This week we are joined on the Aspastor John podcast with Dr. Richard Lentz, the Vice President

for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Main Campus of Gordon Conwell, Theological Seminary,

just a short drive north of Boston.

Dr. Lentz is also the author of a book that releases this winter titled Identity and

Idolatry, The Image of God and its Inversion in Don Carson's Silver Series, New Studies

in Biblical Theology.

Dr. Lentz, you develop an interesting point on Romans 1 in your new book.

When you point out that sinners exchange God for creative things, this is idolatry, of

course.

But you go on to point out this, quote, humans have persuaded themselves into thinking that

other creative things will satisfy their deepest longings.

The apparent wisdom in this is the illusion that creative things can be more easily controlled

than the creator, end quote.

There's something profound about our desire to be deeply satisfied in the things that we

can control.

Control freaks love idols.

Explain this.

Yeah.

And I do think that there is something really unique about contemporary idols in this respect,

although the dynamic of control is present in most forms of idolatry across every age,

across every culture.

But what's unique in our time is we think about the idols of our own heart is that we believe

...