Schlossberg Unpacks Idolatry, Part 1

Herbert Schlossberg. 1990. Idols for Destruction: The Conflict of Christian Faith and American Culture. Wheaton: Crossway Books. (Goto Part 2)

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

The First Commandment instructs us to make God our first priority while the Second Commandment reinforces the First by forbidding the worship of idols. Idol worship is therefore a problem with making something other than God our first priority. This definition makes idol worship a pressing concern in postmodern society, not an anachronistic interest in action figures, as Psalm 115 leads many to assume.

In part one of this review I will give an overview of Schlossberg’s work. In part two, I sketch out his descriptions of idolatry.

 Introduction

Herbert Schlossberg’s book, Idols for Destruction, takes its title from the Prophet Hosea:

 “They made kings, but not through me. They set up princes, but I knew it not. With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction.” (Hos. 8:4 ESV)

The irony found in this verse is that idols lead to self-destruction. While this might seem odd to some, I found during my time as a chaplain intern working in Providence Hospital that the majority of people admitted to the emergency department were there for preventable problems arising from poor lifestyle choices. If self-destruction is a theme in physical health, then how much more difficult is it to maintain good spiritual health?

Schlossberg defines idolatry as: “Any substitute of what is created for the creator.” (6) He states his objective as to find a third way between left- and right-wing politics, a highly ironic statement because “the third way”(10) is a normally prominent progressive theme. While many today talk about how we find ourselves in the end times, Schlossberg begins discussing the collapse of civilization (1-2), a decidedly political tone reflected in his endorsements.

Schlossberg’s focus on idolatry may seem exotic, but the book starts with a preface by Robert Bork and a foreword by Charles Colson, two prominent Nixon-era republicans. Bork was an appeal court judge nominated by Ronald Reagan to serve on the Supreme Court in 1987 only to be rejected by the Senate as too partisan because of his role during the Watergate scandal. Colson led the break in at Democratic Party Headquarters in the Watergate and came to Christ in prison serving time for his crime. Colson later founded Prison Fellowship Ministries. These two endorsements suggest that Schlossberg’s book figured prominently in the culture war on its release.

Background and Organization

Herbert Schlossberg (1935-2019) was a Messianic Jew who earned his doctorate in European Intellectual History from the University of Minnesota. Idols for Destruction was the first of several books that he wrote.

 Idols for Destruction is organized in eight chapters:

Idols of History (11-38=27 pages)Idols of Humanity (39-87=48)Idols of Mammon (88-139=51)Idols of Nature (140-176=36)Idols of Power (177-231=54)Idols of Religion (232-259=27)Consequences and Expectations (260-297=37)The New Community (298-336=38; vii-xi)

These chapters are preceded by an introduction and followed by an index, in addition to the preface and foreword mentioned earlier.

 Schlossberg’s Method

One thing that makes Schlossberg an insightful read is his ability to tease out underlining causes. For example, in writing about historicism he writes:

“The doctrine of multiple causation says that there must be more than one cause and that all causes must be identified: the economic, social, political, religious, cultural, intellectual, and so on. Only then can realistic conclusions be drawn.” (22)

If history has multiple causes and an author focuses only on one, then his presuppositions likely dominant both the analysis and conclusions drawn. For example, it is unlikely that slavery was the only cause of the Civil War, as it has been fashionable to conclude. Urban-rural tensions, theological differences about abolition, attitudes about tariffs and trade, immigration, and the balance of power in Congress all played a significant role in regional strife. Ignoring slavery as a cause would be a mistake, but war was not necessarily inevitable if it had been the only cause of strife and other causes were absent—what if everyone agreed on the theological argument for slavery?

Ressentiment

In his discussion of humanism, the elevation of mankind’s status to divinity—pride—is the root of all idolatry and it motivates the denial of original sin. Theologically, if mankind is perfectible, then no divine savior is needed. Humanism is accordingly a direct threat to the church’s witness and humanitarianism within the church is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, undermining faith in the guise of pursuing social ministry.

In this context, Schlossberg focuses on the concept of ressentiment, the French translation of resentment with additional significance. He writes:

“Ressentiment begins with perceived injury that may have a basis in fact, but more often is occasioned by envy for the possessions or the qualities possessed by another person.” (51)

Sublimated because it cannot be openly expressed, it morphs into hatred or schadenfreude—rejoicing at someone else’s misfortune. Absent faith, it is easy for someone to consider their misfortune as victimhood rather than taking responsibility their own actions and turning things around. Ressentiment functions as the fig leaf to cover up shame and often fosters codependency among individuals and social groups.

This makes ressentiment a politically-charged concept no matter who you talk to because it infers motive, always a provocative move.

Schlossberg views ressentiment as a postmodern theme as social movements prefer claims of victimhood over efforts to accept responsibility in pursuing education and meaningful employment. Victims need do nothing to improve their circumstances because victimhood is a permanent status, not just a lack of food or shelter. Public programs embracing victimhood become pernicious, locking people into poverty and dependency rather than giving them leg up to join the rest of society. Schlossberg notes that in 1959 two-thirds of black families were headed by men but this number fell to half only ten years later after the social programs of the 1960s (68).

Recent concepts like intersectionality that presumably measures multiple levels of victimhood based on race, ethnicity, or gender expand on this concept of ressentiment. Ironically, the idea that victimhood is permanent directly contradicts the fundamental assumption that human beings are perfectible, which suggests that circumstances can turn with effort. The Christian doctrine of original sin is a better explanation of suffering, abuse, and the need for divine salvation.

Assessment

Herbert Schlossberg’s book, Idols for Destruction, outlines the pervasive influence of idolatry on the church and society. Schlossberg writes with an encyclopedic knowledge of the literature. He takes each case of idolatry, explains the first century context, and relates it to a modern context. Although he is an historian, his economic understanding of idolatry runs deep. His book is of interest to committed Christians, clergy, and scholars interested in understanding the cultural debates

Footnotes

https://www.prisonfellowship.org.

https://adventfuneral.com/tribute/det....

Schlossberg Unpacks Idolatry, Part 1Also see:Books, Films, and MinistryOther ways to engage online:Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.netPublisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com Newsletter: https://bit.ly/HNY__2022

 

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