World Famous Comics: Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World
Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World
By: C. J. Mahaney Publisher: Crossway Books Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Crossway Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 192 Publication Date: September 30, 2008
This resource uncovers the presence of worldliness and helps believers learn to relate to the world while resisting its influence in their lives.
People today are saturated in technology and prosperity. They are bombarded with endless luxuries: clothes to wear, cars to buy, vacations to take, entertainment to enjoy. Yet this world, which offers so many pleasures, is actively opposed to God and the truth of His Word. How, then, is the believer to relate to the world in which he or she lives?
Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World uncovers the presence of worldliness—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has or does. Worldliness then reveals how Christians are to engage a fallen world and boldly preach the gospel, yet not be conformed and ultimately seduced by the system of this world.
As readers learn to identify the presence of worldliness in the areas of media, modesty, music, and material possessions, they can begin to resist its influence in their lives and instead pursue eternal godliness.
Could have been better Worldliness is a book edited by C.J. Mahaney of Sovereign Grace Ministries. The authors are contributions from the Sovereign Grace family. The subtitle asserts the ambitious goal of the book: "Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World".
As with any book by this title there is a danger right out of the gate to make your points from the reservoir of legalism rather than gospel. Many times this comes from an unbiblical definition of worldliness. Mahaney aims to plug this hole right up front as he quotes 1 John 2.15 but then points out that verses 16-17 (1 John 2.16-17) help define what this is.
Mahaney writes, "Worldliness, then, is a love for this fallen world. It's loving the values and pursuits of this world that stand opposed to God. More specifically, it is to gratify and exalt oneself to the exclusion of God." (p.27)
From this discussion on worldliness in general the authors move into more specifics. And frankly this is where things get a little disjointed. I felt in reading the book straight through that I was reading 6 different books rather than one book with 6 chapters. Overall the book seemed to lack the unity of thought that leads to logical progression.
Bob Kauflin wrote a chapter on music. Kauflin is always helpful in thinking about music. However, I would have liked to see him talk about "Christian Music" that is not particularly edifying and how believers should not just be buying a label or an artist but exercise discernment. I'm convinced that the theological teaching in many Christian albums do more damage than Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews Band and Jay-Z (whom Kauflin cites as unhelpful to a Christian's growth).
Mahaney wrote a chapter on modesty, specifically how we dress. Or better, how women dress. In this chapter Mahaney helps ladies to see how their attire can have a desanctifying effect upon their brothers in Christ. No doubt what Mahaney writes is helpful to ladies who may have never thought about this before. I think it would have been helpful to talk about what men do and do not wear as well. It is not just a female problem. Men should be dressing in a way that brings honor to Christ and does not distract or harm others.
I want to pick on one chapter in particular because I think it highlights what was good and bad in this book. The chapter I am reffering to is Craig Cabaniss's piece on God, My Heart, and Media. His goal was to take a look at the effect of media upon our sanctification. Cabaniss spent most of his time with television and movie viewing. Let me first give you the positives.
Cabiniss demonstrates the danger of thoughtless and immune watching. By this he means that we are not mentally and spiritually engaged when we watched and therefore we become dulled and desensitized to what we are seeing. This is a good and much needed warning. Further, the author points out that the `true' enemy is not "out there" but rather he is closer. "He's not lurking behind the curtain in the movie theater. He's much closer. He's us. Our battle is with the flesh." Amen. I was pleased to read this helpful warning.
Cabiniss then raises the `legalism' card. He notes that standards for evaluation of what we should and should not watch are not bad but rather it is our motivation for such standards. "The solution is not necessarily lowering our standards. It is necessarily raising our understanding of and response to the glorious grace of God."
If the chapter would have ended there I would have been more comfortable. But in coming pages we are given nearly two and a half pages of `discernment' questions to evaluate if we should or should not be watching something. I truly believe that the author was trying to be helpful. However, when you give me a list, I want to obey it and I want to obey it for merit. This becomes a problem.
It probably would have been more helpful to help us think redemptively about our time, thoughts and ambitions rather than give me an extrabiblical list of questions to evaluate how godly I am being.
Remember this is to help me discern if I should watch something:
"Is sinful self-sufficiency honored? Are the heroic characters concerned for others or merely for themselves?"
"Does the program or film portray materialism as `the good life'"?
"What's the view of man's nature?"
"What's the view of sin?"
"What is the view of God-ordained authority figures?"
"What is humorous in this work?" How are people made fun of? What is mocked?"
If we rush to answer these questions that we are provided I am fairly certain that we won't ever be able to watch another movie again (this includes most of the so called "Christian movies" since their theology is as jacked up as most secular movies).
