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More Idol Chatter

Romans 1:28-32: And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,  slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,  without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

These are the culminating words of the first chapter of Romans. In them, Paul shares with us the impact that idolatry has on the heart and soul of a person. He also lays out for us the outcomes of the sphere of the flesh that seeks to conform us.

Previously I suggested the following ways to determine an idol: “There are a few simple ways. One it is where we invest our time, energy, and talents. Two is where we spend our money. Three is the outcome that the idol produces.” With this in mind I am going to point to another of the great idols of American culture: SPORTS!

American culture is positively obsessed with sports, football, in particular. I am as guilty as anyone and often have to check in on myself with the Holy Spirit. Every Saturday of the College Football season I wear something with the Texas A&M logo on it and I pay close attention to the outcomes of those games. This year I had the opportunity to attend the first game between TAMU (my alma mater) and The University of Texas in over a decade. This was a huge deal in my home state. Such a big deal that I seriously considered whether I might quit my job if my boss had not approved my request for the day off!

Sports has not always been an idol in America. All of our professional sports leagues were once smaller and college sports more regional and of interest primarily to alumni. But idolatry corrupts slowly. The historian in me would say that what changed was the rise of television and income inequality. Television provided more exposure and profits through licensing agreements and media rights. As income inequality rose, the promise of wealth and scholarships through sports led thousands of parents to invest more time and money into helping their children develop into top-tier athletes.

Not all of this is a bad thing. Children being involved in youth sports teaches many good life lessons if done right. It also keeps them from mischief and danger. I know many parents that choose to program every moment of the day for their children to avoid the child ever being in danger or left with idle time for drugs and sex. There are many wonderful stories of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who have achieved many great things through sports. Idols in modern culture can be quite tricky to recognize because they are not typically giant statues made from ivory and wood that people are worshipping.

Make no mistake, sports can become an idol. In my first pastorate, I had a conversation with a dad of three children. At the time, they would miss worship fairly regularly because they were in a travel baseball league for their son. They attended tournaments all over Texas and neighboring states. This was true for a lot of parents. The Dad asked me if I thought it was wrong that they were not in worship as often. As a pastor you learn that people often ask you questions about things they already feel guilty about in hopes that you will exonerate them. I said it was really about choices. I also asked if they ever attended worship in the town that the tournament was held in. He said they did not and asked me what I meant about choices. I said as parents where we put the emphasis and the energy communicates to our children what is valued and important. Whatever we choose it will be shaping ourselves and our children for good and for ill. Sports being emphasized will hopefully develop the tenets of sportsmanship, tenacity, and teamwork. What it will not do is teach them about a Creator for whom they should be grateful toward nor a savior that loves them. Choices.

Soccer was the first youth sport in America that invaded Sunday mornings for practices. This was a pragmatic decision because that was the day that practice fields were available to them. The parents and youth involved though were the ones who had to decide if Sunday morning worship was more important or not. When the NFL first began televising games the noon kick-off was deliberately scheduled to allow for those on the east coast to attend church before the game. Sixty years later the NFL broadcasts 3 games a year on Sunday mornings because they are played in Europe. Again, the airtime is pragmatic in nature for that is the time, in the USA, that the game is being played at the “normal time” in Europe. The decision as to skipping church to watch football is not pragmatic at all. It is a matter of devotion and allegiance.

If how we use our time is a measure of a potential idol, then sports certainly qualifies. In 2017, there were 134000 hours devoted to broadcasting sports in the USA. The equivalent of 15.29 years!

70% of that time was devoted to NFL broadcasts. Full Disclosure there is an NFL game on my television as I type this. This is not to say that we shouldn’t watch sports, rather as Christians we should be mindful of the time we spent on watching sports versus the time we spend worshipping God, loving our neighbors, and devoting ourselves to prayer, etc.

Money spent is another measure. No matter how we look at it the money is huge. This week a professional baseball player signed the largest sports contract in history at $765 million over fifteen years. Pundits predict that the player, Soto, will be solely a designated hitter for the last 10 years of his 15-year agreement meaning he will be paid tens of millions to do nothing except hit a little white ball. Professional sports in the USA resulted in $14.3 billion dollars in salaries for all involved in 2023. Global professional sports revenue in 2028 is estimated to be $680 billion. New NFL stadiums are billion-dollar buildings. The most recently constructed one is SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. It is the 4th most expensive building ever constructed. The list of the 30 most expensive buildings in the world is dominated by casinos, which brings us to gambling.

