By Jennifer Su McIntyre, TGC. (photo: Emily KenCairn/Unsplash)
When I was a missionary in Taiwan, I was all too familiar with the smell of burning incense offered to Buddhist and Daoist idols. But after retiring from the mission field and returning to the United States, I was surprised to detect that familiar smell in the most unexpected place: a UPS Store. It appeared an employee had set up an altar space in the back room and was praying to Buddha.
The worship of physical idols is widely practiced around the world today. Yet many evangelicals think of idol worship as something that happens only in the unseen places of the heart—the things in life we prioritize over God, such as wealth, prestige, or pleasure (Col. 3:5).
Though acknowledging the hidden idols of our heart is hermeneutically sound and important for our sanctification, we shouldn’t neglect the application of biblical texts about idolatry to physical objects of worship.
Idol Worship in the World and the Word
Western Christians tend to think less about literal idolatry because we don’t often see physical idol worship practiced openly around us. This leads us to believe it’s an outdated practice that lacks relevance in modern Christianity.
But a study of world religions by the Pew Research Center showed that about 28 percent of the world’s population adheres to religions that predominantly practice idol worship. This is only a little less than the 31.5 percent of the world that identifies as Christian.