The master

After Matthew 6:24 

Money is an unforgiving

master, stern in demeanor,

whispering, always

whispering of its beauty,

its power, its desirability,

its allure, its promise

of control. The only way

it accomplishes these

things is by growing,

always growing, requiring

and demanding more

of itself. Thou shalt have

no other gods before it,

because money requires

total focus, and love,

and worship, and sacrifice,

and enslavement. It allows

no other master; it tolerates

nothing but obedience.

Serve money or serve God.

You choose.

 

Photograph by Meritt Thomas via Unsplash. Used with permission.

"Counterfeit Gods" by Timothy Keller

I found this book in a rather odd place – the LSU campus bookstore in Baton Rouge. Like most campus bookstores these days, it’s much easier to find the brand apparel – the gods of our alma mater – than it is to find the books. But it was prominently displayed on a longish table, part of which was devoted to religious books.

 The book was Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters by Timothy Keller. Keller, a pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America denomination, is well known in Christian faith circles. He’s the founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, with a congregation of 5,000+ and numerous daughter churches. He’s also actively involved in planting churches internationally.

Keller became widely known in much broader circles last year, when Princeton Seminary announced that he would receive the Kuyper theology prize. Seminarians exploded in outrage – Keller is known for his conservative, Biblical views on marriage and women’s ordination – and the seminary then rescinded the prize (but they still wanted him to give a lecture). Keller handled the controversy with far more grace than the seminary did.

This book (Keller’s written many books) called Counterfeit Gods was published in 2009, almost a decade ago. In a culture that travels at the speed of the internet, a book published a decade ago would be, or should be, rather dated. Counterfeit Gods is not. It could have been published yesterday. Its message is even more applicable in this era of fake news, issues of sexuality and personal freedom, and the increasingly vicious fights for political power.

He dispassionately considers the things in our lives and culture that we turn into idols – love, money, success, power, attention, patriotism, and more. Each discussion centers on a story from the Bible. It’s no surprise that none of these things are new; people have been making idols of the same things for thousands of years. Solomon was right: there is indeed nothing new under the sun, at least as it concerns the human condition.

Timothy Keller

Keller is the author of numerous books on faith, including works on family, marriage, prayer, justice, books of the Bible, and other subjects. In 2017, he stepped down as Redeemer’s senior pastor and is doing full-time teaching in a partner program with Reformed Theological Seminary.

I can pick up the newspaper today, and I can look at my own life, and I see why a book like Counterfeit Gods is timeless. That’s how wisdom works. Everything else passes away.

Top photograph by Nilton Oliviera via Unsplash. Used with permission.

When You Make a Lot of Money

I was having lunch with a friend. We had met at church, and discovered we not only worked for the same company, we also worked in buildings across the street from each other. We had previously met for lunch, arranging to meet at the entrance of the company cafeteria. This time he was coming from a meeting, so I told him to pick me up at my office on the way and then we’d head to the cafeteria together.

When he arrived and knocked at the open door, his entire expression hanged. I asked if something was wrong, and he shook his head. We walked down to the cafeteria, with me doing most of the talking. He acted and spoke with reserve, and he seemed troubled by something.

As we ate, he finally said, “You’re a grade 41.”

Surprised he would know, I nodded.

“Your office,” he said. “It’s the office for a 41.” Until that moment, I had known there were grades, but I didn’t know that offices also contained their own hierarchal code.

“Stock options,” he said. “Executive bonus.” I nodded again.

To continue reading, please see my post today at The High Calling.

Photograph by Talia Felix via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.