Even today, there are some who hold to a “lifeboat theology,” seeing the world as a sinking ship on its way to judgment and hell; in this view, the goal of the Christian is to rescue as many as possible on the lifeboat of salvation.1 There are also some who see their faith merely as a coping strategy for dealing with the complexities and difficulties of life.2 As a rule, though, indifference toward the world is quite rare in the history of God’s people. The passion to engage the world, to shape it and finally change it for the better, would seem to be an enduring mark of Christians on the
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