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Dr. Randy White
www.randywhiteministries.org
 
Who says idol worship is no longer in vogue?  The religious world is overflowing with false gods receiving false worship under false pretenses.  And I'm talking about Christianity, not Hinduism, animism, Islam, or paganism.
 
Recently I did a web-search of the words "to me God is."  The results are startling.  I learned that God is everything from love, to our cumulative good, to the universe itself.  It turns out that when we "create" a god, he/she/it is whatever we want him/her/it to be.
 
Let me give you a startling truth:  Unless your belief about God came from the Bible, your belief is wrong.  Not only wrong, it is idolatrous.  It is an image of God falsely and foolishly invented in the confines of your own head and heart.   The big problem is that you are worshiping that false, self-created god!
 
One of the "best selling" gods on the bookshelves of Christian bookstores, and close to the heart of many deceived Christians, is found in the bestselling book, "The Shack" by William Paul Young.  Terrifically entertaining and deceptively comforting, millions have been drawn into the book and gone away entertained and comforted…and deceived.
The book portrays Jehovah God as a "large, beaming African Woman". Jesus is a somewhat klutzy 30-something Jew called "greasy fingers" by his "Papa", and the Holy Spirit is an Asian woman named Sarayu.
 
I really need go no further (though there is plenty more unbiblical material). None of this "picture" of God  is accurate concerning or in agreement with His perfect revelation of Himself through Scripture and in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.
 
The reduction of God in "The Shack" is dishonorable to Him. He does not just want our worship, He wants us to worship "in Spirit and in Truth". He does not just want His name used, He wants His Name Hallowed.  (For specific theological problems with "The Shack", read my blog article here.)
 
Shamefully, Christian bookstores, including that of my own denomination, LifeWay Christian Stores, have no problem with the ill-gotten-gain of this God-dishonoring and idol-creating work of theological heresy. 
 
"But it comforts me!"  This is the most common reaction I get from those who believe that "The Shack" is okay.  Because it is labeled "fiction" it is given a pass.  Because it provides comfort to those in need, it is applauded.  With forked tongue, these same people would quickly lambaste cults for preying upon hurting people during a time of their need, sweeping them into theological shipwreck.
 
Another common false god created in the Christian world is the Healing and Helping god of Benny Hinn.  I do not know why Hinn has not been completely rejected as a false prophet.  Instead, his followers flock to him in throngs around the world.  Almost each time I preach against Benny Hinn in my own church I lose a member or two, offended that I would dare speak a word of indictment against this wolf in the hen house.
 
Hinn's heresy proclaims that, "If you are a covenant person, God will take care of you, even in times of famine and difficulty: "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7)."  As if that misuse of scripture is not enough for one webpage, he goes on to state that, "While the world struggles, you will rejoice, for the God you serve has given this promise:
 
In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword. Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. (Job 5:20-22)
 
Hinn concludes, "That passage says that the Lord will take care of you so completely that you will laugh in the face of destruction and famine because you belong to God."
 
When I first saw this, my mouth dropped in amazement.  I have never seen such blatant misuse of scripture in a charlatan's fashion as this.  The quote from Job 5, used by Hinn as a proof-text of the "helping god" he has created, contains the words of one of Job's three pagan and deceived friends.  Eliphaz was the "self-help, positive thinking" spokesman of his day.  The words of Eliphaz are clearly and unmistakably words of heresy that came from the worship of a false, homemade god.  How Hinn can, with a straight face and honest spirit, use the words of a false prophet to teach truth about Almighty God is beyond me.  Hinn is a hoax.
 
Many in the evangelical church have developed the god of the growing church.  This god's great hand is displayed when the pragmatism and presentations of the pastor bring power, prestige, and positive image of the church in the community.  This false god has been worshiped (in the name of Yahweh) for so long that many of his followers honestly think they are serving the god of the Bible.  They are deceived, along with the millions of followers who fill their churches.  The real idol to which the pastor, church leadership, and members bow down is the god of church growth.  To every god a sacrifice is made, and this god requires removing the more "offensive" matters of the Christian faith and practice from the pulpit proclamation.  How can you tell if your church is worshiping this false god?  Just watch to see what happens the next time attendance is down.  If leadership gets restless, finger-pointing and accusation begins, and more and more effort is given to marketing schemes and content-free programing to attract the bigger-still crowds, your church has created this false god.
 
All of the worshipers of these false gods think and say they are worshiping the "one and only" God.  But what you think and say about God does not determine whether or not your thoughts and words are accurate.
 
In Exodus 32 you can read the account of the creation of the golden calf by Aaron in the wilderness.  When Moses had not come back, the Hebrew nation wanted "a god who will go before us."  This is how false gods begin; with a felt-need.  This is the danger of today's application-based preaching:  it creates false gods.  Having felt the need for a god they could see, they fashioned the jewelry that God had given them from the Egyptians into a golden calf.  Aaron also built an altar before it, and announced that "This is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt" (Exodus 32:4).
 
What a startling falsehood!  This is a bald-faced, thread-bare, no-shame lie!  The God who brought them out of Egypt was not a golden calf!  This was a completely made-up god.  But nobody makes up a god and admits it.  Rather, they make up a god and call that god by the name of the true and revealed god.  William Paul Young does this in "The Shack."  Benny Hinn does this with his prosperity god.  Church leaders across America do this with their god of the growing church.
 
As Aaron continued, he was so blatant as to say, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh" (Exodus 32:5).  The deception of Satan allows us to worship a golden calf and call it a feast to Yahweh.  It is for this reason that Peter says that false prophets "secretly introduce destructive heresies" (2 Peter 2:1). 
 
In these last days, the creation of man-made gods is increasing, as Jesus said it would.  There are many "antichrists" in the world today, and new ones daily.  This serves to indoctrinate the masses to the coming Antichrist who will ultimately be the false god followed blindly by the people of the earth.
 
Colossians 2:18 speaks of one who is "taking his stand on visions he has seen."  Sadly, this is a common occurrence through the church today.  Rather than this dangerous practice, make it your daily commitment to worship God as He has revealed Himself to be, not as you have imagined Him to be.
 
Further Resources for deeper study--
 
"The Antichrist:  What you can know, what you need to know" by Randy White.  Get the 200 page informative book and a 90-minute DVD teaching video for only $15 (plus $3 S&H) by requesting the Worldview Weekend special.
 
"God is Revealed" by Randy White.  This 45-minute audio sermon will powerfully remind you of the need to limit your understanding of God to the revelation He has made of Himself.  The CD is available for $5 (plus $1.50 S&H).
 
Bonus:  Order both and receive free shipping and handling!  Only $20 for the book, DVD, and audio CD!
 
Click here to order.
 
To contact the author:  randy@randywhiteministries.org