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No God but God: Breaking With the Idols of Our Age
The evangelical movement is in deep disarray. Many doubt it can be defined; some question whether it has a future. But the authors of this book forcefully declare otherwise. Beginning with a trumpet call for revival and reformation, they confront the heart of evangelical captivity--the idols in our churches and our hearts. Modern tools and insights taken to excess--from politics, psychology, marketing, and management--have become points of false reliance and substitutes for God. NO GOD BUT GOD is an urgent reminder for all evangelicals who sorrow over our condition. Temptation to idolatry is everyone's problem, and often the worst temptations come from the best gifts. In order to let God be God, Christians must worship and love God alone.
223 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
127 people want to read
About the author
Os Guinness
77 books345 followersOs Guinness (D.Phil., Oxford) is the author or editor of more than twenty-five books, including The American Hour, Time for Truth and The Case for Civility. A frequent speaker and prominent social critic, he was the founder of the Trinity Forum and has been a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and a guest scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies. He lives near Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 17, 2019
'No God But God' is a call to evangelicals to stay true to God alone in the midst of late modernity and the pantheon of modern idols beckoning the church. Specifically, the authors set their sights on the danger of excessive reliance and confidence in 'politics, psychology, marketing, and management.'
I picked this up simply because of my great respect for the thinking of Os Guinness, who along with John Seel is listed as Editor. The chapters come from a number of well-known and lesser-known evangelical names. It was a happy surprise to find that many of the authors I was not familiar with made powerful and memorable contributions. All in all, I find it to be a compelling book of great insight and careful thinking, avoiding for the most part an excessive negativity which is perhaps the most common pitfall of any book-length critique.
The chapters by Guinness are good although some of them I had encountered before in his other book "Dining with the Devil." The chapter by Richard Keyes on Idolatry developed a fascinating framework of nearby idols and faraway idols, analogous to the need for immanence and transcendance, or the human desire for control (nearby) and meaning (faraway). Keyes argues that idolatry characteristically takes the shape of this kind of pairing, since we are created in God's image to exercise dominion (immanence, control, nearby) and engage in worship (transcendance, worship, faraway). The whole chapter is illuminating and thought-provoking. "The verdict of God is that idols misrepresent Him. The nearby idol gives the illusion that people really can have control over their destinies. The faraway idol produces the illusion that people have some sort of meaning or coherence to their lives..." (p.46). "The incarnation of Jesus Christ is the final blow to the dual-idolatry pattern. God became a human being, and still remained God." (p.48).
Chapter 4, "More Victimized Than Thou," warns against a victim mentality which breeds resentment and lack of forgiveness. This was written in 1993 but sounds like it could have been written yesterday. Here in 2019, it seems there has never been so much cultural incentive for taking the posture of a victim.
Chapters 5 and 6 tackle psychology and the therapeutic revolution. I was exposed to these ideas first from David Powlison, then Al Mohler and David Wells. Guinness is strong in the history of ideas (you can tell he was influenced by Francis Schaeffer on this point) and he helpfully traces the inception of the therapeutic from Freud and Jung to our own day. He draws, rightly, from the insights of Philip Rieff: "In the world of my new readers, there is therapy where theology once was." Now a common reaction among those who appreciate many of the gifts of the therapeutic movement is to point out how much help and healing and wholeness has come about through therapy. This may be true, but the danger that the author is at pains to expose is "the danger of psychology exceeding its proper bounds and growing into an alternative worldview and an alternative gospel." This is crucial to understand and even easier to misunderstand. As an introduction to these ideas I would recommend two of Powlison's articles:
https://www.boundless.org/adulthood/t...
https://www.boundless.org/faith/the-t...
The reason it is so easy to misunderstand, I believe, is that we are now thoroughly enculturated into a profoundly therapeutic worldview. The hold of this worldview upon Western Culture has only deepened since the book was published in 1993, never mind since Rieff's seminal 'Triumph of the Therapeutic' in 1966. It is also easy to assume that anyone critiquing the therapeutic movement is advocating some kind of Bible-only approach to human problems, fully rejecting the insights of modern psychology, but this is not at all the case.
The last few chapters include contributions from David Wells and Thomas Oden. Wells' chapter is an adaptation from one of his chapters in No Place for Truth (also published 1993) about the professionalization of the ministry. Oden is particularly well-placed to speak to the trends in theology as someone who had fully embraced modern liberal theology but then experienced a thorough conversion once he delved into the 'ancient ecumenical orthodoxy' of the first 500 years of the church. If that interests you, check out this interview with Oden:
https://albertmohler.com/2015/03/16/t...
All in all, there is a lot in this book that goes against the grain of our modern times, and this is very good for us. I fully agree with John H. White whose endorsement reads: "I have longed for a critique of evangelicalism that was intellectually accurate, deeply appreciative of historic evangelical theology, but at the same time incisive and bold in that critique. Here it is!"
