The Problem of Idolatry Today

This week in my one seminary class we talked about idolatry. Within the Bible, especially the Old Testament the issue of Idolatry comes up both frequently and harshly. Yet it is difficult for us to fully understand and apply those texts to our current situation today. For example, the ancient idols which have survived in Israel and later discovered during archaeological digs have not been destroyed but preserved as historical artifacts. But then again its depends upon one’s definition if those ancient idols are still idols or mere artwork. Also at the same time I think when idols are confronted today that people often go after easy soft targets like American Idol and sports to target celebrity worship. Not to say that this has not become a problem to some extent within the American Church just that it does not cut to the heart of the issue. As idols are anything that one places their ultimate hope and trust in other than God, which can get tricky at times as it can be relational. A better idol to target would be national security, in how people place or at least feel that they should be able to place their faith in the government to protect them from terrorists. Yet according to the Bible, national security is a myth if it comes from anywhere other than God - “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep” (Psalms 127:1-2 ESV). I’m not saying that its wrong to protect one’s boarders, just that its interesting that the name national defense has given way to national security. Personally I’d say that defense is more honest as it states that like in sports, it makes its best attempt to keep things out but is realistic in the sense that it realizes that it is not possible to keep everything out. As compared to security which brings up the image of a secure fortress, which is again something that the Bible warns against. Just like what happened to Jerusalem, a mountain fortress city at the time of the Babylonian exile. As Judah wrongly assumed that simply because Jerusalem had not fallen before that they were safe, especially since it contained the temple of Yahweh, so there was no way that Yahweh would let His temple be destroyed by pagans right? Which goes to show that they did not learn from the Ark Narrative of 1 Samuel 4-6, where they took the Ark of the Covenant into battle under the belief that it would make it so they could not lose as God would not allow the Ark of the Covenant to be captured and carried off to a pagan temple as a defeated god, right? Thus showing that God is willing to do whatever it takes to make His people trust in Him alone and not the externals, even if it means trashing His own temple to drive home the point.

the junk of tomorrow

I want to Zerns today (a local farmers market) and spent a few hours walking around looking at what the various stands were selling. Including walking through the flea market section in the side building that I rarely bother visiting. The stands that left the deepest impressions on me were the ones focusing on computers and toys from past decades piled up in heaps that looked more like junk than merchandise at first glance. Boxes of used video game cartridges careless piled on top of each other like the 5 for $1 foreign coin jar at the coin shop. Not to mention heaps of various types of toys especially action figures, many of which I recognized. Some of which I owned and are probably still around in a junk box in the basement, and others that I had wanted years ago but never got. Although now over a decade and the wear and tear there was nothing about them that looked attractive to me. Just like the computer stand which was selling surprisingly still working Commodore 64 computers and 386 computers running Windows 3.0 that I found funny that they were actually bothering to have them out for sale. But then again I’m sure 10 years down the road I might think the same if I saw my current Pentium 4 computer running Windows XP at Zerns. It really got me thinking about how much time and effort we waste on getting and maintaining various material things that in the end although it might take years to see are junk that diverted us from more important things. Although that is not to say that computers are bad even though they become useless with age, just that our computers should never become one of the most important things in our life.

Time and the Sin of Television & Video Games

Time, is there anything more precious to us mortals than time? Yet at the same time I wonder if we all too often make an idol of time in our usage of it. There are many terms that we Christians toss around in regard to time such as daily devotions or quiet times, stewardship of time and the works to their implications. Sure I’m not downplaying the fact that as Christians we are to live for God and put him first and what better sacrifice than our limited time on earth but the real question is how far does it go? Personally having grown up in a nominal Christian family that rarely attended church, putting God first in regards to time is not one of my strong points. Still I often wonder if my guilt over being unable to ever really establish a daily quiet time that doesn’t fall apart within a week or so, is really the root cause or something deeper. Time is so easy to measure how much we spend on one thing or another yet it is possible to get so caught up into putting in your time to God that one runs the danger of missing the point. Not that it doesn’t mean that I just like all of us should probably be taking regularly being in prayer and Scripture more seriously than we do. But if we make it an end to itself, other Christian values such as loving and serving others can soon get lost beneath our Bibles and prayer lists. Still we need to use the limited time that God has given us in a way that honors Him, just like our money, abilities and spiritual gifts.

