Thursday, April 11, 2013

Review: Gods at War

Gods At War: Defeating the Idols that Battle for Your Heart
By Kyle Idleman
Zondervan February 2013
240 pages
For review from The DeMoss Group 

Gods at War: Defeating the Idols That Battle for Your Heart

Idolatry is something we read about the Bible, an issue that people dealt with a long time ago. It's not something that happens anymore. After all, when is the last time you've seen someone worship a golden calf? But Kyle Idleman argues that idolatry is is alive and well for all of us. Everyone worships something. But even people who would state that they worship God are susceptible to the siren song of fame, success, or sex. In gods at war, Idleman examines the things that we are focused on and teaches readers how to put the focus of their lives back on God.

Pastor Idleman is a very amiable writer. While his topic is serious, he intersperses the pages with personal anecdotes and many moments of wry humor. The book is broken up into four parts - gods at war, the temple of pleasure, the temple of power, and the temple of love. Each section utilizes biblical and contemporary examples and concludes with questions that will help you to figure out which issues are taking over your life. 

This book is an important read, but I wished at certain moments that Idleman had been clearer and carried things out to their conclusions. There are places where he neglects to emphasize that each of the things mentioned - success, sex, family - are good when they are used in the proper place. God gives these exact gifts for us to enjoy. The problem is only when we place God's gifts before God himself. The book also ends rather abruptly. I don't know that readers need a recap of everything that has been covered, but a conclusion would have really strengthened this book.

If you constantly stress about your career, spend your time trying to discover the next big thing in entertainment, or always find yourself on the defensive about your choices, you may discover that you have been worshiping something all along. Kyle Idleman assures his readers that they are not alone, that things can change, and that our focus can be returned to the one who gives us all of these good things. 


To the ladies and gents of the FTC: I received this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

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