Professional sports leagues in the United States have all partnered in the past few years with sports betting. Broadcasts include tips on bets to make. Young people in the United States are learning about betting lines, over /under, and parlays. Gambling, when it becomes an addictive vice, is particularly pernicious. It is one of the few vices that can literally take everything a person has in a single day and now all of our professional sports outlets (not to mention their media partners) not only support gambling but actively encourage it.

While gambling is not specifically listed in Paul’s list of the vices that idolatry promotes (I have no idea if there was a Latin word for bookie in Ancient Rome) it certainly can be a vehicle for wickedness, greed, malice, and inventing evil.

Paul culminates that list with the damning phrase “not only do they do these things they give hearty approval to those who do.” Along with sports-betting, here is where we see examples of the outcomes the idol produces. In my lifetime the greatest NFL QB of all time is known to have cheated at the sport. We learned that one of the great College Football coaches of all time knowingly kept an assistant in his employ for years who molested young men. In both instances winning was more important than integrity. There are many other examples of wickedness across sports from gymnastics to basketball to soccer. When sport becomes an idol, it makes winning a virtue rather than an outcome.

What are we to do with all of this? Sports, like politics in the previous post about idols. can be a good thing. There are many virtues to sports and they play an important role in our lives. Politics, particularly, in democratic and republican (or democratic republics like the USA) forms of government provide a good means of distributing power and providing for the general welfare of their citizens. At the same time, politics and sports can become idolatrous and prevent the development of the fruit of the Spirit in the Christian. They can disfigure the individual Christian and produce in us attitudes and allegiances that run counter to our calling as Christ followers.

In modern culture, idols are not often foreign gods but forces in our cultures and societies that can corrupt believers. This is not really different from the idols we see in the Biblical times. The foreign gods that first the Israelites and early Christians faced were not actual gods rather they were representations of cultural forces that threaten fealty to the one true God. They demanded acquiescence to cultural norms that encouraged behavior inconsistent with the call to love YHWH with all your heart, soul, and strength; and, to love your neighbor as yourself. We have seen how sports can distract the believer from time spent in worship. Sports can also encourage an attitude that winning is the only thing that matters even to the point of accepting and encouraging the odious behavior of those who are the best at the sport. Sports increasingly encourages the vice of gambling as well with all of its potential destructive force on individuals and families.

The message of Romans is that there are forces at work in the world (the sphere of the flesh) that seek to conform us to their version of reality. These forces seek to train our souls to accept the supposed virtues of the world and divert us from depending on the Creator. Conversely, those who are alive in Christ are to be shaped by the ever-transformative work of the Spirit and the rule of Christ in our hearts (the sphere of the spirit). Therefore, it is incumbent on the Christian to constantly be checking on our beliefs and how we got them. We must ensure that we are spending adequate time to allow the practice of the faith to shape and mold us. We do this through the rhythms of prayer, worship, and scripture study. We do this through the willful and counter cultural striving to love our neighbor. We are to practice forgiveness and mercy. We are to care for the poor and the stranger in our midst. Later in Romans, we will look at the practical aspects of this Spirit life. The first step though is for us to be honest about the idolatrous forces at work in our world and through prayer discerning the hold they may have on our hearts and minds.

Blessings to you in your journey. Vaya con Dios!

As always, the above is freely given, and all are welcome to use it. If you do it would be nice if you mentioned where you got it. Finally, if you know someone who might benefit from reading these posts please share the URL or email with them.

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Idol Chatter

Read Romans 1:18-25

Trigger Warning: The next several posts may contain ideas that will offend some readers.

In the last post, we looked at the wrath of God and the call, since the beginning of creation, for us to honor God and give him thanks. Living this life of gratitude towards God is one part of how we can live out the calling to become “living and holy sacrifices acceptable to God” (Romans 12); and this life of grateful praise is also part of becoming transformed by the Spirit Sphere in our lives and not being conformed by the Flesh Sphere. (a description of the two spheres may be found in this post)

“Professing to be wise, they become fools and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” The Roman world when Paul is writing this letter was a land overflowing with idols. Cities had temples to various Gods. Homes had idols for household gods. The Imperial government itself was beginning to take on cult-like status elevating Augustus Caesar to a posthumous divinity. Good Roman citizens were expected to pay homage to these gods to maintain the peace and stability of society.

