The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

Past Diary Jan 25 1974

So it was on this day back in 1974 that I made one more effort to write a diary and kept it up for another 10 days or so. I think that intensity is probably unsustainable. I found it so anyway. So we begin that Friday with a lot of complaints about "silliness and idleness" (I could rarely resist the temptation to muck about in school or to be lazy at home) and being "unprayerful" and "routine" in Bible study (that's changed?). The Bible reading that day was Matthew 20:20-29 Zebedee's mother asking for her sons to sit either side of Jesus in his kingdom (I think I used to just read the next bit - never too long - not follow a scheme). Instead of my usual waffle by way of comment I have the frank "I cannot understand this Scripture". Despite that breath of fresh air I soon get back to waflle and prove my earlier comment was true. My statement "the chiefest amongst us will not only be a minister but a servant also" makes no sense at all. The day in school was not great but in the evening we were shown a film abut the early life of Wesley (the 1954 J Arthur Rank one I guess). That probably prompted the diary writing and a confession at the end of the entry - "I lie, cheat, deceive, steal, mock laze and go against God's will" which sounds bad but I'm sure I was only telling half the story.

No comments: