If you have never seen the 2016 Christian film Risen then maybe you might want to give it a try. Joseph Fiennes stars as the Roman Tribune Clavius who is tasked by Pilate to find the body of Jesus that has gone missing. It's one of those films that because of the subject matter it was not projected to be successful....but Christians did turn out to see it.
I posted a review of the film after it came out in the theaters in February of 2016. As for this post there are two scenes that I want to point to. In one....Clavius and Pontius Pilate are relaxing in a Roman bath....and Pilate says that he prays to the god Minerva for wisdom in his job. Clavius states that he prays to Mars....the god of war. In another scene Clavius places a coin or two before a little statue of Mars situated in a wall....placed there for easy access for the Roman soldiers to offer oblations.
Here's my point. We today tend to think of other gods and idols as portrayed in this film as ridiculous religious beliefs of some before we became so enlightened.....and since we do not have temples to these gods....the many passages in Scripture therefore do not pertain to us....other than for historical significance.
Those who see no problem at all with abortion are as much as offering sacrifice to Molech. There are no statues....and no prayers....but there is more than a similarity to a pagan god involved. We do the same thing with wisdom in that when we try to scientifically disprove something in God's Word....science or knowledge has become our god. We do actually have statues to idols....as the Academy Award figurine would be one.....and certain sports trophies would be others. That famous bronze charging bull right on Wall Street points to our god of money and financial success and prosperity....and as for the god Mars....that would be dependence upon military might....not the existence of armies to defend us....but the dependence upon them for our safety and security.
I have some gods of my own....the television would surely be one. I may try to tell myself that since it is only a 21" set that it's not really a god....or that we only have basic cable….or I may point to the fact that it is not used often that it would not qualify as a god....or if it is a god....then it is a very benign one. I have many times enjoyed trips to Washington D. C....maybe I make the excuse that my father is buried at Arlington....but I always take the time to admire the monuments....and the White House.....and the Capitol....and the most obvious problematic symbol of pagan worship of all.....The Washington Monument.
The Apostle Paul probably stopped and looked at all the temples on the Areopagus....maybe even admiring the architecture a bit....and he even quoted some of their pundits and radio talk show hosts.....(actually their philosophers)....but he used his experience to point to the true God....that can be known....that really has to be known if we would but look around at creation.
Christians surely have had these struggles in every age....and ours may be more common as we live in Vanity Fair....but acknowledging the challenges are at least the beginning of defeating them as did Bunyans's Christian and Faithful and Hopeful and Christiana. I do look at the monuments in our capitol....and on Civil War battlefields.....differently than I once did....as I may wonder about the eternal soul of the man depicted on the horse. I may see the accomplishment of the Best Actor Academy Award....but never separate it from the question of whether that man or woman knows Christ....and I love our flag....and have consistently lifted up our military.....but God alone determines the fate of nations.....and peoples.
Note: After posting this I thought that I could have listed music as at times a God in my life. SiriusXm changed their channel numbers a few months back....and consequently I had not listened to 60s music since then since I had not reprogrammed my radio. So....a few hours after posting the above....after sitting down with a cup of coffee.....and turning on the radio....I put channel 73 in by hand....(the new 60s channel).....and the very first sounds to come out were the first words to 1968's The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown's #2 song in America....#1 in England....literally shouted if you remember...."I AM THE GOD OF HELLFIRE....AND I BRING YOU.....FIRE!"
