Idolatry in Classic and Contemporary Forms

"Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; they make no sound in their throats. Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them. O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield" (Psalm 115:4-11 NRSV).

"One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like what you worship; what's more, you reflect what you worship not only back to the object itself but also outward to the world around. Those who worship money increasingly define themselves in terms of it and increasingly treat other people as creditors, debtors, partners, or customers rather than as human beings. Those who worship sex define themselves in terms of it (their preferences, their practices, their past histories) and increasingly treat other people as actual or potential sexual objects. Those who worship power define themselves in terms of it and treat other people as either collaborators, competitors, or pawns. These and many other forms of idolatry combine in a thousand ways, all of them damaging to the image-bearing quality of the people concerned and of those whose lives they touch." -- N.T. Wright, Surprised By Hope

When I moved to Brazil several years ago I found myself shocked and repulsed by the routine idolatry around me on a daily basis. From household images of saints, to a church advertising a special festival and Mass to "worship" (not "venerate") St. Francis of Assisi, to a store in the city's only mall that was packed to the rafters with images of saints (among friends I quietly referred to it as the "Casa dos Idolos"/"House of Idols"), Brazil was rife with full-blown idolatry of the classic variety.

We are only fooling ourselves if we try to limit what we define as "idolatry" to that which involves inanimate objects of worship that represent gods, spirits or saints. The reality is that humanity's idols are as diverse as our societies and individuals, and always have been.

Over a decade ago I went to a local, family-owned mechanic shop where I attended college every time my car needed servicing. Behind the cash register there was a trophy case containing the high school football jersey, trophies, awards, photos and newspaper articles of the owner. He had graduated over ten years before, but he was proud of his accomplishments. As I sat in the waiting area several times over a couple of years, I frequently overheard his extended conversations with clients about local, state and national football. Once I listened as he made a long argument over the phone with someone about how "cute" it was that people were getting their kids into soccer, but that it was a useless sport. He derided what he described as a bunch of kids crowding around a ball, saying that they learned nothing and that once they reached high school there would be nothing for them. Better, to him at least, was a more noble sport like football, where boys could work out their energy and learn to be men.

The man I described above was a "good man" by any standards. I suspect from what I was told by others that his was a church-going family, though I never heard him or his wife mention it and there was no overt sign of their faith that I can recall in their place of business. He seemed to define all of life, though, in terms of football. His memories and past successes were enshrined in a place of honor where he worked, his daily conversations revolved heavily around football, and he spoke of his three young boys playing football in the future. He may have been a Christian, but he was not immune to the lure of idolatry.

Idolatry isn't easy to avoid. We all have our hobbies and interests, and there's nothing wrong with that. Some enjoy swimming or hiking and others are fans of a certain TV or movie series. So far that's healthy normal behavior. It seems to cross a line, though, when we make a particular interest, other than God, the focal point of our lives. When we eat, drink, sleep and breathe something other than our Creator, we are practicing idolatry.

Let's make this personal. I love blogging. I enjoy writing down my ideas, developing topics, interacting with readers and commenting on news items and other people's blogs. Blogging is an enjoyable activity for me, but it could become a very real danger to my spiritual life. If I am defining my life and identity in terms of this blog, I've gone too far. A blog can be a useful tool -- among many others -- for evangelism, ministry and just plain keeping in contact with people, but it shouldn't be the source and foundation of my self-identity. I've always believed that there is an element of narcissism involved in even the "best" blogs, and I haven't changed my mind about that at all. I continue to blog with my eyes open and aware that this isn't the sum total of who I am. When I see a T-shirt that says "Nobody Cares About Your Blog" and I cringe, my reaction says says more about me than the shirt does about who's wearing it.

The world around us embraces idols in the place of the living God. From actual figurines or carvings to self-absorbed interests that tend toward obsession, none of it is right for a follower of the risen Christ.

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21 NRSV).