Current essay by Dr. Tim Keller posted on the “Gospel in Life” web site in December, 2020.

https://quarterly.gospelinlife.com/god-freedom-and-love/

Because Christians disagreed about whether or not to engage in various aspects of daily life with a culture steeped in idolatry, a bitter division existed between Christians in Corinth. Some Christians believed they should withdraw almost completely from society since idolatry was behind nearly every gathering and even the food in the shops. Some Christians wanted to withdraw deeply into the church to form their own alternate social world, while others thought that there was no real problem with participating in society (with the obligatory idol-feasts) as long as you didn’t worship them in your hearts. Today, many Christian believers—who often share virtually identical doctrinal beliefs—are just as divided over how to relate to our increasingly pagan culture even though the issues are often presented as political.