#20 - Worldliness ed. by C.J. Mahaney

This fall, my allergies have been wicked. I have spent many a sleepless night testing out Puffs Plus products and making mountains of tissue. And after all my research, I can attest - Puffs Plus works well. This has also allowed me to get some reading done.I just finished Worldliness. It is written by several men from Sovereign Grace Ministries and edited by C.J. Mahaney. The book only has 6 chapters - the first defines and explains the concept of worldliness, the others deal with specific topics such as media, music, clothes and "stuff."

I never thought of myself as particularly worldly. I don't care about being or dressing trendy. I haven't watched tv at all in the last few years, and I see a movie in the theater about once a year. We don't even have a Netflix subscription! Who doesn't have one of those these days?! The only sports team I really follow is my Lakers. I couldn't tell you much of anything about college football or basketball, and I have no clue what's going on in the NFL.

When I lived in the LA area, worldliness seemed to swirl all around me. I couldn't avoid the latest entertainment news and trends no matter how hard I tried. But now I live in a small town in Kansas. I'm not worldly at all, right?

Unfortunately no. Worldliness comes from my heart. I have come to realize that some of the most worldly people could live in the least worldly settings. Worldliness is not the exclusive domain of those with big bucks and who live in big cities. It is simply one expression of a sinful heart to which all have in common.

Here are some quotes:

• Today, the greatest challenge facing American evangelicals is not persecution from the world, but seduction by the world...Our peril is far more obscure and far more insidious. We aren't under attack from without; we're decaying from within.
• Worldliness, then, is a love for this fallen world...More specifically, it is to gratify and exalt oneself to the exclusion of God. It rejects God's rule and replaces it with our own. It exalts our opinions above God's truth.
• What dominates your mind and stirs your heart? Is it discontentment with your life? Longings for earthly pleasures? Does outward prosperity appeal to you more than growth in godliness? Or is your prayer life characterized by heartfelt supplications for God's will to be done and his kingdom come?
• Some people try to define worldliness as living outside a specific set of rules or conservative standards. If you listen to music with a certain beat, dress in fashionable clothes, watch movies with a certain rating, or indulge in certain luxuries of modern society, surely you must be worldly...Worldliness does not consist in outward behavior, though our actions can certainly be an evidence of worldliness within. But the real location of worldliness is internal. It resides in our hearts.
• The evil in our desires often lies not in what we want, but in the fact that we want it too much...The cravings of sinful man are legitimate desires that have become false gods we worship. It's wanting too much the things of this fallen world. A sinful craving is when a legitimate desire for financial success becomes a silent demand for financial success; an interest in clothes and fashion becomes a preoccupation; love of music morphs into an obsession with the hottest band; or the desire to enjoy a good movie becomes a need to see the latest blockbuster.
• We must fight worldliness because it dulls our affections for Christ and distracts our attention from Christ. Worldliness is so serious because Christ is so glorious.
• Simply stated, coveting is desiring stuff too much or desiring too much stuff. It's replacing our delight in God with joy in stuff. Materialism is what happens when coveting has cash to spend.
• One common fallacy that dazes some Christians is 'virtual giving' - giving that occurs only in one's mind, if-things-were-only-different. 'If I had more,' we say, 'I'd give more.' That's virtual giving. In reality, if we had more, we would undoubtedly find new ways to use it or store it.
• We [fathers] must not simply oversee our daughters' closets; we must teach them God's perspective on modest dress and educate them about the temptations of men. And we must have clear standards informed by Scripture, not by culture. This will make it easier for them to follow our leadership when difficult choices are necessary.

A couple of the chapters didn't have much of an impact on me. But I thought a couple were quite challenging and helpful, especially the chapter on modesty written by C.J. Mahaney. I recommend that one to all women and to all fathers of daughters. It sure will be an interesting aspect of parenting when Emery gets a little older!