Set Apart: Calling a Worldly Church to a Godly Life

Set Apart by R. Kent Hughes, the author of The Disciplines of a Godly Man, is one of the best books I have read on the subject of Christian separation and holiness. It is very practical and hard-hitting, confronting Christians with their love for the world while maintaining a positive, encouraging spirit. Hughes begins with the story of Lot, a righteous man who, though vexed by Sodom's worldliness, still allowed it to drag him and his family down. He points out that though Lot was influential in Sodom, he could not and would not impact Sodom for good because he was worldly. We, like Lot, cannot reach the world unless we are distinct from the world. God's plan is for us to be "a people set apart from the world to reach the world." Hughes then identifies nine different areas in which the church today must recognize their worldliness and correct it: materialism, hedonism, sensuality, violence and voyeurism (vicarious participation in sin), sexual conduct, modesty, pluralism, marriage, and the church and the Lord's Day. In each of these areas the church is pointedly confronted with her sin and called upon to repent. Yet, Hughes deals with each of these areas very tastefully. In addition Hughes does not lapse into negativity. Instead he focuses on the blessings that result from obedience in these areas. In the last chapter especially, Hughes describes the "unending yes." He states, "There is no power in the no. . . . A people set apart merely by the noes have no power. . . . The power is in the yes because all the yeses are yeses to Christ: yes to his riches, yes to his pleasures, yes to his mind, yes to his peace, yes to his relationship, yes to his clothing, yes to the cross and the covenant and Christ, yes to him as the only way, yes to his body the church, and yes to the Gospel of God." There is great joy and blessing in separation unto God. Also in the final chapter, Hughes issues a call to return to historic fundamentalism. He says, "the instincts of early fundamentalists were right in their attempt to maintain theological orthodoxy and separation from the world, but that movement was sidetracked . . . into a shallow separatism. What is needed today is a new old fundamentalism. . . that while being in the world is morally separated from the world and that unashamedly preaches the Gospel." I wholeheartedly agree with this assessment, and I am very encouraged to hear it. I do have a couple of minor disagreements with the book. In connection with the chapter on materialism, Hughes strongly emphasizes tithing as mandatory for believers today. I believe that the tithe is not taught in the New Testament - having a giving heart is emphasized instead. A tithe may be a good standard to go by, but cannot be imposed as law upon Christians. Similarly Hughes conflates the concepts of the Old Testament Sabbath with the Lord's Day. I highly recommend this book for any Christian. It inspired and encouraged me, fueling a greater desire for holiness.

I am the Education pastor at my church and after reading "Set Apart", I was convicted to use it in upcoming Christian Ethics classes. Mr. Hughes does an excellent job of bringing the gospel home to the church. This is a book that will make you feel something; not just puffed up, it is the real thing.

Hughes nails it. Modern Christianity has allowed the world to influence them rather than Christians influencing the world. Great insight into the subtle (and not so subtle) ways the enemy is causing the Christian to become ineffective for His cause.

R. Kent Hughes has done evangelicals a service by writing a book that needed to be written. Crossway has done us a service by having the guts to publish it. Set Apart: Calling a Worldly Church to a Godly Life is a no-holds-barred call for evangelicals to reclaim the biblical understanding of radical life transformation. Hughes tackles eleven hot-button issues in American society, problems that plague the evangelical community as much (and sometimes more) than society at large. It would have been easy for Hughes to concentrate only on the negative - how materialistic, hedonistic, immodest, and violent we are. He could have chosen only to berate Christians for living just like the world, but he most assuredly does not do this. Instead, Hughes tearfully pleads for Christians to embrace a godly life and offers many good suggestions that can help us begin. Every Christian who reads this book will feel their toes stepped on. Hughes' list of sins/problems is so varied (from keeping the Lord's Day holy to delighting in TV violence) that the reader can't escape his diagnosis. The book is deeply convicting, due mostly to Hughes' tone. Instead of adopting the tone of a fundamentalist preacher who seems to preach against certain activities for the fun of it, Hughes writes in a way that conveys his profound concern for the Christian witness in today's world. And rather than stopping with the diagnosis, Hughes hopes to drive us to repentance and then to the embrace of a different life, one that is truly countercultural and set apart from the world. Set Apart will make you uncomfortable. But it is the kind of discomfort that comes from the Holy Spirit's conviction.

This book has been a rich blessing by means of conviction and more conviction. The church I pastor is using this book in the adult Bible study Sunday School class and I've had more discussion about the topic of this book than at any other time I can remember. People who thought they had all of their t's crossed and i's dotted in their daily lives personally and with their families are waking up to realize that a great deal of the world has affected their thinking and practical living. Dr. Hughes does a great job in presenting the material. It's full of Scripture. The chapters were originally preached to the congregation where he is pastor. He is by no means a legalist in his presentation, but he is no teacher of "live how you want to because God understands" either. Holiness is needed in our church families today. This book will go a long way, by God's grace, to vaccinate against worldliness in the church. This is a must read for all Christians.