Often it seems as if television and video games are so often attacked by some Christians as things of the world that should be avoided or at least greatly minimized. While such a blanket assertions are very dangerous to make, yet I am not able to completely dismiss it. Its no secret that lots people think that the quality of the television shows seems to be going downhill, especially in the eyes of Christians. At the same time I am amazed that one can be conditioned to like virtually any television show by simply watching enough shows of it, yet their low quality shows through if you try to return to them years later and find it hard to believe that you actually used to be crazy about that show. For me the number of television shows that I would consider good enough to by on DVD is so small that I could count it one a single hand without using all of my fingers. Personally I’d say that it pretty much boils down to the “sin” of television & video games is not so much what you are doing but what you are not doing, but must be approached as caution as I am by no means saying that they should be off limits to Christians. For example we all know how we can encounter something be it a video game, television show, book or any number of things that can really consumes us and every spare moment of time often at the expensive of other more important things such as time with God and fellowship with others, etc. Looking back with few exceptions, I find it hard to believe that I can not honestly say that I really enjoyed much of the television shows and video games that I spend so much time on, yet the things that looking back I really enjoyed such as C. S. Lewis, nature walks, photography and writing, occupy so little amount of time in comparison.

O Lord, I confess that we have a problem prioritizing our limited resources and our time, squandering and wasting way too much on things that are not important and that ultimately do not bring us enjoyment. Help us better seek after You first in our lives and draw us towards leisure activities that honor You, nourish us and ultimately bring us enjoyment through responsible use of Your wonderful creation. In Jesus’ most holy name we pray, amen.

Tearing Down our Idols

Recently a close friend asked me how to tell if something is an idol in your life and I initially had a bit of fun with it by telling her that if she wasn’t sacrificing animals or infants before it, dancing naked around it in public gatherings or having ritual sex before it chances are its not an idol in the ancient pagan sense. This of course prompted the question of what is an idol in the modern sense and being unable to answer it in general we stated talking about specific situations which I will not go into here for confidentiality reasons. Regardless the whole thing has really gotten me thinking about the timeless nature of idols that still exist in our lives today, as compared to the ancient sense that pretty much seem very silly to us today unless one is perverted enough to try to use religion as an excuse to see naked people and have sex with random people under the guise of worship. But in the more practical sense to the more reasonable person who isn’t on the lunatic fringe what does an idol look like in this day and age? Some Christians will go as far to claim that if you drink coffee or tea everyday that its an idol which you need to repent and completely give up. Now personally as a tea drinker I think that is overreacting a bit, just like how in the past some circles of Puritans went to the extreme of baning every book except the Bible in the name of idolatry. Still it makes me wonder if today our view of idols is so narrow that it is virtually impossible for us to see the idols around us. For example, I’m sure that for many of us would get more upset watching our computer hard drive or ipod getting smashed in a trash compactor as compared to watching our Bible go through a paper shredder or tossed into a bonfire before our eyes. Now does that mean that we should go around smashing every electronic device we can get our hands on in the name of tearing down idols? I don’t think so, but still what if it isn’t the nature of item but how we relate to it that determines whatever or not its an idol. Such as tea, which is merely dried leaves from the Camellia Sinensis or tea plant which was created by God, so tea in of itself can not be good or evil. Just like tea might be viewed as evil when it is consumed by a follower of Taoism, an eastern religion centered around drinking tea and Zen meditation, however Taoism has not corrupted tea to the point that its sinful for a Christian to enjoy it as a gift from God created for our enjoyment just like a sweet watermelon or freshly picked strawberries. In this case, while we might feel compelled to praise God in thanks for the pleasure it brings us no reasonable Christian would seek to worship it in its own right. Still I wonder if there is more to avoiding idolatry than seeking God first and if so what does it look like. Is it idolatry for example to spend 30 minutes a day in private devotions praying and reading the Bible but spend 3 hours a day watching television or playing video games? If so where does it stop because surely no reasonable person except maybe one living in a monastery could every come close to spending more time in devotions as they do sleeping.

O God, help us to better strive after You and Your Kingdom in both deed and inner motivation. Forgive us for putting aspects of Your wonderful creation before You and help us better put things into their proper perspective as parts of the creation designed to bless us and not ensnare us away from you. Help us see what aspects of our lives which have been ensnared by idols and need to be turned back over to You. In Jesus’ name we pray amen.