ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
July 18, 2026
There are idols, such as the those to whom we look up. And then there are idols, like the finite items that are given ultimate value. We have the TV show American Idol, while at the same time, we have created some pretty scary idols in America. I tend to think it is okay to have idols if we are talking about people who inspire us and make us say, “Wow!” While the same word describes things (sometimes people) who are given God-like authority and sway over our lives. Like a lot of things in life, it is all about degrees. Does an idol help you become the best version of yourself, a version that honors God and allows you to grow in your capacity to follow in the ways of Jesus? If the answer is YES, then I don’t think having an idol is necessarily a bad thing. However, if your idol sucks life from you and has you pursuing values that do not honor God and make it very difficult to follow in the ways of Jesus, then the answer is NO. The concern I have is that people give authority to unhealthy idols, yet to help reduce the dissonance that is felt, they modify their image of God and claim to follow Jesus without actually holding on to anything Jesus actually did or taught. They’d rather have their idol. I see this in Christian Nationalism and other sorts of supremacy beliefs. I see this when people’s pursuit of success becomes an obsession that manifests itself in greed and unjust practices. In Exodus 20, right at the beginning of what we refer to as the 10 Commandments, we read: “You shall have no other gods before me.” The Hebrew word translated as ‘before’ could also be translated as over or beside. It is a word that speaks to spatial relationship and order. In this case, we are not to put anything in the same realm as God—before, ahead of, over, or even beside. Yet allowing God to be God, and allowing for the ways of God revealed in Jesus Christ to take precedence in our lives, requires ongoing and intentional self-reflection. It is not a one-and-done kind of thing. Without us noticing, something can so easily sneak into a position where it carries more power and authority. We may pretend otherwise, but when it comes to our daily living, it is what rules us. Remember, Jesus gave us two great commandments – love God and neighbor. But it started with loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Not with half your heart. Or, as Jesus said elsewhere, you can’t serve two masters.
Continue to guide me, Holy God, as I seek to learn of those things seeking to have sway over my life, specifically the things that are not of you and really do not have my best interests in mind. Amen.