The Old Testament is replete with idolatry. We read of the “pillars in high places” that were idols of gods foreign to Israel. The Israelites fashion a golden calf when they get tired of waiting on Moses’ return. Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal. All this in a land that was instructed (commanded even!) that “I am YHWH your God… you shall have no other god before Me. you shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness… you shall not worship them or serve them…” (Deut 5)

Many people think that idolatry is a thing of the past. They are wrong. John Calvin called people “idol making factories”. He was spot on because, then and now, we are really good at constructing things to place our faith and trust in. Paul is very clear that we are to have our faith in and our obedience directed towards Christ. So, any of these other things that we place our hope and trust in are idols.

I live in the United States. The Fall in my country is the time of year when our modern idols are on full display. Not only is it football season, but it is also election season, and thanks to Black Friday it is shopping season. I started this post with a trigger warning because when you begin calling out the idols some people will become offended.

How do you determine an idol? There are a few simple ways. One it is where we invest our time, energy, and talents. Two is where we spend our money. Three is the outcome that the idol produces. Allow me to clarify. Psalm 1 instructs us that the blessed person loves the word of God and meditates on it day and night. It follows that those things that we spend more time on than God’s word are potential idols. In Luke 16, we are told that the pharisees were great lovers of money and that we cannot serve both God and mammon because people cannot serve two masters. We will always ultimately love and serve one master more than the other. So, where we spend our money can reveal a potential idol. Finally, the word of God is truth, and its outcome is love (agape) and the promotion of unity; therefore, idols promote the opposite of these: animosity and division.

Understand that idolatry is like gambling in that it what may be a problem for one person is not a problem for another. That being said, there are Idolatrous forces at work in the world that constitute the sphere of the flesh that seeks to separate people from their calling to know God and praise him. Over the next several posts we will break down the principal idols at work in my culture (Western Civilization /USA). I can only speak of my context; your results may vary. We begin with one of the most powerful and pervasive modern idols: politics. I invite you to read the rest of Romans 1.

Romans 1:18-32

The impact of an idol, according to Paul, is that the idol worshipper devolves into foolishness (v24). Fool is a technical term in the scriptures for it is the fool who has said in their heart that there is no God. The appeal of the idol is twofold. Idols are simultaneously a god that we have constructed in our own image and a god that we can control. But bowing down to the idol eventually leads to becoming a fool. Once someone enters into this foolishness, God decides to give them over to their own desires and unwise thoughts (v28-31).

Paul’s list of vices and sins in the last verses of Romans 1 provides us with a convenient guide to determining idolatry. If idol worship produces that fruit in the fool; then it follows that we can identify potential idols by how many of these vices the idol promotes.

Allow me a quick clarification. Politics in the sense I am referring is not the same as government. Government is the necessary ordering of people to allow for their peace, safety, and prosperity. Government is evident in the Bible and later in Romans we will learn that Christians are called to be good citizens in the communities that they inhabit. By contrast politics is the effort to wield the power of government and to influence the policy directives thereof.

I suggest to you that politics is the principal idol of America today. Americans increasingly look to government to solve all manner of problems large and small. Americans seek laws to legitimize behaviors and belief systems. Americans also are fond of labelling certain groups victims who deserve more of the attention and resources of government. Finally, any casual observer of the American political spectrum will recognize that much of it revolves around who will be allowed to wield the extensive power of the government; because, on every level (local, state, and federal) the right to wield such authority provides both the allure of making over society in one’s own image and to benefit financially as a result. Some of you will think that is all very true, but does that make it an idol?

Let’s look first at some of the criteria I listed above in determining idols. A quick google search reveals the following: Money? Experts estimate as a nation we will spend around $2 billion dollars on relief for Hurricane Helene. By contrast the total amount spend on the 2024 election will be $16 Billion. Time? CBS dedicated around 23 hours to coverage of Hurricane Helene; no doubt they surpassed that amount in election coverage on the day before, during, and after the recent election without considering all the hours spent on the campaign trail over the past 18 months. In terms of time there are now at least 5 television channels devoted to around the clock news reporting the vast majority of which is centered on politics. This tally doesn’t include the channels totally devoted to business news which also invariably covers a great deal of politics. There are also a multitude of national and local radio stations whose format is strictly devoted to politics. Americans spend a tremendous amount of time following and arguing politics on the airwaves. Finally, given the vitriolic responses recorded on Instagram, Tik Tok, and X (formerly known as Twitter) there is little doubt that the outcome of our political life is division rather than unity. If a space alien were to eavesdrop on us during an election year, they could not be faulted for thinking that we were dealing with life-or-death decisions constantly.

I could cite a myriad of examples of headlines that demonstrate the above but that would risk this post becoming pedantic. I want to be clear that none of this is to say that Christians shouldn’t be involved in politics. All I am suggesting is that all Christians should compare their commitment to politics to their commitment to scripture, prayer, and Christ. Again, I can only speak of the context in the USA. There are too many of us Americans who identify quickly as democrats or republicans rather than as Christians. We need to be involved but we would do well to remember these words of Jesus, “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God” (Luke 20).

Finally, let’s look at the list of vices that God’s word says idolatry renders and ask ourselves if an over emphasis on politics doesn’t produce wickedness, strife, deceit, and lack of mercy (Romans 1:29-31). If we are honest politics far too often results in people not only doing the same; “but also giving hearty approval to those who practice them” (Romans 1:32).

The good news is that Christ’s sacrifice covers a multitude of sins. We are always able to break the hold of an idol through repentance and seeking God while he may be found. All who have placed their faith and trust in Christ are under the influence of the Spirit. We are to practice the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) and utilize the full armor of God in our political life as we do in our personal lives remembering Paul’s admonition that our struggle is not against flesh and blood.

Politics has a way of infiltrating every aspect of our lives and causing us to filter everything through the worldview of the political ideology (or party platforms) with which we are aligned. I began pondering these things while I was in seminary. I had been very invested in the politics of America most of my life. While in seminary the 2004 presidential election happened. The responses that I saw and some of what I felt myself caused me to question the issues of allegiance to Christ and political allegiance. I began to think that if Jesus cared at all about politics that his own views would never reflect one party platform over another. It was much more likely that his thoughts on the matter would be a blend of positions from across the spectrum. Out of this, for a time, I led talks about how Christians should engage in political discourse.

Around 2008, some minister friends of mine and I gathered for a continuing education event. We spent the evening with a good meal and some drinks. My friend Paul, who often saw things the opposite of me, and I began to argue strongly about the virtues of universal health care. We both had had a little too much to drink and the argument turned ugly. Some mean things were said to one another. Our evening ended with anger and animosity. Our friendship took a body blow that evening.

The next day, I approached my friend with a penitent spirit and a desire for reconciliation. To Paul’s credit he was willing to accept my apologies and be merciful towards me. Eventually, we added a maxim to the rules I was developing for Christian political dialogue: “never get liquored up and talk politics!” We still speak weekly, and we still discuss the important matters of the day. We have been friends now for 20 years, but we almost ended that friendship 16 years too soon. That would have been a tragedy. I credit Christ with seeing us through that time and growing our friendship ever sense.

Regardless of where you live (there are some international readers of Hypocritical Christian!) I encourage you to take a moment to assess how often politics consumes your thoughts. Are you spending more time in conversations about the latest outcomes than you do asking your neighbor about their lives? Do you find yourself anxious and worried about the outcome of elections and judiciary decisions? Do you find it hard to love the neighbor who disagrees with you politically? Have you allowed your political leanings to give you the permission to lose friendships and family members?

Politics tries to draw your thoughts and energies to it. The more time you give to it the less time you give to both love of God and love of neighbor. If you found yourself on the wrong side of the questions above, I encourage you to spend some time in prayer and scripture. Jesus is waiting especially if you are weary or heavy laden. He will give you rest. He will forgive.

Peace to you and blessings on your journey. Vaya con Dios!

As always, the above is freely given, and all are welcome to use it. If you do it would be nice if you mentioned where you got it. Finally, if you know someone who might benefit from reading these posts please share the URL or email with them.

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Wrath of God vs Thankfulness

Read Romans 1:18-25

I am so glad that you chose to open this post because there are two very important things that we are going to learn together about living a transformed life empowered by the Holy Spirit. First, a common misconception about God will be dispelled. Second, we will learn step one in relating to God.

If this is your first time to the Hypocritical Christian, then “Welcome!” We are currently on a journey through Paul’s letter to the Romans. If you wish to start at the beginning, you can do so by going to this post. Our goal is to unpack what Paul meant when he wrote that we are rather to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

If you are a regular reader of the Hypocritical Christian, then “Thank you!” Please consider subscribing to the email list if you haven’t already. Back to Romans 1:18-25

When you hear the phrase “wrath of God,” what comes to mind? The aftermath of Hurricane Helene whose rains brought devastation to the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina recently? Do you picture the End of Days with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse riding roughshod on the world? Many of you will think of something like this classic comic from 40 years ago:

The strip is funny because it speaks to a misconception about God that is prevalent even among believers. The stereotype of God is that he is waiting to lash out against us, if not capriciously, after a multitude of offenses pile up. This is not the God that is presented in scripture. Now some of you will argue with that and say the God we see in the Old Testament is wrathful and hateful. The same people will suggest that Jesus is a different God who is full of mercy, love, and acceptance. Those who say these things haven’t read the scriptures closely, if at all. They also have a very shallow understanding of grace and mercy often equating acceptance and acquiescence with forgiveness.

We have seen that Jesus himself instructs us to be merciful like the Father is merciful. The Old Testament does teach that God has standards and expectations of those who choose to be in relationship with him, but he is not perpetually vacillating between the choice of smiting and pardoning. This is a caricature at best that leads us nowhere closer to understanding the nature of God. I could go through countless Old Testament examples but suffice to share three scriptures that directly contradict the misconception.

“Seek the LORD while he may be found.” (Isaiah 55:6)

“Because of God’s great mercy we are not consumed.” (Lamentations 3:22)

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Jesus spoke on the nature of natural disaster and accidents when he chastised the crowd, “Do you think that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse offenders than all the other people who live in Jerusalem?” (Luke 13:4). These things happen and the takeaway according to Jesus is that it should be a wake-up call for all that life is short, so best to get right with God without further delay.

Some of you will say, well Michael, that’s all well and good about the cartoon and natural disasters but the Four Horsemen IS biblical. That it is, but there is a difference between God’s judgment and God’s wrath. The scriptures are clear that there will come a Day of the Lord when the divine patience will have become fulfilled, and the final judgment is to occur. This is when sin and death will be no more and all will have to face the judgment of God, the second death. To this we should again take Jesus words to heart, for after having compared the End of Days coming like a thief in the night, he urges us: “you too, be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).

The wrath of God is something altogether different according to Paul. If a person chooses to ignore the truth about God (or, chooses to reject the role of creation to the creator) then God will grant them their wishes. He will withdraw leaving them to their own devices and foolish thinking. “Therefore, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever. Amen” (Rom 1:25).

What are we to do then? How do we assure that we do not become abandoned by God and left to our own clouded thinking? Like so much of scripture, the answer is both simple and difficult. Nestled amidst these verses is the simplest and first step in a relationship with the LORD. “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks“

When my children were young, I often said to them “dogs got to bark, birds got to fly, and fish got to swim. You need to learn what you got to do.” Now chances are good that it went in one ear and out the other. And at different times in a person’s life, one may think of it as a call to consider the right path forward or to learn their natural vocation. These are important things, but the saying is really about the natural purpose of a person. A dog cannot help but bark. Almost all birds are meant to fly. Every fish swims. People are also part of the created order. We have something intrinsic to our being that we are meant to do. That something is to acknowledge God as Creator and to give thanks. It is useful here to be reminded of Psalm 100:

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

THIS is our first purpose, our prime directive. We are to know God as God and give thanks. The cats that wrote the Westminster Catechism put it this way in the very first question / answer combo saying that the chief end of humanity is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”. Wise counsel that.

The photo above was taken by my son on a recent trip into the American West. As Paul writes that “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that (we) are without excuse” (Rom 1:20).

The truth of God is all around you. Understanding who Jesus is, what salvation and redemption means, and all that the New Testament shares is best understood from this starting point. We have to acknowledge that there is a God, that we are a part of his creation, and that He is worthy of our praise and thanks. Jesus once spoke of a wide way and a narrow way. One is easy but leads to destruction. The other is narrow but leads to life. The easy one is conformity to a world whose base assertion is that there is no God or if there is it doesn’t matter. That path leads to idolatry. The narrow one starts with acknowledgment that we are not God, that we are his creation, and that our proper stance is thankfulness and praise. This path leads to transformation and life.

Next month is November. In the United States it is a month that includes the national holiday of Thanksgiving. In recent years, that holiday has been overshadowed both by Halloween and Christmas (and of course shopping!), a sign of idolatry at work. Why not take the opportunity to turn November into a month where you are intentionally thankful to God every day? Psychologists say that it takes 30 days to cultivate a habit. How providential it is that November as 30 days! I encourage you to start each morning in November with thankfulness expressed to God. You can start with being thankful for another day in this life. Soon you will find yourself thankful for so much more! Make this November your season of gratitude and see what our Lord teaches you.

Peace to you on your own journey; Vaya con Dios!

In the next several posts we will take a look at the principal idols of our day that seek to conform us, but that is for next time. Thank you for reading. If this post blessed you, please share it with someone else. As always it is freely given. You are welcome to use it although it would be nice if you credited where it came from.

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