What Is Worldliness?

Kevin Bauder

A generation or two ago, Christians regularly heard warnings against something called “worldliness.” They also heard certain practices denounced as “worldly.” When we used that language, we thought we knew what we meant.

Now, however, to suggest that something is worldly is likely to provoke a shrug, an eye roll, or even a snicker. To express concern about worldliness is to mark oneself as an unrepentant legalist. Part of the problem is that we no longer share any sense of what worldliness is or whether such a thing is even possible.