Book Review- You Are the Treasure that I Seek

What does a young executive with a maxed out credit card and a new wardrobe have in common with a Pygmy visiting a jungle shrine and a preacher who craves Sunday morning compliments?  Not much?  Think again.  There is actually quite a bit that these three characters have in common.  The unifying feature is idolatrous worship.

Pastor and author Greg Dutcher tackles this prevalent but strangely neglected subject in his book YOU are the Treasure that I seek. The subtitle helps show his angle, But there’s a lot of coll stuff out there, Lord.  Dutcher roots his definition and explanation of idolatry in Romans 1.  He shows that at its heart idolatry is about exchanging the worship of the one true God for the worship of other people and things.  The exchange, says Dutcher, in addition to amounting to “vain glory” is ultimately for “a pack of lies.”

It is interesting that Paul simply calls what we traded in for truth ‘a lie.’  It is an all-inclusive term that boldly declares the hollowness of anything or anyone other than God….This is why the most diverse kinds of worshipers can be lumped together.  The naturalist worships the earth.  the humanist worships man.  The atheist worships nothing.  Each has traded in the truth of God for a bogus belief system.  Each person, then, ‘worships a lie.’ (pp. 29-20)

This is also why Dutcher can group the preacher in with the others in the above example.  Instead of craving the glory of God and finding chief enjoyment in God’s supremacy the preacher with his pagan hangover finds himself craving his own glory, the perceived worship of others, and feelings of self-supremacy.  That is, he enjoys both stealing from God and exalting himself.  Ouch!!

But of course it is not just preachers and pagans that are in the sights here.  We are reminded that the human heart has a self portrait and self glory as its mental homepage.  To show this the author spends considerable time using painful personal and practical examples of idolatry to pinpoint the footprints of idolatry.

Ductcher does not leave us here though.  And this is what I really appreciate about this book.  He helps us see that the point is not just to stop idolatry but to start worshiping rightly through Christ.  We are to find satisfaction, joy and meaning through our full-souled worship of God through Christ.  He also is very pastoral in his help for Christians who lapse into pagan thinking and acting:

If you have embrace Jesus as your wrath-bearing Savior, and like me, you’re discouraged that you still find your heart cherishing other things more than Christ, then read on.  I write mainly for you.  While idolatry cannot eternally condemn us any more, it can rob us of the joy that we could have when Christ is our heart’s greatest treasure.  It can subtly surface when we least expect it and sidetrack us in our love and devotion to Him.  We who have been forever freed from idolatry’s penalty can devote the rest of our lives to seeking to cherish Christ more than anything else.”  (p.43)

In addition to tackling an important subject with biblical fidelity and clarity Dutcher is a terrific writer.  He weaves in illustrations, word pictures, humor, and pop cultural references into his gospel-centered application.  Furthermore, he is quite transparent and comes across humbly.  This I think is a key not only as a pastor who claims to preach Christ but as a writer whom we have never met but has something to say about something so intimately personal as our heart’s greatest longings.

There are two helpful appendices.  The first shows idolatry through things like text messaging, sex, pornography and materialism.  Second, the author provides a boatload of resources; quotes, books and prayers to combat idolatry.

Finally, the each chapter concludes with some questions for application.  In addition to being personally helpful they would be ideal to serve as discussion starters in small groups studies.  The author has really made it easy for you if you want to help yourself and others to hate sin and love Christ more.

I give this book 5 out of 5 shamrocks.

I am happy to see that Westminster Books has just recently began selling the book and as usual they are more than fairly priced.

You can also find it at Amazon.

Possibly Related posts:

1. Book Review- Fool Moon Rising
2. Book Review- Holy Subversion
3. Book Review- Praying Backwards
4. Book Review- Glory Road
5. Book Review-A Tale of Two Sons

2 Responses to “Book Review- You Are the Treasure that I Seek”

1. donsands says:

   July 17, 2009 at 1:10 pm

   Thanks for the review. Greg is an exceptional preacher of the Scriptures, and a fine pastor. I have known him for quite some time, and he is one of my pastors.

   BTW, you have an excellent blog. Keep on. Soon we shall see “the clouds, The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
   Even so, it is well with my soul.”

   Lord bless your sermon this Lord’s Day.
2. Erik says:

   July 17, 2009 at 2:02 pm

   Thanks Don. I was greatly blessed by the book. I’m looking for more coming from his pen.