Counterfeit Gods Only Make Empty Promises

Tim Keller's newest book is a winner. Counterfeit Gods is a helpful book that addresses an issue most helpful to our sanctification. This book is a great introduction to the subject of idolatry and a helpful resource for identifying the idols of our hearts.

The best aspect of this book is Keller's relentless focus on Christ as our only hope. This is a gospel-saturated book. And, Keller expounds the Scripture in order to expose our idols. Each chapter is a reflection on God's Word that ultimately leads to revealing the glory of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The only critique I have of the book is that many of the examples and illustrations will quickly become dated and less useful over time. Keller deals with the recent financial crisis and political scene quite a bit. My fear is that in a few years, these examples will not have the same impact. My personal preference would have been to have illustrations that would be just as relevant 100 years from now (in any culture) as they are to our current culture.

Here are a few random quotes to give you a flavor of what you will find in this book:

"Counterfeit gods always disappoint."

"What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living."

"Idols capture our imagination, and we can locate them by looking at our daydreams."

"We never imagine that getting our heart's deepest desires might be the worst thing that can ever happen to us."

"Idolatry is not only one sin among many, but what is fundamentally wrong with the human heart."

"Jesus must become more beautiful to your imagination, more attractive to your heart, than your idol."

Counterfeit Gods is set to come out on October 20 (you can read sample pages online now).

At WTS books, you can already preorder a pack of 5 copies at 45% off.