Sunday, March 25, 2012

IN BUT NOT OF?

Where are the men and women of Christ who are truly IN the world but not OF the world? Can one be pure without being puritanical?... Holy, without being holier-than-thou?... Heavenly minded, and still of Earthly good?... Righteous, without being oppressive? Can one stand for absolute truth, without demeaning those who differ? Can we attack the erroneous in winsome ways? May we confront unholy and unhealthy, thinking, believing, and behaving, while simultaneously seeking the best interests of those who subscribe to them? Can we fulfill our duty to be our brother's keeper without being their captors? Back to IN, but not OF... what would it look like for one in our society to be IN the world (impacting, shaping, transforming it) but not OF it (not sharing it's values, morals, ethics, priorities, practices, principles, dress codes, vulgarity, or profanity)? Can we shape it without be shaped by it? Can we be radical for Christ and real in this fallen world? Who are they who walk this path between two worlds?