On political idolatry

11 Responses to “On political idolatry”

1. The Scylding
   July 23rd, 2009 @ 8:51 am

   It is not only the Reformed that fall into this trap, but admittedly, they seem to be the most prone. I have been increasingly frustrated by this.

2. Josh
   July 24th, 2009 @ 6:10 pm

   This is a timely post. The accusations of idolatry were few and far between when Bush was in office.

   While environmentalism or universal healthcare might be idolatrous, is there any doubt at all that the American military aparatus is venerated *even more* by Christians than by non-Christians? The American military stands for protecting women and children; it is an icon of old school masculinity- the kind of masculinity that JC Ryle embraced and which is threatened by “the left.” The American military is, as a unit, unassailable within most churches today.

   Shoot, I was brought up believing that the only thing standing between America and death itself was the Stars Wars missile defense program.

3. Pensans
   July 26th, 2009 @ 6:24 pm

   Pecking at rhetorical excess in an age of transformative govermental expansion is not praiseworthy. The revolutionary transformation of the U.S. federal government over the last 50 years needs firm and clear response.

4. Davey Henreckson
   July 27th, 2009 @ 6:16 am

   Josh: Same here. On a related note, while I have nothing against mass displays of civic loyalty, I wonder whether it’s very healthy for Christians to celebrate Memorial Day but not days in memory of saints and martyrs.

   Pensans: I’m not arguing for or against government expansion. But idolatry is a serious charge, and if it’s being wagged about at the wrong things, we’re doing ourselves a disservice.

5. Matt Cullen-Meyer
   July 27th, 2009 @ 2:20 pm

   Orthodoxy and Heresiology are ambivalent boundaries after all. I am similarly frustrated by oversimplified accounts of idols and idolatry because it implicitly assumes the world is divided up neatly. Rather, it is much more complex and gray. How often are problems internal to the people called to save the world?

   As an alternative to polemic rhetoric I have increasingly became interested in the dialogue taking place between “new traditionalism”/”racial ecclesiology” and “radical democracy”. What I find most prolific from their engagement is that both sides have a point. Liberalism/secularism has a good deal of ills. But so does Christianity (even when theopolitically minded). Their take-away advice seems to be that democratic/ecumenical conversation should at least be more charitable and receptive – from all parties involved. The advantage of both ecclesial and democratic socities is that thoughts, opinions, perspectives, etc. can be exchanged and can be argued for persuasively in front of a non-violent listening audience. I think that whenever “idolatry” is invoked it makes boggy-men out of people/groups and the dialectic process is blocked from taking place.

6. Dave H
   July 28th, 2009 @ 4:38 am

   Perhaps many of the “Reformed” idol labelers have simply learned from them who claim to be anti-Capitalists. A simple Google search of capitalism and idolatry demonstrates this. Idol accusations are highly charged, and based on quite relative assumptions. Kind of like asserting “treason” – a charge invented by winners as an excuse for hanging the losers.

7. Pensans
   July 28th, 2009 @ 6:47 pm

   My point was that your judgment against the use of idolatry in the present context requires a prior judgment that the situation is not critical.

   You cannot justify the criticism of condemning idolatry without supporting the prior implied judgment that things are basically normal.

8. Josh
   July 28th, 2009 @ 11:42 pm

   Without being too partisan, I’d like to add that even worse than casual accusations of “idolatry” are rampant accusations of “heresy” within most American churches, especially ones that are “historical.”

9. Josh
   July 28th, 2009 @ 11:44 pm

   Although Davey, what exactly do you mean by “mass displays of civic loyalty”? Where do you draw the line being paying taxes and ceremonially eating an American flag as a eucharist?

10. Davey Henreckson
    July 29th, 2009 @ 9:06 am

    Great question. I think that mimesis itself isn’t enough to earn the idolatrous label, since — fundamentally — every Christian act is a parody of our ultimate love for Christ and His body. Marital loyalty is not idolatrous by nature, but may be if corrupted. The same goes, I think, for love of specific (and exclusionary) places and people.

    Certain acts, I admit, are fundamentally idolatrous. But at the same time, I’d like to maintain a hard distinction between the created thing and the actions that abuse that created thing. The flag has a proper place and an improper place.

    That said, I’m sure that somewhere in the God-haunted South, some deeply confused Christian brother is trying to patent his brand of red, white, and blue communion wafers.

11. Matt Cullen-Meyer
    August 1st, 2009 @ 6:53 am

    Ah, the icon transmutates to the idol – and back

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