For God so loved the World . . .
The whole world is under the control of the evil one . . .
In the world you will have tribulation . . .
You are in the world but not of it . . .

What are we to make of all these verses? How are we to engage the world, reach the world, be fruitful in the world?

This morning I want to address a trend I see emerging in the Church. Good works, good deeds, whatever you call them, are essential in the life of the believer. Mother Theresa’s work with the dying in Calcutta, The rock star Bono (U2) raising multiple millions of dollars to fight Aids. Rick Warren and his increasing presence with U.N. inititatives to end hunger and disease. What could possibly be wrong with these?

Well, a convergence is taking place; a convergence where religions are going to be judged by their participation in public good works rather than their specific beliefs. In fact, the particular exclusive certitudes of Christianity are particularly problematic for this emerging coalition. The answer? Blur the distinctives about Jesus, or better yet, redefine Jesus as one of many "spiritual teachers," on par with Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, etc. One so called Emergent Church leader recently expressed the belief that Buddha was "saved."

Let’s get into the Word of God and see how He expects us to function in this world.