The Idolatry Project
Well, as an exercise of both emotional and spiritual discipline, I have undertaken a project. As some of you who have been reading my blog for a while know, it's often hard for me to step out into the spotlight into positions of attention/leadership, because I have a hardtime tolerating the ways some people like to talk s**t about people in the spotlight. So I often don't step up even when I feel like I could/should--and this is something I'm working on. This idea came to me as I was staying for my ordination exam, and I just posted it today. It's on our "Forum for Free Speech" bulletin board which is a place where people in the seminary community can (but rarely do) express anything on their mind, as long as they put their name and the date on it. And then it stays up for a week. Anyway, here's the project I have felt called to undertake, and have undertaken (after delaying a couple of days, God kept nudging me, and wouldn't let me back out). It's definitely a risk for me to put myself out there in the spotlight. So anyway, here it is:
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THE IDOLATRY PROJECT
As I was reading through the book of Judges in preparation for the ordination exam in exegesis, I was really struck by the following words from 2:12, “And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they followed other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them, and bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger.”
The idea that “they followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them” stuck with me, and I have been thinking a lot about what those gods are these days, and in what ways I have unknowingly (and perhaps knowingly) begun to follow these gods. I have been thinking a lot about my own idolatry—and also the idolatry of my various situational and geographical communities. I have been realizing more and more the importance of naming these idols as idols in my own life; idols not worthy of my worship or ultimate allegiance.
So starting next week, as a personal discipline, each week I will post a paper with a heading like this paper has (yes, very creative name, I know ), with a short disclaimer at the bottom. On it I will name one idol I have been seeing in my own life, in the life of this community, this country, etc. They will not probably not be inherently evil things, just things that are not in themselves God, but which I see myself and/or my community following as if they were. I welcome your comments, agreements, and disagreements with those idols, if you have them.
And if you have any other ideas or thoughts, please feel free to let me know.
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Here's where you guys come in. I am going to need to name a lot of idols, and I just want to hear some suggestions. The way I am going to write it is: "SOMETHING is not God." (So things like money, power, etc.) So please write as long a list as you can think of, of your own idols, idols in our culture, in your community, whatever. That way I will have some things to draw from. I'd really love some help!
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THE IDOLATRY PROJECT
As I was reading through the book of Judges in preparation for the ordination exam in exegesis, I was really struck by the following words from 2:12, “And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they followed other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them, and bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger.”
The idea that “they followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them” stuck with me, and I have been thinking a lot about what those gods are these days, and in what ways I have unknowingly (and perhaps knowingly) begun to follow these gods. I have been thinking a lot about my own idolatry—and also the idolatry of my various situational and geographical communities. I have been realizing more and more the importance of naming these idols as idols in my own life; idols not worthy of my worship or ultimate allegiance.
So starting next week, as a personal discipline, each week I will post a paper with a heading like this paper has (yes, very creative name, I know ), with a short disclaimer at the bottom. On it I will name one idol I have been seeing in my own life, in the life of this community, this country, etc. They will not probably not be inherently evil things, just things that are not in themselves God, but which I see myself and/or my community following as if they were. I welcome your comments, agreements, and disagreements with those idols, if you have them.
And if you have any other ideas or thoughts, please feel free to let me know.
--------------------------------------
Here's where you guys come in. I am going to need to name a lot of idols, and I just want to hear some suggestions. The way I am going to write it is: "SOMETHING is not God." (So things like money, power, etc.) So please write as long a list as you can think of, of your own idols, idols in our culture, in your community, whatever. That way I will have some things to draw from. I'd really love some help!
posted by bethany at 5:00 PM
4 Comments:
productivity
money, sex, america, fitness, food, music, the church, the scriptures, children, the intellect, tradition, alcohol, drugs (recreational and prescription--don't read too much into that), general consumerism, postmodernity as a thought system, progress, the inner life, family, historical/critical/rhetorical/contextual reading strategies, shoes, books, productivity (thank you, Sarah, that's the American idol--particularly strong at seminary), the military, the therapeutic relationship, physical mental and emotional health (though certainly commendable), fundamentals, fashion, Fox news, the New Yorker, any ideology that ends in ism, and the myth of romantic love.
Interesting. I'd like to hear more.
oooh, spiritual disciplines, innovation, and the pursuit of a good time.
I think I'm done now.
Oprah
The Supreme Court
Hillary Clinton
Stock options
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Macintosh
Bill Gates
The United Nations
The Internet
Mother Earth
Victim status
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