I picked this up simply because of my great respect for the thinking of Os Guinness, who along with John Seel is listed as Editor. The chapters come from a number of well-known and lesser-known evangelical names. It was a happy surprise to find that many of the authors I was not familiar with made powerful and memorable contributions. All in all, I find it to be a compelling book of great insight and careful thinking, avoiding for the most part an excessive negativity which is perhaps the most common pitfall of any book-length critique.
The chapters by Guinness are good although some of them I had encountered before in his other book "Dining with the Devil." The chapter by Richard Keyes on Idolatry developed a fascinating framework of nearby idols and faraway idols, analogous to the need for immanence and transcendance, or the human desire for control (nearby) and meaning (faraway). Keyes argues that idolatry characteristically takes the shape of this kind of pairing, since we are created in God's image to exercise dominion (immanence, control, nearby) and engage in worship (transcendance, worship, faraway). The whole chapter is illuminating and thought-provoking. "The verdict of God is that idols misrepresent Him. The nearby idol gives the illusion that people really can have control over their destinies. The faraway idol produces the illusion that people have some sort of meaning or coherence to their lives..." (p.46). "The incarnation of Jesus Christ is the final blow to the dual-idolatry pattern. God became a human being, and still remained God." (p.48).
Chapter 4, "More Victimized Than Thou," warns against a victim mentality which breeds resentment and lack of forgiveness. This was written in 1993 but sounds like it could have been written yesterday. Here in 2019, it seems there has never been so much cultural incentive for taking the posture of a victim.
Chapters 5 and 6 tackle psychology and the therapeutic revolution. I was exposed to these ideas first from David Powlison, then Al Mohler and David Wells. Guinness is strong in the history of ideas (you can tell he was influenced by Francis Schaeffer on this point) and he helpfully traces the inception of the therapeutic from Freud and Jung to our own day. He draws, rightly, from the insights of Philip Rieff: "In the world of my new readers, there is therapy where theology once was." Now a common reaction among those who appreciate many of the gifts of the therapeutic movement is to point out how much help and healing and wholeness has come about through therapy. This may be true, but the danger that the author is at pains to expose is "the danger of psychology exceeding its proper bounds and growing into an alternative worldview and an alternative gospel." This is crucial to understand and even easier to misunderstand. As an introduction to these ideas I would recommend two of Powlison's articles:
https://www.boundless.org/adulthood/t...
https://www.boundless.org/faith/the-t...
The reason it is so easy to misunderstand, I believe, is that we are now thoroughly enculturated into a profoundly therapeutic worldview. The hold of this worldview upon Western Culture has only deepened since the book was published in 1993, never mind since Rieff's seminal 'Triumph of the Therapeutic' in 1966. It is also easy to assume that anyone critiquing the therapeutic movement is advocating some kind of Bible-only approach to human problems, fully rejecting the insights of modern psychology, but this is not at all the case.
The last few chapters include contributions from David Wells and Thomas Oden. Wells' chapter is an adaptation from one of his chapters in No Place for Truth (also published 1993) about the professionalization of the ministry. Oden is particularly well-placed to speak to the trends in theology as someone who had fully embraced modern liberal theology but then experienced a thorough conversion once he delved into the 'ancient ecumenical orthodoxy' of the first 500 years of the church. If that interests you, check out this interview with Oden:
https://albertmohler.com/2015/03/16/t...
All in all, there is a lot in this book that goes against the grain of our modern times, and this is very good for us. I fully agree with John H. White whose endorsement reads: "I have longed for a critique of evangelicalism that was intellectually accurate, deeply appreciative of historic evangelical theology, but at the same time incisive and bold in that critique. Here it is!"
August 27, 2017
This book was difficult for me to read, style-wise. However, it's message is as relevant for us today as it was when it was first printed so it's worth the effort to consume the material. It's tempting to dismiss the book because of its emphasis on modernity and our inclination to dismiss the influence of modernity given that we're now in a post-modern world. That would be a mistake. Idolatry has not ceased in today's age; rather it has continued to increase at an ever-increasing rate. Social causes, politics, consumerism, individualism, and many other beliefs haven been inflated to function as a substitute for God.
There are several statements in the book that some up the essence of the challenge we face today; these include:
- Many American evangelicals have been truly more American than Christian, more dependent on historical myths than spiritual realities, and more shaped by the flag than the cross
- The therapist (counselor / Christian coach, whatever term you want to use) must be more than just a sympathetic, supportive friend. He or she must be able to help clients confront destructive patterns from the past and confront reality. In short, the therapist must give clients support - but not let them off the hook. Or, more simply, the therapist must provide both mercy and justice: tough love.
