In the course of your life, if you've grown up going to church, you've probably heard something like this: "If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it must be a duck.

Therefore, if you act like you're of the world, talk like you're of the world, and look like you're of the world, well, you must me of the world then. I've heard this a lot before, and I've also struggled with this fine line. I consider it a grey area, yet somehow I have a feeling that Jesus didn't consider it grey. In fact, I vaguely remember him saying something like "Don't be of the world" in paraphrase. Did I just make that up? Maybe that was Paul...

Yet, somehow I don't think it's that easy. Here's what I mean: if you don't act normal (of the world) and you chose to shelter yourself from the world, you're probably either a nun, you're amish, or you belong to a cult. If you do act normal (of the world), it is easy to be reprimanded for being "too much of the world"! I think this is the epitome of GREY in Christianity. Why? Because it affects everything we do, and how we live our lives. Were is the line? What is normal and what is worldly? What did the bible mean by "of the world" exactly? Does it mean doing what everyone else does? Wear normal clothes, have a normal job, go on vacation, buy cell phones, shop at Wal-Mart, sleep on king size beds. Or is it talking about all the things we should stay away from? Sex, drugs & rock-n-roll?

If that were the case, then it seems like a lot of "worldly things" are open to debate. For example, secular music, tattoos, piercings, swearing, watching tv shows or movies that aren't edifying, gossip...a few things that a lot of Christians have, do, or approve of, especially the younger generation. But what about the older generation? My parents and grandparents? Most Christians their age don't agree with these things. Their visualization of "of the world" may manifest a young punk rocker with a mohawk, piercings and tattoos, skateboarding down the street smoking a cigarette. I know a LOT of people who'd automatically assume that person was not a Christian. He looks like a duck, so he must be a duck. But why? I think our generation is starting to buck these trends and presumptions. Which means that our generation, when we think of "of the world" we may think of actions that are far worse than our parents and grandparents. Maybe murder, rape, prostitution, arsony, whatever. Am I making sense?

At the same time, would you agree that it is more affective to share the Gospel on a relational level? And would you agree that to have a relationship with an unbeliever you need to be able to relate to them on some level? So how can we relate to unbelievers if we don't live among them and live like them? Of course you know I'm not talking about sinning against God or putting yourself in a very vulnerable situation to make you stumble. Is it wrong for Christians to participate in activities that are grey in the bible, such as the older generation's view of "of the world"? If you think it's wrong, why? Is it social or familial expectations? Or is there really biblical proof against it? Yes, I know the verse about your body being a temple, but what are other reasons those things are bad?

I know that we do not belong to this world- we're just passing through- we're aliens and foreigners- yes, yes I know. But we're HERE! Aren't we? We're here from now until we die. We can't escape this life quite yet, and as unbelievable as Heaven will be, we are here right now. We have to live with what we have.

I just begin to wonder if we Christians should stop getting so caught up on the little things and really start to accept people..the weird ones, the hobos, the prostitutes, the homosexuals, the freaks, the goths. Now hold on, please don't think that I'm saying we should accept their sins and be indifferent towards their disobeying God. Most assuredly that's not what I'm saying. But honestly, when you see somebody like that on the street, is your first thought "HOLY COW that's weird, I feel uncomfortable, I'm going to walk away now!". Or is it not being afraid of their sins and their mistakes and reaching out to people that truly need it. Our creed is that it's not about works, but we're hypocrites when we're obsessed with "looking" like a Christian. Am I wrong? Am I talking like a dirty liberal? I feel like I'm sounding really liberal right now...

I've always heard that we should be different from other people. We should stand out. People should know we are just...different. 'This little light o' mine, I'm gonna let it shine!'...right? But really- how different are we? I mean...sure...in our souls, in our heart of hearts we are very different from unbelievers because we have a hope that they don't have. We have something so great that can never be taken away from us. That's in our hearts and we SHOULD live it out, we should love people and share the Gospel, but should we be so obsessed with acting so different from everyone else? How different should we really be?

These are real questions, not just statements posed as questions. I'd love to know your thoughts.