American Idol is back… and reminding us to keep out pants off the ground! I think one reason American Idol is so popular is that we Americans love our idols. Even beyond idolatry of money or fame, we can manage to idolize just about anything.  Even… church?

According to some, idolatry of church can be a big problem for Christian leaders. Check out these questions posed by John Ortberg on the Out of Ur blog:

• Where does my sense of security come from—from God, or from how my church is doing?
• After a worship service, do I find myself grateful that God is God and feeling joyful that I get to live in his care? Or—if I’m honest—are my emotions dictated more by how many bodies were in the room?
• Do I spend more time thinking about God, or thinking about how to make my church/ministry do better?
• How do I feel when the prospect for more prizes in the church tournament—recognition, praise, reputation, applause—get taken away from me?
• Does my sense of identity flow more out of my relationship with God or out of my performance at church?
• How much do I sacrifice to know God better versus how much do I sacrifice for my church to work better?

John calls this his IQ Test — an “Idolatry Quotient Test.” He says that idols aren’t just bronze statues.  They’re anything that we look to for something only God can provide.  Even good things become bad things when we try to make them God things.  Family.  Relationships.  Success.  Attractiveness.  Food.  None can provide what only God can.

Can church also become an idol if we’re not careful?

UPDATE: Apparently, some think not only the church, but also the Bible, can be so highly regarded, that it becomes idolatrous.  Check out the Village Church’s take on “bibliolatry” in the new movie, The Book of Eli. (Using the same naming convention, what I’ve described in this post would be “ecclesiolatry,” which is, surprisingly, a real word!)

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