- When continuing existence is sought directly as an end rather than as a by-product of serving wider needs, the dynamics of idolatry lead to deception and disaster for the organization.
- Only the moment by moment choice of faith through continued prayer and personal intimacy with our Creator can overcome our weaknesses, especially our proneness to idolatry.
One of the most useful concepts within the book is the examination of the progressive nature of compromise. This starts with a statement on the nature of compromise -- "Compromise is compromise regardless of when, how, or why it happens -- though certainly, there are qualifications to it. Thus Christian compromise with the world is usually unconscious, and not deliberate. It can be a matter of lifestyle as easily as belief. And, mercifully, few people go the whole way. Nonetheless, the Christian must recognize and counter the four distinct step involved in compromise with the thinking or behavior of the world." These four steps are assumption, abandonment, adaptation, and assimilation.
Amidst this raise in idolatry, what is most disturbing is the compromise within the church and specifically within the role of vocational ministers. The infiltration of human wisdom and philosophy into the pulpit continues to suffocate the proclamation of the gospel as measures and metrics become more important than living out the call of God. No this isn't a diagnosis of the state of ministry today. Rather, this was just a paraphrase of the conclusion proferred in this book published 25 years ago.
There are several statements in the book that some up the essence of the challenge we face today; these include:
- Many American evangelicals have been truly more American than Christian, more dependent on historical myths than spiritual realities, and more shaped by the flag than the cross
- The therapist (counselor / Christian coach, whatever term you want to use) must be more than just a sympathetic, supportive friend. He or she must be able to help clients confront destructive patterns from the past and confront reality. In short, the therapist must give clients support - but not let them off the hook. Or, more simply, the therapist must provide both mercy and justice: tough love.
- When continuing existence is sought directly as an end rather than as a by-product of serving wider needs, the dynamics of idolatry lead to deception and disaster for the organization.
- Only the moment by moment choice of faith through continued prayer and personal intimacy with our Creator can overcome our weaknesses, especially our proneness to idolatry.
One of the most useful concepts within the book is the examination of the progressive nature of compromise. This starts with a statement on the nature of compromise -- "Compromise is compromise regardless of when, how, or why it happens -- though certainly, there are qualifications to it. Thus Christian compromise with the world is usually unconscious, and not deliberate. It can be a matter of lifestyle as easily as belief. And, mercifully, few people go the whole way. Nonetheless, the Christian must recognize and counter the four distinct step involved in compromise with the thinking or behavior of the world." These four steps are assumption, abandonment, adaptation, and assimilation.
Amidst this raise in idolatry, what is most disturbing is the compromise within the church and specifically within the role of vocational ministers. The infiltration of human wisdom and philosophy into the pulpit continues to suffocate the proclamation of the gospel as measures and metrics become more important than living out the call of God. No this isn't a diagnosis of the state of ministry today. Rather, this was just a paraphrase of the conclusion proferred in this book published 25 years ago.
December 23, 2021
"No God But God: Breaking With the Idols of Our Age" is a compilation of essays, edited by Os Guiness and John Seel. This book was published in 1992 and it is like opening a time capsule into the spirit of the age contemporaneous with the times in which it was written. As such, this book is part history--a history that is a self-critical analysis of how the Church became distracted by the "gods of the age": politics, majoritarianism, victimized minority status, psychological man, church growth, seeker-sensitive, the management-driven professionalization of the clergy, and friendship with and accommodation to the world.
But in addition to being a history, this book is also a prophetic call for the Church to be "God's Impossible People." The last Chapter in this book on the subject is worth the price of the book. So, as a Jeremiad, this book, though dated, is timeless. In a very real sense, that is the central point of this book. God's truth is as timeless and as relevant as God Himself, and to the extent that the Church seeks answers in other places, it is destined to fail at best and to mislead at worst.
This is a thoughtful, philosophical book, written for Christians who wish to benchmark their hearts vis-a-vis the idols of this age and every other age from the moment of creation until now. This is a useful volume that should provoke reflective thought and, where needed, deep repentance. Happy reading!
But in addition to being a history, this book is also a prophetic call for the Church to be "God's Impossible People." The last Chapter in this book on the subject is worth the price of the book. So, as a Jeremiad, this book, though dated, is timeless. In a very real sense, that is the central point of this book. God's truth is as timeless and as relevant as God Himself, and to the extent that the Church seeks answers in other places, it is destined to fail at best and to mislead at worst.
This is a thoughtful, philosophical book, written for Christians who wish to benchmark their hearts vis-a-vis the idols of this age and every other age from the moment of creation until now. This is a useful volume that should provoke reflective thought and, where needed, deep repentance. Happy reading!
January 21, 2012
A look at Christianity's modern idols.
Want to read
May 19, 2014resource for week 10 of Behold Your God
May 7, 2009
solid analysis of the false gods of our age
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews