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7 Toxic Ideas Polluting Your Mind
Two conflicting worldviews, Christian and non-Christian, are in constant friction. Unfortunately, Christians are often unaware when they adopt non-Christian ideas. This book examines seven non-Christian ideas that cripple the Christian mind
- GenresNonfictionTheology
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 17, 2019
This is a good one one. I am surprised. My favorite part was in chapter 7 where the author cites (“New”?) biblical theologian Gregory Beale’s work on idolatry. I love a new aspect of a Hebrew word that changes or adjusts my perspective on the text. It’s not that I was far off, but now I have a better understanding.
Here is the quote on page 107 on the chapter on “Consumerism”:
“Tellingly, the Bible links idolatry to the concepts of vanity and emptiness. For instance, many of the Hebrew words used for idols in the Old Testament can be translated as “vanity” or “emptiness.” Idolatry leads to emptiness. G.K. Beale also notes that the Old Testament uses another word for idol that can be translated as “thing of horror” or “thing of shuddering.” Based on the meaning of this word, Beale concludes the following regarding the damaging impact of worshiping vain idols: “To worship such idols will bring only horror and dismay, not the peaceful bliss that is hoped for.”
Read and enjoy! It’s light but deep reading.
Here is the quote on page 107 on the chapter on “Consumerism”:
“Tellingly, the Bible links idolatry to the concepts of vanity and emptiness. For instance, many of the Hebrew words used for idols in the Old Testament can be translated as “vanity” or “emptiness.” Idolatry leads to emptiness. G.K. Beale also notes that the Old Testament uses another word for idol that can be translated as “thing of horror” or “thing of shuddering.” Based on the meaning of this word, Beale concludes the following regarding the damaging impact of worshiping vain idols: “To worship such idols will bring only horror and dismay, not the peaceful bliss that is hoped for.”
Read and enjoy! It’s light but deep reading.
July 25, 2014
This was a good book. This review will pick up on some of its weaknesses.
In its attempt to address some of the malaises which are most common at the moment, it was not always careful with balance.
Chapter 7 (Consumerism) was a great example of how the whole book should have been done. First, it gives two Christian principles which define the contrasting parameters within which Christians should operate (ie. "It's OK to own stuff", and "It's not OK to worship stuff"), before going on to the "Worldview of the Adversary" section.
Chapter 3 (Neophilia) would have benefitted heavily from this approach. After spending most of the chapter saying that Christians should like traditional stuff, and Satan wants us to like new stuff, he then has a section at the end saying that not all new stuff is bad. It would have been more helpful to have this section near the start of the chapter (under "The Biblical Worldview"), and then, rather than just having Preservation vs. Progress, he could also have covered Restoration (replacing the current "new" thing with a better "old" one) vs. Usurpation, and Development (ie. Christian responses to Social Media, which was not necessary in earlier times) vs. Departure (ie. departing from the Bible).
Chapter 4 (Egalitarianism) addresses hierarchy in creation and in the church, but would have benefitted from also considering hierarchy in the family and the nation.
In Chapter 6 (Materialism), he spends quite a bit of time talking about transhumanism, and speaking against it because of its materialistic assumption that humans are perfectable apart from God. Since he brought up the issue, it would have been interesting if he had also covered under what circumstances genetic modification of humans might be acceptable, and clarified that genetically modified humans are still human, and can still find salvation through Christ.
Finally, in chapter 1, he has a section on "identifying the enemy", which he seems to equate with the devil, for the most part. It would have been helpful to see the analysis include coverage of the three enemies of the soul: the world, the flesh, and the devil.
As I said at the start, it was a good book, but I thought I would highlight these weaknesses, either as food for further thought for those who enjoyed it, or as points which could be addressed in a second edition.
In its attempt to address some of the malaises which are most common at the moment, it was not always careful with balance.
Chapter 7 (Consumerism) was a great example of how the whole book should have been done. First, it gives two Christian principles which define the contrasting parameters within which Christians should operate (ie. "It's OK to own stuff", and "It's not OK to worship stuff"), before going on to the "Worldview of the Adversary" section.
Chapter 3 (Neophilia) would have benefitted heavily from this approach. After spending most of the chapter saying that Christians should like traditional stuff, and Satan wants us to like new stuff, he then has a section at the end saying that not all new stuff is bad. It would have been more helpful to have this section near the start of the chapter (under "The Biblical Worldview"), and then, rather than just having Preservation vs. Progress, he could also have covered Restoration (replacing the current "new" thing with a better "old" one) vs. Usurpation, and Development (ie. Christian responses to Social Media, which was not necessary in earlier times) vs. Departure (ie. departing from the Bible).
