In my research for this article I discovered that a verse in the Bible that says "be in the world but not of it" is not to be found, but the idea itself is everywhere. Jesus prayed that His disciples would not be taken out of the world but that they would be kept from evil (John 17) and John said that if we love the world and the things of the world we do not have the love of God (1 John 2:15-17). But here is a confusing problem that faces me as I look at the modern North American Church; we are far more of the world than in the world. We spend our time the same ways, watch the same movies, listen to the same music, and go to the same places. We are concerned with the same things, namely money, sex, and entertainment, and spend a lot more time perusing those ends than praying, studying and memorizing the Bible, fighting injustices, changing society, caring for our neighbours, and encouraging our leaders both in the church and politically. But how did Jesus portray being...