When I say “idol”, you say—what?

It’s amazing how casually this term has infiltrated our culture—and even our hearts. Entertainment stars are now literally dubbed “idols”; celebrities of all types are revered as being a breed above the common man with opinions of greater gravitas than yours or mine…some through the years have even outright called themselves “greater than God”; many people treat those with fame, fortune, or a certain charisma as if they carry a supernatural influence, where the most common items they touch could be marketed at tens of thousands or even millions of dollars. To top it off, one of the most popular syndicated television shows ever was quite literally called American Idol.

To say we as a society have a loose outlook on idolatry might be putting it lightly, and unfortunately no one is immune to the possibility of holding something—or someone—as an idol.

We often think of these idols as objects of wood or stone, silver or gold, coming complete with an in-house shrine demarcating their place of utmost importance in our hearts. But an idol is actually defined as an object of extreme devotion; a false god. In other words, an idol can be anything to which we are devoted to the point of enshrining it on the throne of our hearts, or which we expect to deliver something—giving it the role of our supplier or provider. This can include anything from idolizing a politician who promises something we desire, to having an item touched by a star musician, to a rabbit’s foot or special pair of socks we think brings us good luck.

When we understand idolatry in its raw form, suddenly it becomes a bit clearer how people could slip so easily into it…and why we are still warned against it, even when it seems simple to steer clear of idols of stone and precious metal. Sadly, idolatry is much more sinister and sneaky than that. Even within the Church.

“American Idol”, 1300s BC

Is the notion of idolizing man a new one? Not in the least, but I’d like to look at one example in particular that shows a very slippery slope: the unwitting human tendency to put the man of God before God Himself.

Most people look at the children of Israel and say that their idolatry clearly began when they had Aaron cast a golden calf out of the things taken from Egypt—items that were, by and large, intended for the eventual creation of the Tabernacle and Temple.  That choice seems like the steep drop-off into the sin of idolatry, right? But I want to challenge that and contend that the golden calf was not actually their first idol on the trek.

Moses was.

Consider this: when Moses disappeared up the mountain for forty days, the reaction of the people was not “Moses may be gone, but God’s still guiding us!” Instead, they demanded something else five-senses tangible that they could touch, a guide they felt close to. I’m not saying they were bowing down and worshipping Moses; but I do believe their behavior is evidentiary that they’d placed him on a shrine in their hearts that, once vacated, they looked to replace with something else they could be extremely devoted to. Something else besides Yahweh God.

This became a pattern for the children of Israel, who frequently looked to man or the creation of man’s hands for something to hang their devotion upon rather than turning to God. This included not just idols from neighboring nations but seeking a human king rather than being led by Yahweh, picking and choosing leaders based on human strengths rather than spiritual ones, and more.

Corporate Idolatry – Sneakier Than We Think

Generally speaking, most of us are probably aware of the slippery slope of “hero-worship” outside the Church, like idolizing Hollywood elites or music icons. It’s just harder sometimes to come face-to-face when that same star-struck adoration is happening inside it. Yet ministries, congregations, even whole movements have been known to get hung up on the acts of one group or even one person, to the detriment of God. And often it’s overlooked or excused because that person has God’s blessing on their life.

In the late 2010s and into the ’20s, there was a large number of famous Christian preachers whose acts of mishandling money and sexual misconduct came to light. One of the most devastating things about these revelations was not just how these people conducted themselves, but how their support base often tried to excuse or justify it. It became so clear that the ministries themselves were enshrining the lives and legacies of these people, even to the harm of the innocent; and that was devastating and dangerous in its own right. As allegations were proven, it became clear there was a problem not just in the person found guilty, but in the hearts of those who still fought tooth and nail to laud their successes rather than acknowledging their shortcomings as well.

This is the really tricky thing about idolatry within the Church: it can seem utterly innocuous, like being a devout follower of someone who clearly has a calling placed on his or her life. And what’s wrong with that? But we have to ask ourselves, are we putting that person on the throne rightly belonging only to God Himself? Are we putting the gifted before the Gift-Giver? Would we fight for that person’s stance in a way that contradicts God’s commands of how we’re to conduct ourselves in love with one another? Do we hold them to the same standard as everyone else? Do we ever slide into swapping out God’s will for what the person of God says and make that the hill we’re willing to die on?

Not the easiest questions, huh?

Idols Always Let Us Down

Throughout my life, I’ve had disappointment after disappointment that made me realize ultimately, I was putting my hope and dedication into following the “people of God” and not God Himself. It was easy, especially in my teens, to become starry-eyed over pastors, teachers, apologists, Christian entertainers, etc., only to watch my own idols come to light one-by-one—often because in some way or another, they let me down. I was confronted with the fallibility of mankind and the fallibility in me, that my need to have a tangible leader created a golden calf in my own heart. I was looking for Moses going up the mountain instead of Yahweh who called him; and I was looking at these people to be the authors of my faith rather than keeping Jesus and God in that position.

In short, I idolized my leaders. I put their word before the Word. And I behaved in ways contradictory to God’s directives in order to protect the stance, walk, and dignity of those leaders.

It took years and years for me to admit this, and I say it now so you know that if you have been or are in this position as well, you are not alone. We are not alone, historically or currently. But we can be the change, in our own lives and by example.

Dethrone Man, Enthrone God

When it comes down to it, the solution is both difficult and simple: we must dethrone people from our hearts and remove them from the place of adulation only God deserves. Yes, we can admire folks, enjoy their sharings, learn and grow from them—God has equipped them to share their gifts for a reason! But we should constantly be checking ourselves that we aren’t taking man’s word as law, considering them infallible, or taking up their causes so fiercely that we contradict God’s instructions for conduct in order to fight their battles for them.

Let’s keep a check and balance on our hearts. Let’s keep a clear head and objective view of who and what we’re enshrining. Let’s not slip into the trap of idolizing people inside or outside the Church; remember that we are all flawed, imperfect human beings. The only One who is perfect and worthy of our absolute fealty is God, and He instructs us in how to conduct ourselves with our leaders and with others. We don’t get a free pass to forsake leading with love, being kind, or striving for unity with those who differ from our favorite leaders in how they preach, what they teach, how God calls them to carry out His will. We are all part of the family of God, and that outlook should be the same no matter who we are addressing.

Let’s always be careful that we don’t turn the Church or its members into idols. And let’s lead by example with clarity, courage, and love in a world that, more often than not, takes idolatry altogether too lightly.