The Heavens Of Idolatry

So you say youre not a perfectionist. Your idea of a perfectionist is someone who is well on their way to being perfect, and that does not describe you. Perfectionism is so cleverly disguised by its symptoms and ripple effects, but the problem is the same at the heartidolatry. The Heavens of Idolatry challenges Christ followers to consider the possibility that other gods may have set up a throne in their heart. As believers we may find ourselves living to please these gods, with our identity and worth hanging in the balance of acceptance. Or, being the diligent Christians that we are, we may have elevated ourselves by setting impossible standards for someone else. It is the striving and confusion that ensue that causes big problems in a persons life. Lisa Stough writes to fellow perfectionists as well as all Christians who are tired of hiding inside their Sunday clothes, who have given up on God all together, or who might be wondering what the big deal is about perfectionism. She brings Scripture, insight, and experience together into a journey you can call your own.

Learn to recognize the subtle ways that a person's inner life bows down to various false gods. David Clarkson details a list of everyday idols and the worship of them that one can use to detect soul idolatry in their lives. His call is that God is very serious about idols and Christians should be serious as well. This edition is the complete sermon as published by James Nichol in 1864.

Everybody's thirsty. We're thirsty for a world without suffering. A world defined by peace, joy, and love. We're thirsty for paradise. How do we try to quench this thirst? We sip saltwater. We consume things that look, feel, and sound as if they'll quench our thirst, but they only make us thirstier. Sipping Saltwater points us to the only drink that will satisfy us now and eternally-Christ's living water-and shows us how to drink it. Book jacket.

We must lay down our certainties and honestly admit our doubts to identify with Jesus. Rollins purposely upsets fundamentalist certainty in order to open readers up to a more loving, active manifestation of Christ's love. He explores how the Good News actually involves embracing the idea that we can't be whole, that life is difficult, and that we are in the dark. By joyfully embracing our brokenness, and courageously accepting the difficulties of existence, we truly rob death of its sting and enter into the fullness of life.

What are the origin and meaning of the words "greed is idolatry" found in Ephesians 5:5 and Colossians 3:5? In what sense are the greedy guilty of idolatry? Many different answers have been given to this question throughout the history of interpretation. In fact, a consensus exists on only one score -- that the expression serves to vilify greed. Brian Rosner ably takes on the challenge of interpretation by tackling the phrase as a metaphor, structuring his argument around an intriguing comparison to mountain climbing. From this vantage point, he offers a thorough history of interpretation of the phrase, including a study of the origin of the concept of idolatrous greed in biblical and Jewish sources. Rosner concludes that the comparison of greed with idolatry teaches that to desire to acquire and keep for oneself more money and material things is an attack on God's exclusive right to human love, trust, and obedience. With this work comes a stunning, fresh understanding of familiar terms -- "greed," "idolatry," and even "God" -- challenging both the church as a whole and individual believers to consider the far-ranging implications of our materialistic world. The first full-length study of this intriguing Pauline expression, Greed as Idolatry has profound implications for theological ethics today.

ECPA Top Shelf Book Cover Award When the Israelites exclaimed, "Here are your gods!" at the sight of the golden calf, they were attempting to hold on to the God of their history while fashioning idols for their own purposes. In today's Western world, plenty of shiny false gods still hold power—idols of prosperity, nationalism, and self-interest. Christians desperately need to name and expose these idols. We must retrieve the biblical emphasis on idolatry and apply it anew in our journey of following Jesus. In "Here Are Your Gods," Old Testament scholar Christopher J. H. Wright combines a biblical study of idolatry with practical discipleship. He calls readers to consider connections between Old Testament patterns and today's culture, especially recurring temptations to trust in political power. Now as much as ever, we need a biblically informed understanding of the many ways humans make gods for themselves, the danger of idols, and how God calls us to join him in the battle against idolatry as part of his ongoing mission to be known and worshiped by all peoples.

The church in the West is rediscovering the fact that God cares deeply for the poor. More and more, churches and individual Christians are looking for ways to practice economic discipleship, but it's hard to make progress when we are blind to our own entanglement in our culture's idolatrous economic beliefs and practices. Practicing the King's Economy cuts through much confusion and invites Christians to take their place within the biblical story of the "King Jesus Economy." Through eye-opening true stories of economic discipleship in action, and with a solid exploration of six key biblical themes, the authors offer practical ways for God's people to earn, invest, spend, compensate, save, share, and give in ways that embody God's love and provision for the world. Foreword by Christopher J. H. Wright.

This book is a wake-up call for Christians who are suffering from the rampant - yet unrecognized - effects caused by the deception of idolatry. Idolatry is not an outdated practice of extinct religions; it is very much alive and flourishing today. Most Christians who practice idolatry aren't even aware of it. They are suffering spiritually, emotionally, and even physically but can't connect the dots between their misery and their practice of idolatry. How does this happen? Instead of giving the best of our love To The God who deserves it, many Christians have gradually fallen more and more in love with what God created, instead of the Creator Himself. With our lips we tell God we love Him, but our everyday thoughts and actions may be revealing that we have other "lovers." These so called lovers seem innocent enough because they offer to give us what we want. But in the end, they betray us by taking the best of what God has given, only to leave us poor, empty, and dead inside. Now For The Good News: Our God isn't afraid of idols or idolaters! He is a compassionate and merciful God who may be saying to you today, "Do you know why I stopped you from running after your other lovers?" We may even sense His anger, but it is really the passion of a loving God who hates to see His children damaged by the sin of serving false gods. Like any good father, He wants His children to have the best, and it just so happens, HE IS THE BEST! Even though you are a Christian, do you find yourself battling emptiness, hopelessness, loneliness, or despair? it may be that you are suffering from "Too Many Lovers."