The worst kind of poison is the kind that poisons you without you realizing it. There’s no bitter taste, no pain, no sudden weakness, nothing to alarm; yet, the poison is slowly and steadily doing its deadly work.
In such a dangerous condition, our only hope is some kind of test that shows what is undetectable to normal human senses, maybe a scan of sorts that shows up the extent of the poison in our systems. Only then can the antidote be found, prescribed, and taken.
Although the vast majority of Christians don’t realize it, we are being slowly yet steadily poisoned by virtually undetectable toxins. No, this isn’t about chemicals or biological agents; it’s ideas, worldviews, philosophies, and ideologies that we are unknowingly absorbing into our systems every day of life, and that are eating away at the vitals of our spiritual vitality.
Thankfully, Pastor and Professor Anthony Selvaggio has provided a scan to help us see the toxins and the damage they are doing. in 7 Toxic Ideas Polluting Your Mind, he shines biblical light on seven wrong and sinful ideas or ideologies that have subtly infiltrated into our thinking patterns wreaking havoc on our spirituality. He covers:
1. Technopoly: The iPod Nation
2. Neophilia: History is Bunk
3. Egalitarianism: We’re all in Charge
4. Individualism: Every Man is an Island
5. Materialism: All That Matters is Matter
6. Consumerism: Shop Till You Drop
7. Relativism: What is Truth?
Even more thankfully, Selvaggio also provides antidotes to these terrible toxins, biblical truths with which to attack these infiltrators and drive them out of our minds and heart, with #1 and #4 being both especially convicting and especially converting for me.
I predict that as you read you will be stunned to discover how some of these viruses have wormed their way into your thinking and you’ll be grateful to Selvaggio for helping you not only to identify them but also to train you with biblical strategies to combat and defeat them.
It’s a book that stirs us out of our passivity and onto the offensive “to pick up intellectual arms and join the battle for the mind.” It’s a call to battle conformity to the world, but not the kind of worldliness that focuses merely on external behavior; rather it’s a summons to fight against thinking like the world.
Although this is a book that everyone can benefit from (and I certainly did), its popular style, contemporary references, and brevity make it especially helpful for High School and College age readers. It would be ideal for Church Youth Groups and for High School Apologetics courses. Also, great Sunday afternoon reading for teenagers.
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