CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
February 5, 2006
PRAYERS AND PETITIONS:
Our congregation and moving to another space Our nation, military and leaders
Various friends, relatives, and co-workers James in the Army
Our students Susan Oller traveling to Arkansas
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Margaret Wiesner (9th), Bryce Mearns (16th), Joe Reynolds (Yevette’s dad, 23rd)
WHAT IS IDOLATRY?
“For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person -- such a man is an idolater -- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Ephesians 5:5).
As we have been looking at some of the historical books of the Hebrew scriptures, we have seen the rise of idolatry and the fall of Israel because of it. It amazes us that a people could so quickly move from the worship of Yahweh to the worship of idols made by the hands of humans. We have also stated that we really do not understand the physical idea of statues that are bowed down to and worshipped since here in the United States we have not had to deal with such ideas. In the Old Testament, we are told that Israel was not to make any idol of anything in the heavens or on the earth. Yahweh alone is to be worshipped, and He is a jealous God (Exodus 20:4).
Idolatry is seen throughout the Hebrew scriptures in various ways. The tower of Babel might be considered a form of idolatry; making a tower to the heavens so that they would be well known (Genesis 11). Rachel stole some of her father’s household gods when she and Jacob fled back to Caanan. Egypt was filled with idolatry and the plagues God sent on them was an attack on their gods. Aaron made a golden calf stating that this was the god that delivered them from Egypt. There was the man who wanted a priest for his household gods (Judges 17). Solomon was led away from God by the foreign women he married, by leading him into idolatry. When Israel was split in two, Jeroboam made two golden calves for the northern kingdom to worship. The prophets spoke against the idolatry of Israel and it was a major reason for the fall of both the northern and southern kingdoms.
After Israel returned from Babylonian captivity, idolatry was less of a problem, almost eliminated from the culture. So strong an opposition to idolatry developed that when a Seleucid king put idols in the Temple in 168 BC, Israel revolted. And when the Romans came to Jerusalem, they found that their standards were so offensive to the Jews that revolts broke out; the Romans agreed to keep them out of Jerusalem to maintain peace. The standards bore resemblances to the Emperor and various gods. Paul was amazed at the massive among of idolatry found in Athens, Greece, that they even had a statue (one would assume an empty base) to the unknown god.
Paul throws a twist into idolatry when he declares that greed is idolatry. What then is idolatry? Idolatry is defined as “the paying or offering of divine honors to any created object.” That is what we see in scripture and in many nations today. “Figurative, the worship of a person or thing; great love or admiration; extreme devotion.” To idolize something is “to worship as an idol; make an idol of.” An idol can also be “a false idea or concept; fallacy” (all quotes from The World Book Dictionary). One can understand how greed then can lead one to be an idolater, for that person has the desire for money and/or things, is in love with them. Anything that can hold sway over someone is an idol, for it severs the bond between God the Creator and His creature. Fulfillment then is found in the individual and everything is subject to the desires of that individual, making him or her an idol (see The NIV Theological Dictionary of New Testament Words).
Now that we have a working definition of idolatry, let’s see if we can understand some of the idols of our age. From a movie about Wall Street, the following statement was made: “Greed is good.” There are many who worship money and things and want more and more. They don’t literally bow down to these things but they love them to the point that they will do anything for them. Fame is another form of idolatry. Those who want it will do almost anything to be in the spotlight. Power is a another idol that people worship or are in love with. Politicians are particularly prone to this though power can corrupt anyone. We have seen it in the church with those who want to make all decisions and not be criticized. There are other things that people worship, or love to the point that they no longer pay attention to God, though they might give “lip service” to Him. Work, sports, cars, and any number of things fall into this.
Not all of the above are idols to all of us. I have a car but really don’t care if it has a dent or two in it or not. Money is not evil in and of itself. Work provides for my family but is not the most important thing in my life. Jesus is Lord, not Caesar or anything else. Yet we will find ourselves in conflict with the idols of the age when we make such a declaration. While people can, and do, worship multiple gods, they do not want to worship the one true God. That brings conflict.
Leaven magazine has produced an issue entitled “Nationalism and the American Church” (vol. 13, number 4, fourth quarter 2005, produced at Pepperdine University). The foundation for the articles is that churches of Christ were pacifists until World War II. David Lipscomb, founding editor of The Gospel Advocate refused to vote. Others refused service in the military, with a number being arrested during World War I. Based on that and a number of other things; interpretations of scripture and influences of certain aspects of politics, the articles have some interesting things to say.
The first two articles deal with the American flag, the pledge of allegiance, songs, and patriotism in general. The articles are entitled “Flying the Flag in Church: A Tale of Strife and Idolatry” by Micki Pulleyking and Theological Problems with Patriotism in Worship” by Craig M. Watts. While we do not have flags in our assemblies, an issue raised is the position of the American flag. With the exception of Texas, it must always be in the prominent position or above all others. What does that say if it is placed in an assembly? Is it saying, as the authors suggest, that God is the God of only one nation and people? Should we recognize Caesar in such a way?
Many of us would say that we are proud to be Americans, but we would also say that we are not perfect. We have been blessed by God in many ways and there is nothing wrong with singing about that or thanking God for what He has done. He raised up the United States for His purposes as He has raised up all nations for some purpose. How He accomplishes those purposes and how long nations exist are for Him to determine (see Daniel 2:21). What we need to recognize is that God wants all people saved, not because they are not like us but because they are made in His image. What we sometimes forget is that Jesus came into a world that was ruled by an Emperor and the power of his army. Christianity can live and survive under any political system, though there will be conflicts with some of them. Communism and Islam are two examples.
Should we say the pledge of allegiance? By doing so, are we ignoring others and replacing our loyalty to God with one to the U.S.? Yet there is the concept of rendering to Caesar the things of Caesar and to God the things of God. Can this become idolatry? Without a doubt. Does it mean however that those who serve in the military, who pledge loyalty to the U.S. are in some way worshipping or bowing down to some form of nationalism? Does our citizenship in heaven exclude our citizenship in some earthly kingdom? Paul appealed to Caesar several times; did that make him an idolater? I understand the concerns of the authors of the articles, but there is no easy answer. We must examine our hearts in such a matter to see if we are focused on God or not.
Nationalism can be a dangerous thing. Arlie Hoover, a retired professor at Abilene Christian University, has researched sermons preached by the English, Germans, and Americans before and during both World Wars. Joseph Loconte in his book The End of Illusions likewise examines what was being said by the ministers, the peacemakers and the prophets, before World War II. Churches have become instruments in encouraging support for war. It happened in Nazi Germany where the Nazis, with the support of a large part of the German churches, supported their nationalism. Dietrich Bonhoffer and Martin Niemoller both opposed this and ended up under arrest. In many of the American churches during the wars, nationalism became a prominent position. Since 9/11, the concern is that the same could happen again.
Does this exclude us from praying for our leaders? Paul tells us to do so (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Should we pray for the safety of our troops? You bet. But what about our enemies? We know what Jesus said (Matthew 5:44). This is maybe where our weakness has been, leading to the idea of the idol of nationalism. We need to pray for the salvation of our enemies. Despite what we see and hear reported from the news media, we know that good things are happening in Iraq. Paul Harvey has often stated that people feared invading armies because of the destruction they bring, but when the American Army was coming, people rejoiced because they knew that the Americans were coming to deliver them. If World War II is any indication of our attitude, when we defeated Japan and Germany, we then rebuilt them. The same is happening in Iraq. That too is love for one’s enemy.
All that being said, we need to realize that the church is not American. We are God’s people, loyal to Him, recognizing that Jesus is Lord. Our task is not to preach America, or for that matter, the American church traditions, but to preach Jesus Christ as Lord. While we live in a certain culture, and are influenced by it, we need to remember that certain issues are more in how they are to be accomplished and not moral issues. For instance, it is a moral issue to help the poor, but how that is done is up for debate. Churches can do it without government assistance. How government decides to do it is up to them. To say that one side is right or wrong is dangerous. Each issue needs to be examined in light of scripture and we need to keep in mind that God is our King.
There is a fear by these authors about emphasizing “the greatness of America.” Bragging, pride, idolatry? Again, that might be more of an individual thing. We have patriot songs that we sing, songs that stir us. Among them are “God Bless the USA,” “God Bless America,” and “America the Beautiful.” Are these songs fostering nationalism? Do they rouse people up to the point of not questioning decisions made by Caesar? Mr. Watts thinks so, and that might be the case to a certain extent. But they could also be seen as praise to God for what He has done. There was a time for several decades in which we didn’t sing those songs, and in a sense forgot about what God has done for us in this country. That has changed but it has also heightened the cultural conflict we are involved in; that which is seen in the “value voters” and the secular and sacred discussions. Maybe that is a good thing.
There are more articles in this issue of Leaven and I’ll look at them as well. Idolatry today is subtle and that makes it dangerous. We might find ourselves worshipping or loving something other than God and then finding ourselves loyal to it rather than to God. Each of us will have examine ourselves.
George B. Mearns