Get a Free Copy of Worldliness by C.J. Mahaney

Posted on February 23, 2010

Worldliness by C.J. MahaneyThanks to Crossway Books, I’m giving away 5 copies of Worldliness over the next two weeks.  Keep reading for details on how you can get a copy.

Worldliness by C.J. Mahaney is a book written to challenge Christians with the words of Jesus in John 2:15 – “Do not love the world or anything in the world.”  Mahaney defines worldliness as “to gratify and exalt oneself to the exclusion of God.”  And the book delves into how that verse applies in 21st century American life.

Specifically, Worldliness focuses on four areas where American Christians

  • Media consumption
  • Music
  • Consumerism
  • Modesty

It then wraps up with a chapter about how Christians should love the world.

Mahaney goes to great lengths to make it clear that he is not promoting legalistic guidelines nor is he advocating Christians separate, hate, or hide from 21st century American culture, though I’m sure many will accuse him of those things anyway.

Instead, Worldliness challenges Christians who genuinely want to follow Jesus by asking soul-searching questions and providing practical suggestions for how to live lives that more resemble that of Jesus than the world today.

Favorite quotes from the book:


  • If we are honest, we too may have to admit that we have a Bible of our own making – a metaphorical one, perhaps, but a cut-and-paste job just the same. (p15)
  • Today, the greatest challenge facing American evangelism is not persecution from the world, but seduction by the world. (p22)
  • Do you relate to God as if he exists to further your selfish ambitions or are you convinced that you exist to glorify him? (p28)
  • The evil in our desires often lies not in what we want, but in the fact that we want it too much.- David Powlison (p30)
  • What should consume our thoughts and affections is not resisting worldliness but the glory and grace of God revealed at the cross. (p35)

There are lots of other good quotes from later in the book which I’ll include later in this 5 part series of posts.

Personal Thoughts

Surveys show that the lives of Americans who claim to be Christians are not noticeably different from those say they are not Christians.  American Christians are just as likely to divorce, lie, get even with someone, and help the poor as someone who is not a Christian.  Additionally, the spending habits, media consumption, and time-usage of American Christians are not noticeably different from general population either.

If you are a Christian, let me ask you one of the question C.J. Mahaney asks in this book: is your lifestyle obviously different from that of your non-Christian friends, neighbors, and co-workers?

It’s a question I just can’t get past.

In some ways I know my life is different.  But many times as I go through my week it seems just like any other American’s week… 5 days a week getting up at the crack of dawn, working my butt off all day at week to meet goals and expectations, come home, eat, help the kids with their homework, ball games, and extra curricular activities, then watch some TV before bed.  I get more and more tired as the week goes on, and then on the weekends I just want to have rest or have fun until it’s time to do it all over again.

Forward or upward?

The thing is that most of the things of this world that we fall in love with are not necessarily bad.  There’s nothing wrong with watching TV, buying stuff, working hard to be successful, or being admired by our friends.  Those things aren’t inherently bad like murder or stealing.  The problem is when worldly things begin to crowd out the godly things in our hearts and our lives.

As Christians, our goals should be higher than pursuing our own success or pleasure while “not doing anything wrong.” Our goals should be to follow Jesus and live a life that exemplifies His love towards others.

Let’s say you’re in Nashville, TN and you want to get to Chicago.  There’s nothing wrong with driving due east to Knoxville.  You’d still be about the same 8-hour drive away from Chicago.  But in the process you would have wasted 3 hours and about $20 of gas, and you’d be that much more tired than when you started.

That is how many of us live their lives, putting most of our time, energy, and resources into pursuits that aren’t evil but don’t take us any closer to the goal.

Mahaney challenges us with this question:

What are your goals? Do the drive you forward – to financial security, more friends, successful kids, a certain position at work, learning a craft or trade? Or do they drive you upward- to obeying and glorifying God above all else?

upward or forwardUpward or forward?

Maybe you give some money to church and help others, and you volunteer here and there.  On the diagram above you’re not going straight horizontal towards worldliness but perhaps a 10-degree north of that.  Are you content with putting 10% of your time, energy, and resources towards the goal while squandering 90% on worldliness?

Worldliness is not about legalistic rules or trying to shut yourself out from the world.  If you genuinely love God and want to honor Him with a life that is noticeably different the world, this book can challenge you and help you do that.

Get a free copy

If you’d like a free copy of Worldliness, all you have to do is

  1. Retweet this post or share it on Facebook.
  2. Post a comment about worldliness or your own struggles with worldliness.

