Author TIMOTHY KELLER
Publisher HODDER AND STOUGHTON
ISBN 0-340-99507-5
Two thousand years ago the developed nations of the world worshipped idols of wood and stone, these were their gods; nowadays is it any different? It is true that in developed nations of today the idols are not fashioned in the same way but they are equally present and worshipped dedicatedly.
This excellent book by a pastor from New York who is also an expert writer explores and exposes the awful presence of counterfeit gods in the society of today and in the hearts of Christians in the churches too. “When the empty promises of love, money and power let you down” is the book’s subtitle and expresses something of the way Keller shows from scriptural examples just how these gods gripped the hearts of even prominent persons in the Bible narrative and the way God brought them to the discovery that to trust in idols was false and could not deliver the goods and failed in the end.
There is a powerful challenge to be found in these pages, Keller writes in a readable style, each chapter develops a specific theme, romantic love, the promise of money, the seduction of success and the quest for power and glory being covered along with a chapter on the deep idols of the heart. We cannot avoid the logic of that lays bare the false hope in other gods that all of us have indulged. He shows how we are persistently tempted to fall to the sin of idolatry though its form will vary from person to person, these gods will never be able to deliver the lasting fulfillment and the only the stripping away of those things and the discovery of Christ Himself as the One True God in our lives will loose us from their power. There are plenty of insights throughout these chapters. They help us to discern our idols and those at work in our culture. We need discernment more than ever in these days when some of the idols are crashing down around us, such as the global economy teetering on the edge of collapse and love that is all romance without reality is proving to be an illusion to many.
There is plenty of scripture here, plenty of quotations from other authors with advice as to further reading also. So this is a thought-provoking book that is thoroughly up to date, relevant and specific to our day yet thoroughly Biblical too and that deals with the most fundamental matter of our lives, namely, who (Who) and what (What) do we worship. A serious read is sure to be a searching and illuminating experience; probably you will want to read it through again.
