How do you know if you’re worshiping a false god, or idol? In this episode, Oliver Hersey and Dr. Christopher Wright, author of Here Are Your Gods: Faithful Discipleship in Idolatrous Times explore this question . Idols existed in ancient cultures, and now exist in a different form: as sports stadiums, national symbols, or even as political figures (the president, or prime minister) and are meant to display what is “powerful” or “awesome.”
We live in a fallen world, yet aim to live by God’s standards and values. Wright indicated that learning to “negotiate the difference” creates tension for Christians.
Dr. Wright said “We want to rule our own lives. Idolatry is the very essence of self-exaltation over and above God. It goes back to the Garden of Eden. When human beings reject the authority of God, and God’s right to tell us what we may and may not do. We decide to choose that for ourselves. Then of course, we’ve begun to push God off of his throne, and exalt other things.”
He lives in London and serves as the International Ministries Director of Langham Partnership International, a ministry founded by John Stott. Dr. Wright also ministers to parishioners at All Souls Church in London and has a PhD from Cambridge University in Theology. He is also the author of The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative.
You can also learn more about Dr. Wright’s recent book on Christianity Today’s website.
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Produced by Kelsey Bowse, edited by Alex Carter