Counterfeit Gods – The empty promises of money, sex, and power, and the only hope that matters By Timothy Keller

Where do we place our faith? What do we spend our time and money on? That is what we value – good and bad. We pursue things for happiness right? But how many of us are happy? Counterfeit Gods is another way of saying idols – and not the ones maybe you are thinking of. We don’t like to use that kind of language so Keller puts it into verbiage we can relate to very easily. I agree with my pastor that Keller is one of the best writers to not only identify but describe idolatry without us feeling either moronic or bored.

I love how Keller describes and explains how anything morally neutral can also become an idol along with the more obvious examples. This is a great follow up to The Reason for God and The Prodigal God which also pushed people to think long and hard about themselves, and to engage with others on the subject. I little introspection can be a good thing.

The Prodigal God – Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith By Timothy Keller

When I first read the parable of the prodigal son I always felt more drawn to the older brother. Conventional wisdom told me that I was wrong and that the story is about the younger brother. Well Mr. Keller has helped me further define it all. It is a story about redefining sin, hope and longing for home. Ultimately it is about the Gospel. This is a great book and maybe even a group study. It is not a hard book to read but it may be hard to digest sometimes and it would behoove you to mull it rather than just flip through as I am wont to do. Definite thumbs up.