Topple They Must

To say that the gods are work of human hands is to prick human hubris and to invite fierce repudiation…For if it is indeed true that the gods we exalt so highly are resplendent products of our creativity, then it is not surprising that we defend them so belligerently.  And in our jealous protectiveness of the gods we created for ourselves, we display a parody of the true jealousy that is the prerogative of the only true God whom we did not create.  We invest so much of ourselves in our gods, spend so much on them and blend our identity and significance with theirs that it simply will not do for us to have them unmasked, mocked or toppled.  And yet, of course, topple they must before the living God.  For that is the destiny of all human effort that is not for the glory of God or offered to be redeemed by him.  (Christopher Wright, The Mission of God, 160 emphasis mine)