Flirting with the World

What is worldliness? For too long, evangelicals have had a faulty concept of what it is to be worldly; they have strained at gnats and swallowed camels. Worldliness, to many Christians, means watching movies, listening to secular music, going into pubs and smoking cigarettes. Meanwhile, whilst they are busy checking off their list of dos and don'ts (the gnats), they swallow the camels of materialism, pride, lust and greed without even realizing it. White exposes the carnal ways that are so often overlooked, and highlights the attitudes prevalent in Christians that betray a deep-seated worldliness.He is not afraid to challenge many of the sacred cows of evangelical piety and values. As always, his words have a prophetic edge (see 'Money Isn't God' for another fine example of his writings), hard-hitting and cutting straight to the point, yet at the same time, full of compassion. He speaks with the authoritative voice of an Isaiah or an Amos, sounding a clear call for the church to get back to the way of Jesus. He is a conservative evangelical with an acute awareness of the social implications of the gospel: a rare combination, admittedly.The book covers attitudes to wealth, sexuality, patriotism and many other pertinent topics, taking the attention away from minor behavioural issues that so often occupy the minds of Christians, and focusing on the issues that matter more to God: justice, mercy, selflessness and, as the title suggests, loyalty to God in a world characterized by attitudes God despises.