Hi all,

I have a general question about our Christian witness today. According to 2 Cor 6:17 "Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you." is it easier today to spot a Christian brother or sister in society? I'm 51 and when I was a small child and even through my early twenties, people my age were polite in public and hardly never used cuss words in normal conversations, but now in public I hear many who cuss every other word out of their mouths. I just came back from a conference for my job and we were shown a short film that was supposed to be funny. It showed men and women in the work place cussing each other out. Even though it bleeped out the words we all knew what they were saying and everyone was laughing at it except me. I thought it was awful.

Today we see men using fowl language in front of elderly people without a care, and sadly I've seen many women who can say the vilest of words just as a man can. I work in a sales environment and the guys I work with cuss like sailors in front of clients and even talk about immoral activities like they are the norm. I even confront them and get chastised for doing so, for they see no harm in it. Has society changed that much over the last 10-20 years? Is it easier to spot a Christian today, for I hope we don't use language like this and think it normal, and I hope we don't talk of sexual immorality in fun or lightly as if it is no big deal.

I for one believe it is a day now when being a Christian is going to separate one from the world if they hold fast to the doctrines of scripture, and remain unspotted from the world. So do you feel as I do and see this separation of the worldly and the Christian?

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Rick
Teacher/Apologist
Baptist
SE Missouri

What, ostensibly, was the purpose of this film?

Aren't they?

I think so. The younger generation has never known the civil society of which you speak. Society has become coarse, crude, and uncouth. You don't hear those words much anymore. Ethics and morals are today's jokes among non-Christians. But then I'm something of an old cynic.

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Norm
IA PCA

In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. Ephesians 1:4-5

You will find legions of people happy to quote the first half of James 1:27 and live it, and a very few who like to quote the second half and live it.

The implications are too unsettling to most.

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Kevin, husband of a truly angelic woman, and father to ten.
Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield
Ontario, Canada

I do.

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Ewen
1689 LBCF
Assemblies of God Bible College
Singapore

and so do I, if you mean that separation is what ought to be.
I'm not sure if I always do see it though, in practice.

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JennyG
Church of Scotland (Presbyterian)
Fife, Scotland

Jeremiah 6:15

Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush.

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Mitch
Presbyterian Church of Coventry, CT (PCA)

Now that a few of you responded, to what or whom do we point an accusing finger at for the demise of the culture as it is today. I look at a combination of issues or events. The church is definitely to blame in this for she doesn't have the influence she once did in the past, or at least I don't feel as thought she does. Where are the manly men of Christ who once lead the church? I don't see many today! Also the immoral use of technology has corrupted our minds with all the immoral images and sound bites from the secular society. And maybe this is the way it is all working to actually separate the goats from the sheep. Whatever is happening we all need to pray for each other and to encourage fellow Christians not to falter. God bless!

You know, in some ways, I see a dog chasing its tail in your comment. Why did the church not fight against worldliness? Because of the effects of worldliness upon her.

It's like the Republican party in some ways - there is a belief against abortion, but so much white noise from the world that it lost the force behind its thrust to outlaw it. There were deals with regards to appropriations committees, "I'll support you on this if you support me on that, etc." which took much of the steam out of the movement, then the fact that close to 50% of constituents are OK with abortion, makes the move politically unpalatable.

When we look at separation from the world in the church, we see a lack of thrust when she had the power to do something, due to the influences of worldliness upon her. Many fell into liberalism and were thus further corrupted by the world and its views. When we talk as a family about Christians in the world, we always touch on the fact that Christ spent His time 'in the world' spreading the gospel, not just hanging out with folks.

When He went to eat with Zacheus, He didn't just 'hang out'. We as believers should be spending our time 'in the world' spreading the gospel, not 'hanging out'. The corruption of this attitude has lead to a lot of these sorts of problems.

Yes, very well said!