Finally, Cabiniss urges us to pursue accountability with others in effort to stem off sin. Accountability is often quite helpful. However, many times folks end up fearing their `accountability partner' while remaining numbly void of a healthy fear of God. This does not kill the root of sin, but unwittingly increases a fear of man (idolatry).
Giving me lists and things to do to tend to create a sort of law that I measure my morality (sanctification) by. I like how the authors talk often about grace, gospel and cross, however, they do not saturate the book with the gospel in such a way that obscures the view of Sinai. I am not saying the book is a handbook on legalism (because it is not) however, I think it could have been much more clear, gospel-dripping, and therefore practical.
I have loved the other books by CJ Mahaney, however, I just can't get behind this one as passionately and wholeheartedly.
Not for Everyone, but Good for Many With a Foreword by John Piper, and cover blurbs from the likes of Randy Alcorn, D.A. Carson, and Mark Dever, this little collection of essays would seem to be the perfect tool for helping Christians grow in their faith. The subtitle gives the reader the gist of the book: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World. This is not an effort to identify worldliness as much as an attempt to remind Christ followers of the need to be separate from the world.
The editor, Mahaney, sets the stage for the scope of the book with the first (I'll call them) sermon. The focus of the book is on a verse in 1 John (2:15) which reads, "Do not love the world or anything in the world." An explanation ensues to put into context the difference between the term world John uses here and when he writes "God so loved the world . . ." in the gospel bearing his name.
Other sermons included in the collection deal with the Christian and Media (Craig Cabaniss), Music (Bob Kauflin), Stuff (Dave Harvey), and Clothes (Mahaney). The final entry is a work by Jeff Purswell on "How to Love the World".
This book will be a challenge for some, a stumbling block for others, and just another book to still others. It is not a book for a wide-ranging audience. It is written to help Christ followers grow in their walk with the Master. It will likely anger many of those who number themselves in the Christian community because of the high standard that is espoused. The writers themselves admit to struggles with meeting the ideals put forth in the writing.
In general, I find the collection to be faithful to the Scripture. The authors take to task a generation of believers who have allowed worldliness to infiltrate their numbers to the point of being no different from the world. It is because of this worldly trend in the church that many readers will get angry and toss the book out the window. It is also this trend that makes a book like this sadly necessary.
As with any book of this type, some readers will latch onto the truths pointed out and use them as a sledgehammer to cream their neighbors with. Giant football fingers will be donned to point at the sinners who need to take this chapter or that to heart. Many will use the essay/sermons in this little book to gain new heights in legalism. Such is the danger of any book like this--and often of any sermon that takes seriously the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.
Most of the chapters dealing with specific areas where worldliness is increasingly tempting are well written and founded faithfully to scripture. While the fashion chapter is lopsided toward women and can be seen as chauvinistic, Mahaney points out the reasoning behind his focus on women's fascination with worldly fashion.
The closing chapter is probably the least coherent of the essays and might seem a little awkward in a book designed to help us turn away from the world.
Included in the book are thought questions for each chapter and a couple of appendices which address more specifically ways that women can be more scriptural when choosing the clothes they wear.
I don't recommend this book for wide circulation--even among the Christian community. I do, however, believe that this would be an excellent tool in the hands of someone who desires to become more like Christ. Because of the concerns I have with the book being used as a foundation for legalistic finger pointing, I have to hold it to three out of five reading glasses.
Specific Help in the Battle of Worldliness A collection of essays by several authors is bound to be somewhat uneven in terms of quality and this is certainly the case in Worldliness, edited by C.J. Mahaney, author of the excellent book The Cross-Centered Life. I believe that each essay is written with a view toward thoughtful engagement with worldliness in a specific area of life. The reader's response to each area may in part be affected by the reader's own areas of struggle. I did not identify very much with the sections on modesty and possessions while the section on media was very helpful, supplying several penetrating questions which helped me analyze my media habits. I was a little disappointed with the essay on music, mainly because it was too short and treated the subject in a shallow way. But someone who was challenged in the area of music may be helped even by this chapter. The questions in the media section were so helpful that I would have appreciated a list of probing questions at the end of every chapter, with the understanding that these questions were not to be used in a legalistic way but simply in an effort to examine one's heart.
great book, this is what christians of this generation need! Many professing Christians proclaim to love God, but yet still deny Him in the sinful lifestyle they live in worldliness, this book is for any christian wanting to grow further in His walk with the Lord and depart from the ways of the world. If we are true followers we deny self desire and forsake all to proclaim Christ and become like a new creature! C.J. Mahaney is an awesome man of God :)
Practical Advice What is worldliness? Well, before reading this book I would have said it was the state of a person whose whole life is dominated by material things. I would have answered, worldliness is something others struggle with, but certainly not me. Well, in classic Mahaney fashion, I was humbled...again.
