Following the recent shooting of a Christian figure, Charlie Kirk, I have been reflecting on how Christians should engage a hostile world when addressing moral reform. Scripture teaches believers to expect persecution (Matthew 5:10–12), to respond without retaliation (Romans 12:17–21), and to be prepared to give a defense with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:13–17). At the same time, Jesus commanded His disciples to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). How should Christians apply these teachings when engaging society on moral reform in a context of hostility and opposition?

>1 John 2:15 (ESV): "Do not love the world or the things in the world..." Many Christian teachings warn against loving "the world," often interpreted as a system opposed to God. But since the body is part of our earthly existence and shares in physical desires (e.g., lust of the flesh), is the body itself part of what Scripture refers to as "the world"? Or is the body viewed separately from the "world" that believers are warned against befriending? How do different theological traditions (e.g., Augustinian, Reformed, Orthodox, etc.) interpret the role of the body in this context?