Breaking the Idols of Your Heart

Breaking the Idols of Your Heart, by Dan Allender and Tremper Longman, IVP, 1998.

A non-traditional Bible Study of the book of Ecclesiastes.  The OT Duo team up again for this non-traditional Bible Study of the book of Ecclesiastes.  About a third of each chapter is a story which illustrates the idol featured in that chapter.  The stories from each chapter read well together . . . it is one long story, actually.  Then, each chapter provides traditional exposition of a portion of Ecclesiastes, with a very little gospel application near the end of each chapter.  This should better be titled, “Seeing the Idols of Your Heart.”  Helpful questions at the end of each chapter.  With my new title, this is a much better book, but it wouldn’t sell.  If you (or someone you know) is struggling to see the concept of idolatry as metaphor for sin, this is a great book.  A great balance between real-world application and the good grounding of biblical exegesis.

For those interested, the authors take the view that the book is a dialogue between the Teacher and a younger more godly man, who mostly agrees with the Teacher, but would like to supplement his view on life.

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