We are all too familiar with the same old human pitfall: we rush after the desires of our hearts and worship ourselves instead of Jesus Christ. And yet, the dangers of inward idolatry are a neglected topic in Western theology.
Without God's First-Commandment-focused Law, we would never truly know the depth of our spiritual disease. Anything we fear, love, or trust more than the true God is, plain and simple, our god.
Drawing upon Martin Luther's key insights on the theology of idolatry, The Unholy Trinity unmasks contemporary idol worship and its futility. Luther's unparalleled ability to get to the heart of human sin helps us see through the lie of self-sufficiency. Only when walls of man-made security are broken down can we hear the Gospel as good news-by grace, God gives us every good thing we vainly try to provide for ourselves.
Show moreWe are all too familiar with the same old human pitfall: we rush after the desires of our hearts and worship ourselves instead of Jesus Christ. And yet, the dangers of inward idolatry are a neglected topic in Western theology.
Without God's First-Commandment-focused Law, we would never truly know the depth of our spiritual disease. Anything we fear, love, or trust more than the true God is, plain and simple, our god.
Drawing upon Martin Luther's key insights on the theology of idolatry, The Unholy Trinity unmasks contemporary idol worship and its futility. Luther's unparalleled ability to get to the heart of human sin helps us see through the lie of self-sufficiency. Only when walls of man-made security are broken down can we hear the Gospel as good news-by grace, God gives us every good thing we vainly try to provide for ourselves.
Show moreRev. Dr. Michael Lockwood is a parish pastor in the Lutheran Church of Australia. He is also a member of the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations of the Lutheran Church of Australia.
"Michael Lockwood shows that God's use of the Law-for Christians as
well as for non-Christians-includes the sufferings of life that
destroy our self-sufficiency, which is the root of all idolatry.
His book is full of practical suggestions for pastoral care and
evangelistic outreach and will be an enormously helpful resource
for pastors."
-Dr. Gene Edward Veith, Emeritus Professor of Literature, Patrick
Henry College
"How does a preacher best commend the Christian faith to people who
have no need for the Gospel, let alone any desire to participate in
the Divine Service? Dr. Lockwood provides us with a diagnostic tool
for effective proclamation by his excellent analysis of Luther's
teaching on human idolatry and the impact of its delusive claims. .
. . This thoroughly biblical, culturally relevant study is a joy to
read."
-Rev. Dr. John W. Kleinig, Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology,
Australian Lutheran College
"Saint Augustine spoke of idolatry as worshiping anything that
ought to be used, or using anything that is meant to be worshiped.
John Calvin spoke of the human mind as a perpetual forge of idols,
daring to imagine a god suited to its own capacity. And now we have
mighty Luther, who shares the stance of Augustine and Calvin, but
whose many statements on idolatry have never before been gathered
together or considered in such a substantial, accessible, and
pastorally fruitful manner."
-Mark P. Ryan, Adjunct Professor of Religion and Culture, Covenant
Theological Seminary; Director, Francis A. Schaeffer Institute
"In two ways, Michael Lockwood has done us all a great service:
he has rendered a fundamentally important theme in Luther's
theology accessible, and he's shown us why it matters. In nine,
deeply researched and highly readable chapters, Dr. Lockwood not
only describes Luther's analysis of idolatry, but he also explains
how idolatry functions. For Luther, idolatry is false faith. It's a
lethal trust in the wrong thing in the wrong way. Luther didn't
regard idolatry as misplaced philosophy, with merely academic
consequences, but as a deadly peril because of what it actually
does. . . . Michael Lockwood's writing is saturated with Luther in
the best possible way. He shows not only what Luther said in the
past, but why it's important to keep hearing it in the present.
This volume is not just an important contribution to Luther
studies, it's a seminal book for understanding the distinctive work
of Christian ministry and the uniqueness of the Christian
Gospel."
-Rev. Dr. Noel Due, Ministry and Mission Support Pastor, Lutheran
Church of Australia, SA/NT District
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