The Idol of the American Church

The Body of Christ is a growing body; it's not mature yet. And as part of it, I feel like different "idols" pop up. I really feel like that's something that happens, that the body struggles with. I also feel that often people don't label them as "idols". But the fact is, we rarely have golden statues anymore, and idolatry is still an issue. So why aren't we labeling those idols and casting them out? I say "we" because I am not going to cast total blame on anybody else. I am at fault too. At different times, I've struggled with idolatry.

So lets talk about the taboo.

Idolatry:

Merriam Webster online says:

 : immoderate attachment or devotion to something :

The encyclopedia at http://www.britannica.com/ says:

 : idolatry, in Judaism and Christianity, the worship of someone or something other than God as though it were God. The first of the biblical Ten Commandments prohibits idolatry: “You shall have no other gods before me.”...Several forms of idolatry have been distinguished. Gross, or overt, idolatry consists of explicit acts of reverence addressed to a person or an object—the sun, the king, an animal, a statue. This may exist alongside the acknowledgment of a supreme being; e.g., Israel worshiped the golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai, where it had encamped to receive the Law and the covenant of the one true God.
A person becomes guilty of a more subtle idolatry, however, when, although overt acts of adoration are avoided, he attaches to a creature the confidence, loyalty, and devotion that properly belong only to the Creator. Thus, the nation is a good creature of God, but it is to be loved and served with an affection appropriate to it, not with the ultimate devotion that must be reserved for the Lord of all nations. Even true doctrine (e.g., true doctrine about idolatry) may become an idol if it fails to point beyond itself to God alone. :

 Idolatry is something everybody deals with, and nobody talks about. Why? As one of the biggest issues (in my opinion) it needs to be discussed and dealt with. It's everybody's green monster in the closet. That nasty thing needs to be exposed to the discomfort and flee.
 
This post is borne out of an observation I made to my sister and my best friend today at lunch. While all three of us were on facebook (Welcome to modern America!) I noticed that my newsfeed had a number of "health" posts. In addition to that, a fair amount of modern American media is all about
"GET FIT! Try out diet. Use this machine. Join this gym. Take these pills". It's no longer just a hobby, or about getting fit. It's not even just a "getting healthy" thing. It's an idol. There are a lot of people, and Christians, that have idolized exercise and diet. I feel comfortable with posting this, because it became an idol for me. I was obsessed with my eating habits. Always worrying about what I was eating or drinking, and always noting to others how bad something was that I was eating. And how much exercise it would take to get it off. I became irritating with it. I was no longer being healthy, I was being ridiculous. It was around that time that my ridiculous obsession was slapped in my face as an idol. I had fallen prey to a dangerous sin; both spiritually and physically. My crazy ideas of "health" were no longer wise, but foolish, and I was confronted with several things. One being, my constant desire to change, was leading to a mindset of subconsciously telling God: "What you made isn't good enough for me." I was discontent with my physical appearance, and that led me to a distaste to my personality about my appearance. All-in-all I began hating myself. My body wasn't changing fast enough, and my negative spirit about it was making me an unbearable soul to be around. God not-so-casually slipped a verse past my eyes, and I would like to share it with you:

1 Timothy 4:8:

 ^"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."

Yes, we should take total care of our bodies. We should be healthy, and wise. We should carefully consider what we put on and in our bodies. We should watch out for our hygiene. Being sure we're clean and ready for what God may have us do on any given day. But this unhealthy obsession in the church is dangerous. Post after post on facebook, news sights, commercials, even subtle hints in movies and TV shows suggesting "health" changes. 

It's become a dangerous downward spiral. A constant need for and dependance on exercise and diet foods. A constant reminder of the fats, calories or any other unhealthy properties that may be found in any given food or drink.

Christ's bride has fallen dangerously prey to a habit that we have a warning about. 

If it's all I read about on a person's page, or all that others read about on mine. If it's all I pin on pinterest, or talk about among friends. It is what I promote to everybody else, it's my idol. It's my god. And I'm calling my bluff. It's wrong. 

Perhaps we as a church can begin encouraging one another in different ways. Maybe the women at your church can begin a prayer-walking group. Or once a week go for a jog with some friends. I just think it might be better if we took down this idol, and left the clay with the clay. 

~Mal