Five Examples of Modern Day Idolatry

​The most egregious sin in the Bible is not homosexuality, adultery, greed, or failure to serve on a church committee.  It is idolatry.

We evangelicals like to think that are much more sanctified than the Israelites of old-- who seemed to thrown themselves down before every stone statue that came their way.  
But the truth is: evangelicals are just as idol prone as our forefathers were.  The following are a few prevalent forms of idolatry that may be found in the church today:

1.  Evan-jelly-fish:  A faith that has no spine is no faith at all.  If you're not willing to stand up for biblical doctrine, acknowledge Christ's supremacy, or affirm the authority of His law, then you're bowing to the god of toleration and moderation.  Such a faith has been so overrun by postmodernism that it is Christian in name only.

2.  Christi-tainment:  Neil Postman's classic book "Entertaining Ourselves to Death" continues to be prophetic in our day, especially in our churches. Worship that is driven by fun, amusements, and showmanship plagues the evangelical world.  Choosing a church on the basis of its music or youth group events, rather than its focus on Christ & His word, is much like making an offering on an alter of entertainment.

3.  Superstition:  Symbols have their place.  A cross necklace can be something that proclaims who you are. A sticker on your car can identify where you stand in your beliefs.  But such things can also become objects of worship.  When we impute divine power to them, depend more on a trinket than we do prayer, or trust it as "God's channel of help" we've essentially created a golden calf.

4.  Cult of Personality:  Protestantism has always eschewed popery --kissing rings, thinking he is the head of the church, etc.  Unfortunately, it is still alive an well in Prot circles in the form of celebrity pastors.  While honoring good teachers is good, infatuations can be overboard.  Leader worship breeds discontent with "ordinary," everyday clergy and "groupies" can follow certain charismatic fellows more than they do Christ.
 
5. Biblical Mutts:  Christians must biblical thoroughbreds.  If you mix breeds by mingling beliefs from other faiths or philosophies, you're rejecting the God of Scripture and forming a new religion.  It is idolatrous to claim to be a Christian and believe in abortion, homosexuality, Marxism, Buddhist meditation, alternative means of salvation, etc.  

The Israelites' idolatry was rarely ever a complete rejection of the Lord.  They typically provoked the Lord by their blending their faith with the customs of the surrounding nations.

See more in this week's Hopewell Weekly.