In "Worldliness, Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World ", C.J. Mahaney has compiled 6 essays that clearly point out that you don't have to be totally sold out to the world to be "worldly". Worldliness exists in little areas of our lives that we consider as harmless or manageable. Yet, it is from those little areas that worldliness relentlessly launches its attack with the goal of completely taking over and destroying us.
In fact, worldliness hunts everyone down. No-one is immune. If we avoid it, it finds us. The world bombards our senses with sounds, images and thoughts that remain in our minds forever. Because of this fact, today's victory can become tomorrow's battle. As CJ puts it:
"Today the greatest challenge facing American evangelicals is not persecution from the world but seduction by the world. We are not under attack from without, we are decaying from within"
Yet, CJ points out that worldliness is not a uniquely 21st century thing. We can't blame it on the convenient Christian scapegoats of TV's, iPods, movies, DVD's, video games, fashion or consumerism. Worldliness has always existed in some form, relative to the time and culture where Christian's lived. He quotes CH Spurgeon from over 150 years ago:
"The one reason why the church of God at the present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the church."
The Apostles even warned of it in their day.
Traditionally, the Christian response to worldliness has been withdrawal from the culture, monasticism and more commonly today; legalism. Today, many Christians fall for the list of do's and don'ts or practicing some rigorous set of rules as a panacea for worldliness. The list does not even need to be formal. It can be a set of personal moralistic views about things like Bible versions, holidays, type of church, TV channels, movies or music. Yet, in doing so, there is a tendency to deceive ourselves into a false sense of security. The list becomes the measure of our "goodness". Pride in accomplishing this list further obscures the realization that no matter what we do, we are still sinful when compared to God. Legalism, denies the power and grace of God. That's why it's so dangerous. Our only hope, the grace of God, and our grace-sustained faith, is conveniently replaced by a deceptive creation of man. While I don't know this to be true, I would imagine worldliness exists within the Amish community, a group of people who we tend to view as having successfully resisted worldly influence.
In the face of what seems to be an impossible battle, CJ points the reader back to the Bible. "Only through the cross of Jesus Christ can we successfully resist the seduction of a fallen world" , he says. As he so simply pointed out in his book "Living The Cross Centered Life", the cross of Christ empowers us not only through it's past significance and what Christ accomplished on it but also in its significance in the way we view it relative to our lives, today. We are no less in need of the cross today than when we lived a life of unbelief.
The book contains short but thorough discussions on those places where worldliness is most commonly found. They represent things that are clearly gifts from God and not intrinsically bad, but without discernment, become the catalysts of worldliness. Things like:
Media: What we choose to view or listen to Music: What we enjoy listening to. Stuff: The choices we make with our money Clothes: What we wear and why we wear it
Each section deals openly with worldliness from a personal perspective and addresses the heart issues that cause Christians to "worship" man's creation rather than God himself.
The essay's section end with a call by Jeff Purswell to "love the world" as Christ would have done; by acknowledging the provision of God in His goodness, engaging the culture and acting in love for the world, with an eye to evangelism.
The book concludes with the Mahaney family's " Modesty Heart Check" and a unique challenge of Considering Modesty on Your Wedding Day. While aimed mainly at women, they certainly have application for men, especially teens and father's of daughters.
The final section lists a set a questions, dealing with issues presented in the book, that can be used as a personal study or in a small group.
Where did this book affect me? It was in Craig Cabaness' section titled "God, My Heart and Media" that I found my greatest challenge. While I don't watch much television, by nature, I am a "multi-media sponge" and self-described political junkie. The media coverage of the current election cycle is a major struggle for me. Again, not that there is anything inherently wrong with wanting to be an informed voter. It's a worthy cause that many more people should pursue. However, I find it easy and convenient to use the informed voter excuse as a way to justify watching political news, when in-fact I have already made up my mind who to vote for. It's also very easy for me to "pile on" when I see my candidate's negative ads, regardless of whether I know them to be true or not. I also find a certain "joy" in watching my candidate hurl "zinger's" at his opponent. I also take pleasure in hearing the media "spin" things in favor of "my guy". The bottom line is that I am an arrogant and proud supporter of my candidate. The media has me right where they want me. I am a full-fledged member of the TV mob, cheering for my candidate and demanding blood from his opponent in the Colosseum of presidential election politics. Through my actions, I am demonstrating that I am no different that a 1st Century Roman arena spectator. I am worldly.
What I learned from this book is that I was not the man I thought I was. I was big in my own mind but prideful in God's eyes. I learned that the sin of pride is a key ingredient in worldliness (I Cor 10:12). For me, this sin weakened my Spirit-led discernment, one of the weapons I need to fight against being pulled into the world. This book was a call to guard my heart even more and to crawl back to the Cross even more frequently.
Originally written my me and posted on my blog www.spiritfilledpuritan.com
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