BOOK REVIEW: How an ancient sin permeates our lives today …

If someone accused you of worshiping idols, you might respond with a laugh.

“You won’t find any hand-carved figurines being bowed down to in my house!” you think.

In fact, you might dismiss the topic completely, thinking idol worship is an ancient problem and has never been yours.

You would probably be wrong.

In “gods at war,” (published by Zondervan), pastor and author Kyle Idleman does an excellent job of helping the modern person understand just how rampant idol worship is today, even in the homes of those who profess to be Christians.

Has anything ever been more important to you than God? Have you ever given too much priority or value to someone or something, moving God out of the top spot in your life?

Chances are you have in the past, and perhaps you’re still doing so without even realizing it.

“Idolatry isn’t just one of many sins; rather it’s the one great sin that all others come from,” Idleman writes. “Idolatry isn’t an issue; it is the issue. All roads lead to the dusty, overlooked concept of false gods. Deal with life on the glossy outer layers, and you might never see it; scratch a little beneath the surface, and you begin to see that it’s always there, under some other coat of paint. There are a hundred million different symptoms, but the issue is always idolatry.”

Idleman’s straightforward writing style and multiple stories makes for easy reading as he helps his audience understand just how pervasive the issue of idol worship is today.

“Anything at all can become an idol once it becomes a substitute for God in our lives,” the author states.

Idleman then takes his readers on a journey through the “temples” of pleasure, power, and love to explore some of the more common idols we worship today. You likely won’t be very far into the book before you start examining your own life for the possibility of an idol or two actually being present and wielding influence in a way you had not previously considered.

And that’s what makes this book good!

“gods at war” provides readers with a fresh, modern understanding of idol worship, motivates you to search for idols in your own life, and encourages you in living life in such a way that no person or thing will be allowed to compete with who God is in your life.

Scotty

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of
their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not
required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed
are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal
Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use
of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”