Ideologies, Idolatry and the Truth of the Gospel

Truth, both in its absolute and relative sense, certainly concerns Christians. Truth is an attribute of God, and Jesus claims that he himself is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:16). He also says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

If Marx, Mannheim, Arendt, Crick, and Havel are correct in asserting that ideologies represent fundamentally mistaken conceptions of the world, we Christians have an obligation to take them seriously and discern in what ways they are right and in what ways they are wrong.

Ideologies – Idolatry and the Truth of the Gospel

As suggested so far, I believe that ideology can best be understood with reference to its basic religious character. The use of the word may seem provocative in contemporary discourse, for it implies that a religion is making truth claims reserved for other faiths.

While many find these claims offensive, especially in this postmodern age, the fact is that religion, by its very nature, makes such claims.

Any attempt to relativize religion risks making it less than it claims to be and thus trivializes it. Consequently, idolatry must still be considered as an operative category.19

Furthermore, as Paul Marshall notes, idolatry is not just another sin, of which pride, envy, lust, and others are examples; in fact, “all sin is an expression of the basic sin of idolatry, of putting something else in the place of God.”

20 Idolatry, in other words, is the origin of all other sins, as indicated by its proscription being ranked as the first precept of the Decalogue (Exod. 20:3; Deut. 5:7).

Idolatry takes something that belongs to creation, tries to elevate it above the boundary that separates Creator and creature, and makes it a kind of god. Because of the scope of religion, idolatry seeks to put all the rest of creation at the service of this invented god.

The Most Seen Idolatry in Scripture

The type of idolatry we know best from Scripture has people fashioning an invented personal deity (out of wood or stone), erecting temples, creating liturgical rites, and offering sacrifices.

Tirelessly, the prophets of the Old Testament denounced the worship of false gods, a constant situation in Israel and Judah.

But idolatry also manifests itself in more subtle ways. Human beings are inevitably creatures of worship, although not all of them would admit it to themselves.

An atheist denies belief in God, but may in fact worship rationality, artistic ability, or military power. Even nominal believers in God may serve idols such as financial success, social prestige, or political power.

Because idolatry in this second sense is so indirect and less openly experienced as such, we generally do not recognize it for what it is.

However, it is in this type of idolatry that the ideology is rooted.

The connection between idolatry and ideology is made forcefully by Bob Goudzwaard, who argues that the religious nature of human beings can be understood by taking into account “three basic biblical rules”.

First, everyone serves a god of some kind. Second, everyone is transformed into the image of the god they serve. Third, people structure their society in their own image.

Augustine affirms this by establishing two basic principles: our heart does not rest until it rests in God; and a community is united by shared objects of love.

If the members of the community love God and seek to do his will, then the structures that order their common life will reflect this.

Final Considerations on the Truth of the Gospel

If, on the other hand, its members love things like material wealth, individual rights, and an all-powerful state, then this shared love will play out in ways that affect the well-being of the community.

If the heart of the community seeks rest in things that cannot bring rest, this continual restlessness will manifest itself in political and social institutions.

In short, idol worship has practical consequences for the shared life of people in a community.

We must be careful not to be deceived by the idols of our culture, as Christians we must worship only our King Jesus.