Counterfeit Gods – Timothy Keller
Dr Timothy Keller, founding and lead Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Manhattan, is still perhaps best known for his phenomenally successful first book, The Reason for God.
In The Reason for God, Dr Keller provided something of a counterpoint to the writings of the proponents of New Atheism (Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, et al) in that he presented an informed, intelligent and reasoned defence for the existence of God and, more specifically, the truthfulness of Christianity. In Counterfeit Gods, Dr Keller moves beyond this, fixes his focus upon and critiques Western culture and the Western idolatry which he sees everywhere.
King Solomon, reputedly the wisest man ever to have lived (with the exception of Jesus), observed that ‘there is nothing new under the sun’ (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Dr Keller in his incisive exposure of the personal and cultural idolatry which drives most of us much of the time proves this to be true.
We are still driven by a desire to be beautiful, desirable and to be loved. We still lust after success, power and influence. We remain obsessed and driven by our passion for wealth, money and financial security. We have conned ourselves that we have moved beyond the superstitious preoccupations of our forefathers and yet we all continue to worship at the shrines of Aphrodite, Artemis and Dionysus, only now masked by other names.
This critique of Western culture and the ideology which lies beneath it is masterful. Dr Keller engages with the philosophical and ideological presuppositions which , most of the time, go unnoticed and yet permeate everything, shaping the way in which we see the world.
If all of this makes Counterfeit Gods sound dense and impenetrable, do not fear. Dr Keller writes for a popular readership; the book’s length (a mere 210 pages) means that this can easily be read in a couple of sittings, the prose is lively and Dr Keller takes great care to explain his terms.
Moreover, Counterfeit Gods is accessible because Dr Keller is intently gospel-focused. Dr Keller not only exposes our true heart and that of our consumer driven, sex-obsessed, win-at-all-costs culture, but he also points us to something better.
In order to do this, Dr Keller leads us through the Scriptures and shows us how the saints of the Old Testament, Abraham, Jacob, Jonah, Naaman, Nebuchadnezzar and, from the New Testament, the tax collector, Zacchaeus, were similarly driven and afflicted by idolatry before God stepped in and rescued them.
And this leads me to the great triumph of Dr Keller’s analysis. Dr Keller understands that the gospel is the only true antedote and lasting alternative to idolatry. This is why Dr Keller takes care to show us Jesus Christ everywhere in the pages of Scripture.
The handling of the Old Testament texts is exemplary. In particular, Dr Keller’s understanding of the revelation of the heart of God and the foreshadowing of the crucifixion of Christ in God commanding Abraham to sacrifice Isaac is brilliant.
And like all sound exegetes, Dr Keller has a practical outcome firmly in view. Dr Keller wants us to see the idolatry which entices and so often dominates us. He wants us to see that we might run to Christ. This makes Counterfeit Gods an excellent tool for Evangelism and I would warmly commend this as a gift for your non-Christian friends and family.
For the believer also there is a strong call to action. Dr Keller wants us to see the residues of idolatry in our own lives that we might kill it dead. Moreover, Dr Keller wants us to see that we might be motivated and equipped to share the gospel of Christ Jesus with others,
It is impossible to understand your heart or your culture if you do not discern the counterfeit gods that influence them (p. 165).
Dr Keller wants men and women to see clearly. He wants us to understand the true state of our heart and the true state of the world around us that we might see our desperate need for rescue. And he wants us to see, in the depths of this great need, the glory, magnificence and beauty of Christ Jesus in the gospel that we might run to him, cling to him and depend on him as our very treasure in this world.
Dr Keller understands that as we see and live like this, idolatry is put to death and Christ Jesus is glorified.
Andy Evans
Counterfeit Gods can be purchased here.