In an age where there is a plethora of Christian writers and books to choose from, Tim Keller stands out as one of the very finest. Keller manages to combine the best of a remarkable insight into Biblical stories with a keen observation of modern culture. In ‘Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters,’ the New York Times bestselling author exposes the error of making good things our ‘ultimate,’ and points his readers towards hope that truly can fulfill.
Keller expands upon John Calvin’s famous statement that “the human heart is a factory of idols,” and insists that “getting your hearts desire can be the worst possible thing that could happen to you.” This is because human beings have a tendency to take objects, even ones that are inherently good, and place upon them expectations they cannot possibly deliver. In this way we make ‘idols’ of these objects and diminish both them and ourselves in the process. Money, sex and power are obvious idols, but Keller points out that it is just as easy to do the same thing with romantic love, or family relationships. If, for example, we believe that romance (or a child) is the “one thing” we need to make life meaningful, we invest unreal expectations into those relationships that distort and ruin them because they simply cannot deliver.
Keller adds that our tendency to worship things other than God runs so deeply within humanity that even “our highest ideals” can become soul destroying idols. We invest unwarranted faith in religious and political ideologies that result in exactly the same disintegration of human connectedness that we see in other idols. In other words not even our belief systems (no matter how good they are) should replace God as the centre of our beings. Keller also speaks directly to some of western culture’s most common idolatries, the results of which he claims can be seen in rampant materialism, greed, immorality and the breakdown of families. Keller consistently uses examples from the Bible to highlight modern idols, and he does so in a way that brings these ancient narratives back to life. Nebuchadnezzar is used to illustrate the perils of power and pride, while Jonah’s ethnocentrism is equated to the dangers of modern nationalism.
Keller’s ‘Counterfeit God’s is a short, but profound book filled with powerful insights. It takes on both personal and corporate struggles with idolatry, and reveals how dangerously entrenched this problem is in modern society because it is so subtle. Keller reminds his readers that no matter how good something may be, only God can bring ultimate fulfillment and purpose to human beings.