Holy Idols, The drift

November 7, 2026 33:21

When you were five, Noah came on a flannel board, with two giraffes, a big boat, and a rainbow. That version wasn't wrong. It was early. The trouble is that most of us never go back.

In this second episode of the Holy Idols series, Dr. Kenny Embry looks at how careful, devoted Christians drift. It doesn't happen through rebellion. It happens through reasonable steps that harden good conclusions, until the picture of God in our heads quietly stands in for God himself. Drift is natural, but it is never harmless.

In this episode

How sincere Bible study turns into expertise, and expertise into a hardened picture of God
Why the Pharisees didn't leave God for the world, but left him for the Sabbath
Why working isn't the same as understanding, and confident predictions that missed
What Scripture says plainly versus the guesses we fill in
Ossify, or what happens to a conclusion that worked for a long time
Why the disciples still had the flannel board version in Acts 1
The difference between maturing and drift, and falling in love with the tools instead of God

Chapters

The flannel board version of Noah
Where this series is going
Pathway versus proxy
Working is not understanding
But Scripture is different?
How much of God do you understand?
The Messiah nobody expected
Where we land
What comes next

Scripture referenced

Genesis 7 verse 2, Genesis 9 verses 20 through 27, Nehemiah 13 verses 17 and 18, Mark 3 verses 1 through 6, Mark 4 verses 37 through 41, Mark 8 verses 29 through 33, Luke 2, Acts 1 verses 6 through 8, Colossians 1 verse 26, John 7 verse 51, Acts 15, 1 Corinthians 13 verse 12, Luke 15

This series comes from Kenny's book, Holy Idols: Godly Acts, Godless Hearts.

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