Counterfeit Gods

I'm currently reading the book, Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller. In it, he reveals the idols we now worship in our modern society; money, sex, and power. He details, how they, and all idols, enslave us, and how blind we are to them. Here is one candid quote about the signs of political idolatry:

"One of the signs that an object is functioning as an idol is that fear becomes one of the chief characteristics of life. When we center our lives on the idol, we become dependent on it. If our counterfeit god is threatened in any way, our response is complete panic. We do not say, "What a shame, how difficult," but rather "This is the end! There's no hope!"

This may be the reason why so many people now respond the U. S. political trends in such an extreme way. When either party wins an election, a certain percentage of the losing side talks openly about leaving the country. They become agitated and fearful for the future. They have put the kind of hope in their political leaders and policies that once was reserved for God and the work of the gospel. When their political leaders are out of power, they experience a death. They believe that if their policies and people are not in power, everything will fall apart. They refuse to admit how much agreement they actually have with the other party and instead focus on the points of disagreement. The points of contention overshadow everything else, and a poisonous environment is created."

This book is fabulous! I highly recommend it!! To order this book click here.