Scattered Jewels

Here are some random quotes from Counterfeit Gods. This is a great book! There are jewels like these scattered on every page.

“What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” (page xvii)

“The gods of moralistic religions favor the successful and the overachievers. They are the ones who climb the moral ladder up to heaven. But the God of the Bible is the one who comes down into this world to accomplish a salvation and give us a grace we could never attain ourselves. He loves the unwanted, the weak and unloved.” (Page 44)

“More than other idols, personal success and achievement lead to a sense that we ourselves are god, that our security and value rest in our own wisdom, strength and performance...The false sense of security comes from deifying our achievement and expecting it to keep us safe from the troubles of life in a way that only God can.” (Page 75)

“It is the settled tendency of human societies to turn good political causes into counterfeit gods.” (Page 98)

“In any culture in which God is largely absent, sex, money and politics will fill the vacuum for different people.” (Page 107)

“What we learn here is that theology matters, that much of our addiction to power and control is due to false conceptions of God. Gods of our own making may allow us to be ‘masters of our fate.’” (page 115)

“Mature Christians are not people who have completely hit the bedrock. I do not believe that is possible in this life. Rather, they are people who know how to keep on drilling and are getting closer and closer.” (Page 176)

Ready to read the book yet?