This week at The Gospel Coalition Conference, Tim Keller spoke on taking the gospel to our idols. Along with religious and cultural idols, here are personal idols he identifies:
- Money can be an idol, especially in the business world. Everyone recognizes this as the idol of Wall Street. (All over New York City, child sacrifice is going on. If you want to succeed, you have to sacrifice your family. If you’re going to get the money and power, you must sacrifice your children. Jobs are set up that way.) How do you do your job without bowing down to it—how do you demythologize money? Only by living in the gospel.
- Romance is another idol. This is when you look to your lover or spouse for worth. Only they can make you feel valuable. You cannot lose this person. People who have a good marriage must constantly fight this idol, constantly looking to Jesus and finding their satisfaction in Jesus more than their spouse.
- Self-expression is an idol of the artistic community.
- Children can be idolized when you find your significance and meaning in your children. You know you’re worth something if your children turn out well.
Previous posts on our modern idolatry:
What idols do you worship?
How God kills our idols