Dallas Willard on "idols"

I am loving Dallas Willard's new book "The Great Omission." In a chapter on spiritual formation he is talking about how he got on an airplane and everyone looked like a Baptist to him. Dallas Willard is a Baptist and he said that he can't actually state how Baptists look but that he recognizes it because he's been in the middle of it all his life. Anyway he quotes 2 Cor. 4:7 "we have this treasure in earthen vessels" and then he says, "you cannnot avoid having a vessel. You have a Baptist vessel, and you have a Benedictine vessel, and a Quaker vessel, and so forth.

"The problem comes when we mistake the vessel for the treasure, for the treasure is the life and power of Jesus Christ. We have to have a form of life, a vessel, a "spirituality," if you wish....But to make that spirituality my life--that's the point at which I may begin to think that being a good Baptist is more important than being a good Christian, than being obedient with my whole person to Jesus Christ. At that point I am back in flesh and have become spiritually off balance.

"Now, substitute for "Baptist" anything you want. It doesn't make much difference. it is all the same if a spirituality is just a way of conducting religioius life. The problem is that conducting the religious life can become an entirely cultural kind of thing. And we can idolize our religious culture. There are many, many ways of doing this. It is so important for us to remember that a culture can capture us and shut off our access to the supernatural spirituality of the Kingdom of God...

"I'm sorry to say this, but too much of what we call Christian is not a manifestation of the supernatural life of God in our souls. too much of what we call Christian is really just human."

I'm recommending this book. I think it would be helpful for young guys who are trying to make sense of what we call the church in American culture. It's helpful for an old guy like me because after years in the ministry you see a lot of infantile behavior of people who are in love with their earthen vessel but not the treasure. They ought to know better. It is so sad. Through the years when you see a little of it here and there you take it in stride but at some point it has added up to a critical mass and you begin to wonder if you are doing any good. Paul talks about people who have a form of religion and that's what they love, not the wonderful treasure.

So Willard helps you understand the depravity and false spirituality of those who love the earthen vessel and then he gives you a chapter on "Personal Soul Care For Ministers...And Others" It's very rich. Then he blows you away with something that you have to read four times and you're still not sure you understand it. So much more to learn. So much of what people think is being a good Christian is just a lot of "idols" just their earthly vessel, a form of spirituality but really nothing.