Chapter 4 (Egalitarianism) addresses hierarchy in creation and in the church, but would have benefitted from also considering hierarchy in the family and the nation.
In Chapter 6 (Materialism), he spends quite a bit of time talking about transhumanism, and speaking against it because of its materialistic assumption that humans are perfectable apart from God. Since he brought up the issue, it would have been interesting if he had also covered under what circumstances genetic modification of humans might be acceptable, and clarified that genetically modified humans are still human, and can still find salvation through Christ.
Finally, in chapter 1, he has a section on "identifying the enemy", which he seems to equate with the devil, for the most part. It would have been helpful to see the analysis include coverage of the three enemies of the soul: the world, the flesh, and the devil.
As I said at the start, it was a good book, but I thought I would highlight these weaknesses, either as food for further thought for those who enjoyed it, or as points which could be addressed in a second edition.
July 3, 2012
7 Toxic Ideas Polluting Your Mind
Anthony Selveggio
What does it mean to live a Christian lifestyle? Is it based on behaviors you can pinpoint and things you can see? Or does a truly Christian approach to the world begin far earlier . . . and subtler . . . than that?
There are two conflicting worldviews: the Christian and the non-Christian. These worldviews are in constant opposition, but since they take place in the mind, many people don't realize that they exist at all.
Unfortunately, Christians often live their lives unaware that they are adopting non-Christian ideas and being influenced by the enemy's worldview. Worldliness is too often equated with conforming to a set of external behaviors, rather than the battle of the mind that it truly is. And when Christians are too concerned and distracted by behavior on the outside, it is all too easy for worldliness to slip into our minds and take hold.
This book examines seven examples of particularly toxic non-Christian ideas that cripple the modern Christian mind. It also offers assistance on how to combat these ideas, to the glory of God. Each idea is explored clearly and understandably, and discussion questions are included to help you pinpoint these toxic ideas in your own thinking-and remove them.
Take a look at these seven ideas and see which of them have entered your thinking . . . and be encouraged to remove the pollution with a truly Christian worldview.
This was a good read. It was about how the current technology and ideology have impacted the world and how it can impact the Church in America especially. There are positives to all technology and that is not forgotten by Mr. Selveggio. He goes through how these 7 ideas have impacted us and how to sort through them. He was able to bring out positives when possible and offer a proper view of these ideas. It was a good read and easy to see how the Church can get carried away or become trapped by these ideas like individualism when we avoid topics that we disagree with rather than enter into relationships without compromising our beliefs.
I would like to thank Net Galley and P & R Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and was never asked to write a favorable review by anyone.
Anthony Selveggio
What does it mean to live a Christian lifestyle? Is it based on behaviors you can pinpoint and things you can see? Or does a truly Christian approach to the world begin far earlier . . . and subtler . . . than that?
There are two conflicting worldviews: the Christian and the non-Christian. These worldviews are in constant opposition, but since they take place in the mind, many people don't realize that they exist at all.
Unfortunately, Christians often live their lives unaware that they are adopting non-Christian ideas and being influenced by the enemy's worldview. Worldliness is too often equated with conforming to a set of external behaviors, rather than the battle of the mind that it truly is. And when Christians are too concerned and distracted by behavior on the outside, it is all too easy for worldliness to slip into our minds and take hold.
This book examines seven examples of particularly toxic non-Christian ideas that cripple the modern Christian mind. It also offers assistance on how to combat these ideas, to the glory of God. Each idea is explored clearly and understandably, and discussion questions are included to help you pinpoint these toxic ideas in your own thinking-and remove them.
Take a look at these seven ideas and see which of them have entered your thinking . . . and be encouraged to remove the pollution with a truly Christian worldview.
This was a good read. It was about how the current technology and ideology have impacted the world and how it can impact the Church in America especially. There are positives to all technology and that is not forgotten by Mr. Selveggio. He goes through how these 7 ideas have impacted us and how to sort through them. He was able to bring out positives when possible and offer a proper view of these ideas. It was a good read and easy to see how the Church can get carried away or become trapped by these ideas like individualism when we avoid topics that we disagree with rather than enter into relationships without compromising our beliefs.
