I
came across these “signs of political idolatry” the other day as I was working
my way through Timothy Keller’s excellent book “Counterfeit Gods.” Considering the current political climate,
especially amongst Christians, these couldn’t be more relevant (On a side note
I dealt with this topic from a different angle during the last presidential
election in my post “Politics and Idolatry”).
Before looking at these signs it worth noting that our working definition of idolatry is best defined by Martin Luther in his Small Catechism. He writes:
"A god means that from
which we are to expect all good and to which we are to take refuge in all
distress, so that to have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe him
from the whole heart… That now, I say, upon which you set your
heart and put your trust is properly your god."
So without further ado, here are Keller’s “signs of
political idolatry.”
“One of the Signs
that an object is functioning as an idol is that fear becomes one of the chief
characters of life.[i]”
What
Keller means is that when we center our lives around a political idol, we
become dependent on it. Thus, if our counterfeit
god is threatened in any way, our response is always one of fear. Keller observes, “This may be the reason why
so many people now respond to U.S. political trends in such an extreme way.[ii]” As an example Keller points to the reality
that when a party loses an election a certain percentage talks openly about
leaving the country. From my own
observations I can’t believe the amount of negative Facebook trends concerning
both candidates. This is especially
disturbing amongst Christians who profess an allegiance to the Kingdom of
God. They don’t just disagree with the
other candidate’s views, they demonize him.
Another place to observe this phenomenon is to simply change the channel
to Fox News or MSNBC. You only have to
watch both networks for a matter of minutes, usually less than that, before you
come across political idolatry.
Keller believes this is all a
reality because we have put the kind of hope in our political leaders and
policies that should be reserved for God and the work of the gospel. As a result of this:
When their political leaders are
out of power, they experience a death.
They believe that if their
policies and people are not in power, everything will fall apart. They refuse to admit how much agreement they
actually have with the other party, and instead focus on the points of
disagreement. The points of contention
overshadow everything else, and a poisonous environment is created.[iii]
I think it goes without saying that this quote perfectly
describes our current political environment.
“Another sign of
idolatry in our politics is that opponents are not considered simply mistaken,
but to be evil.[iv]”
As a
proof for this observation, Keller quotes his mother who after the last
presidential election said, “It used to be that whoever was elected as your
president, even if he wasn’t the one you voted for, he was still your
president. That doesn’t seem to be the
case any longer.[v]” I saw this point played out in my own
backyard about a month ago. President
Obama was coming to Maumee OH and much of the community was in an uproar. Ignoring the fact that it is quite an honor
to host the president of the United States in your own suburb, many used his
visit as a chance to demonize him. So,
how does idolatry produce this demonization?
Keller exclaims:
In the biblical view of things,
the main problem in life is sin, and the only solution is God and his
grace. The alternative to this view is
to identify something besides sin as the main problem with the world and something
besides God as the main remedy. That
demonizes something that is not completely bad, and makes an idol out of
something that cannot be the ultimate good.[vi]
Keller Continues:
Many describe the current
poisonous public discourse as a lack of bipartisanship, but the roots go much
deeper than that… they go back to the beginning of the world, to our alienation
from God, and to our frantic efforts to compensate for our feelings of cosmic
nakedness and powerlessness. The only
way to deal with all these things is to heal our relationship with God.[vii]
Conclusion
In
light of Keller’s observations I think we all need a heart check as the
presidential race heats up and becomes even more polarizing. Ask yourself, “Am I placing my hopes for
love, security, and prosperity in something other than God?” “Is my visceral reaction towards other’s
views a hint that I may be committing idolatry?” “In demonizing Obama/Romney I’m I really revealing
the fact that I’ve put my hope in another human?” Also, keep Luther’s definition of idolatry in
your head:
"A god means that from
which we are to expect all good and to which we are to take refuge in all
distress, so that to have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe him
from the whole heart… That now, I say, upon which you set your
heart and put your trust is properly your god."
This bombshell of a quote should make you aware of all
those areas in your heart where idolatry is present. Lastly, we must always replace our idolatry
with Christ who:
Colossians 1:15-20 15 …is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn of all creation. 16
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things
were created through him and for him. 17
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body,
the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in
everything he might be preeminent. 19
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to
himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of
his cross.
When it comes to
any form of idolatry, it’s only the amazing supremacy of Christ and the good
news of the Gospel that simply puts created things in their right place.
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