In the Middle Ages, monasteries were built to keep the monks separate from the influence of the world. The theory was that if they did not associate with those who sinned, then they could attain holiness. To a limited degree, this notion is still alive today.
Christian parents often assume that their children will escape the evil of the world by being kept from knowing about certain sins or by attending a Christian school where evil is less common. Without question this has some merit. In the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelites to be physically separate from the Canaanites, lest the nation follow strange gods.
But those who have depended on a Christian environment to produce holiness (and thereby negate the evil influence of the world) have often been rudely awakened by the realization that spirituality is not automatically produced by Christian surroundings any more than motorcycles are transformed into cars by being put into a garage.
Something more fundamental must take place in an individual’s life in order to become holy. A Christian environment should encourage godliness, but it cannot guarantee it.
Br Peppin 11Dec
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