I would like to thank Net Galley and P & R Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and was never asked to write a favorable review by anyone.
August 16, 2012
"The only remedy for the underlying problem that moral relativism attempts to mask is Jesus Christ. The only way for us to be in accord with God's moral law and to deal with our sin, guilt, and judgment is to embrace, through the gift of faith, the person and work of Christ. By means of the imputation of Jesus' righteousness, we are counted as perfectly righteous; and by means of his sacrificial death, we are no longer numbered among the condemned. This is why it is imperative for the church to avoid watering down the glory of God's law and the ugliness of our sin. The church must speak boldly about these realities to a culture immersed in sissified forms of tolerance that avoid speaking truth. It is the church's calling to prophesy to this age by unmasking this lie of moral relativism and offering the balm of the gospel in its stead."
-page 125
"Those in the evangelical church today who are being lured by the siren call of postmodern relativism, who are increasingly uncertain that truth can be known, or that it matters all that much anyway, would do well to ponder the fact that this uncertainty goes to the very heart of what Christianity is all about. The church that embraces relativism is a church that rejects biblical Christianity, and the ramifications are being widely felt in the Christian world. Doctrine is being neglected. Piety is declining. The lines that define the boundaries of orthodoxy are being blurred. The gospel is being watered down and recast. Relativism in the church is eroding the authority of biblical truth."
-page 121
"Evangelicalism has given us the independent church, which rejects all outside authority and hierarchy and instead embraces democratic self-rule. Evangelicalism has rejected the historical creeds and confessions in favor of the theological fancies of the untrained pastor of the moment. Evangelicalism has disrobed and demoted the clergy, choosing instead to invest ecclesiastical authority in the laity based on a perverse misunderstanding of the Reformation doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. In the evangelical church, everyone is in charge. The person in the pew is an empowered consumer exercising free choice in the government of the church. In evangelicalism, it is all about me and my Bible."
-page 62-63
-page 125
"Those in the evangelical church today who are being lured by the siren call of postmodern relativism, who are increasingly uncertain that truth can be known, or that it matters all that much anyway, would do well to ponder the fact that this uncertainty goes to the very heart of what Christianity is all about. The church that embraces relativism is a church that rejects biblical Christianity, and the ramifications are being widely felt in the Christian world. Doctrine is being neglected. Piety is declining. The lines that define the boundaries of orthodoxy are being blurred. The gospel is being watered down and recast. Relativism in the church is eroding the authority of biblical truth."
-page 121
"Evangelicalism has given us the independent church, which rejects all outside authority and hierarchy and instead embraces democratic self-rule. Evangelicalism has rejected the historical creeds and confessions in favor of the theological fancies of the untrained pastor of the moment. Evangelicalism has disrobed and demoted the clergy, choosing instead to invest ecclesiastical authority in the laity based on a perverse misunderstanding of the Reformation doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. In the evangelical church, everyone is in charge. The person in the pew is an empowered consumer exercising free choice in the government of the church. In evangelicalism, it is all about me and my Bible."
-page 62-63
February 8, 2018
Culturally relevant!
Quality read, insightful, accurate, biblical, very helpful to this pastor as we navigate current culture. These ideas are infected Christians and polluting the church.
Quality read, insightful, accurate, biblical, very helpful to this pastor as we navigate current culture. These ideas are infected Christians and polluting the church.
February 3, 2012
A good, quick read addressing some of the major ways worldly thinking has infected the Church. The chapters on materialism and consumerism were particularly convicting.
November 10, 2023
I had to read this book while in River City Institute. I remember looking at the chapters and thinking, "I don't really have any issues with these, so it will probably be a boring read." Boy was I wrong. I think every American Christian should read this book. The toxic ideas referenced in this book can be so engrained in us that we think they don't affect us. But they do.
February 7, 2025
I read this book because somebody gave it to me, and it was short. Although it was easy to read, and I generally agreed with it, I did not leave it with the urge to pass it on.
September 8, 2012
It is well done and methodical in its presentation. Each idea is presented and defined. Then Scripture is looked at to see what it says about the idea. He then shows how the idea manifests itself in the church and how it can be moderated where needed or expunged if necessary. It is a good little book and easy to read.
January 30, 2012
Not bad. Mr. Selvaggio does a good job at pointing out how these ideas may have crept in, or are beginning to creep in, to our thought patterns.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews