Why do so many Christians lock themselves in their holy little houses and avoid the world like a bad disease? They believe that to stay strong in the Lord we must shelter ourselves from the evil around us and run away from anything that might challenge our faith. But I think they have their heads on backwards! The opposite is true -- to strengthen our faith Christians must see evil. If you think you know the truth, then why fear a lie? We must put our beliefs through trial by fire, refining our faith by pitting it against enemy philosophies. If we know Satan's arguments it will be easier to refute them when the time comes. People say that if we fill our heads with lies our faith will wither. But if my convictions are really hammered down in my head they can't be jostled by good-sounding lies. Garbage in, garbage out -- but just because you're exposed to garbage doesn't mean you have to let it in. And even if you try to stay away from all false teachings, sooner or later you will be face to face with someone who disagrees with you -- it's inevitable. At that moment you will have two choices: either cling to your original belief or reject it for a new one. If you know God's opinion on the issue, then clearly you must choose the first option. If you don't know God's truth, then clearly you must seek it out. Either way you will be more certain of the truth than before you encountered the new idea. The refining is done by scripture; the need for refining is found by examining new ideas.
And besides strengthening your faith, exposing yourself to Godlessness widens your witness arena. A doctor cannot heal if he can't diagnose the problem. In the same way, I can't convince my friends that the DaVinci Code is packed with lies if I have never read it. I can witness better to a Muslim if I know the doctrines of Islam. When Christians expose themselves to evil they arm themselves with the weapons to fight it. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden."