The Case for Idolatry: Why Evangelical Christians Can Worship Idols

While perusing Wintery Knight’sblog, I saw a repost from another blog which is probably one of the best parodies I’ve seen in a long time.  Here comes a repost-repost!

The article is called, “The Casefor Idolatry: Why Evangelical Christians Can Worship Idols” written by Andrew Wilson.  It is well-worth reading the entire post.  As Christians, we tend to weigh sins as if some are worse than others, but the nice thing about this post is that any sin we try to justify can be inserted into the parody.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to worship idols. It’s not that my parents raised me that way, because they didn’t; I was brought up in a loving, secure, Christian home. But from childhood until today, my heart has been drawn to idolatry….For many years, I was taught that idolatry was sinful. As a good Christian, I fought the desire to commit idolatry, and repented when I got it wrong. But the desire to worship idols never went away…..So it has been such a blessing to discover that worshipping one God, and him alone, isn’t for everyone. There are thousands of Christians out there who have found faithful, loving ways of expressing worship both to God and to idols, without compromising either their faith or their view of Scripture. In recent years, I have finally summoned the courage to admit that I am one of them. Let me give you a few reasons why I believe that idolatry and Christianity are compatible.”

Wilson then goes on to list some of the reasons he has come to accept that idolatry is compatible with his Christian faith:

·      A number of scholars have provided strong cases for “a Christlike approach of humility, openness and inclusion towards our idolatrous brothers and sisters.”

·      Most of the passages on idolatry come from the Old Testament, which also says we can’t eat shellfish or bacon, yet who doesn’t love crab legs or bacon?  We are in the new covenant now.

·      Jesus loved everyone and never said anything about idols in the Gospels.

·      New research in neuroscience has shown that some people are wired for idolatry.  Anyone who argues with established science is ignorant.  Example:  My father is an alcoholic; therefore, I’m more likely to be an alcoholic…If I choose to drink, I didn’t really have a choice. 

·      Paul has been misunderstood and misused by the church.  In Romans 1, Paul is not talking about people who naturally worship God, but those who exchange God’s glory for idols.  As long as we don’t exchange God’s glory, we’re cool!

·      In Paul’s time, idolatry involved physically bowing to a statue, which is out of date and doesn’t apply anymore.  The modern day notions of idolatry involve someone prioritizing what they want over God…completely different.  The culture has changed and so must the Christian viewpoint.

Wilson concludes the article by imploring Christians to have a new and inclusive perspective on idolatry.

“I hope you will all search the scriptures, search your hearts, and consider the evidence afresh - and avoid judging those who disagree in the meantime! Maybe, just maybe, we can make space in the church for those who, like me, have spent a lifetime wrestling with the challenge of idolatry.”