Is the World Getting More Wicked?

Latter-day Saints talk a lot about the wicked world: how it’s getting more wicked, how it’s a sign of the last days, how we’re supposed to be in but not of it, how we should protect our families and fortify our homes against it. But what do we mean when we talk disparagingly about it? What are we gaining collectively from embracing a distrust of, or desire to disengage from, the world? And could there be unintended consequences from consistently highlighting a fearful view?