One person will be randomly selected to receive a free copy of Worldliness.  If you don’t win today, don’t worry.  I’ll be doing 4 more posts on topics addressed in the book – media & music, consumerism, modesty, and how to love the world – and giving away a copy of the book with each post.

18 thoughts on “Get a Free Copy of Worldliness by C.J. Mahaney”

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  2. Paul, WOW…this book looks sounds fantastic! Thanks for the preview!

    The concept of wordliness, and our struggle to be “in the world but not of the world” is a constant battle I think we all face as Christians. The four focus areas you mention are key, and what we do and think relative to these areas of our lives play a major role in how “worldly” our lives become. For me it really is ultimately about seeking the kingdom first, above all else!

    Thanks again for sharing…looking forward to reading the book!

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  6. The most difficult aspect of worldliness is determining how to maintain the divine tension between being in the world but not of the world. Yet, there is also the mandate to be Jesus in the culture, allowing our withness in the culture to be the aroma of Christ to those who are perishing. C. J. Mahaney’s “Humility” is a must read, so I look forward to digesting this book as well.

  8. Matthew – So true. Anything can become an idol, even “good” things like work, family, or writing a blog about matters of faith. I find it very challenging at times to keep Christ #1 and those things secondary.

    Jeremy – Great point. It’s tough isn’t it? To be able to influence the world, we have get close enough to be at risk of being influenced by the world.

  10. Psalm 19:12-13 came up in a conversation between a friend and myself. We looked at it in light of 1 John 1, asking, “How do we know if we are walking in the light?” We agreed that there is a difference between the believer and the unbeliever in that the unbeliever knows nothing of what David calls “presumptuous sins.” These we defined as those sins which we know to be sins, either through the Word or through a conscience strengthened and guided by the Holy Spirit. The unbeliever cannot commit presumptuous sins, because they are not drawn to scripture as a guide nor are they guided by the Spirit. It seems then that worldliness, or not walking in the light, is a life or an aspect of life in which we continue to commit presumptuous sins. 1 John 2 gives the remedy to this- to walk as Jesus walked.

  12. A comment on worldliness:

    I cannot but look upon all the glory and dignity of this world, lands and lordships, crowns and kingdoms, even as on some brain-sick, beggarly fellow, that borrows fine clothes, and plays, the part of a king or lord for an hour on a stage, and then comes down, and the sport is ended, and they are beggars again.
    –Richard Baxter

  13. My brother read this book with his men’s group and it had quite an impact on him. It is on my “to read” list. The extent to which we all struggle with this depends upon how much time we are willing to contemplate our struggle; the more we reflect, the more extensive the problem is realized.

  14. Melissa – Tomorrow’s post will be about media and it would be great to discuss social media as a part of that. Hope you’ll be back to contribute your perspective.

    Josh and Jeff – You guys are blowing my mind.

    Ryan – Several other people have told Worldliness had a great impact on them too. It definitely challenged me. I have some more thinking to do on some issues and I hope the conversations here help bring some added insight and clarity.

  15. This looks like a great book! I struggle with worldliness everytime I spend a large amount of money on something I KNOW is not a necessity, but more of a want. I’m 33 years old and NEVER had a new tv in my life. With my tax refund I bought one ($350). All I could think about was how that same money could have fed a child at SOHK. It’s a struggle once you are aware of worldliness because you KNOW that you KNOW how far that same $1 could go in another country. Can’t wait to read this one!

  16. Karen, I know what you’re saying and I struggle with that too after going to Kenya last year. Every time I take my wife and 3 kids out to dinner, even if we’re frugal ordering inexpensive meals and drinking water we’re going to drop around $30. And I can’t help but think that could feed a person for a month in Kenya. I don’t think Worldliness addresses that specifically, but when I post about consumerism on Thursday I’ll be happy to go down that bunny trail with you (and hopefully others) if you like.

  17. Congrats to Lee Buford who won the first copy of Worldliness, and thanks to everyone who made this the most shared and commented on post Live Intentionally has had to date.

    The next post in the series is up with another chance to win a copy of Worldliness.

    Worldliness: Where is Your Media & Music Taking You?
    http://www.liveintentionally.org/2010/02/24/worldliness-where-is-your-media-music-taking-you/

    I’ve added a Facebook Share button. I’ve also enabled threaded commenting, so you can reply directly to a previous comment. Should make for a great conversation, so I hope you’ll all join in.

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