live in it. Read it! You’ll be glad you did.
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