9-Week Study & Discussion Guide

Counterfeit Gods

by Timothy Keller·64 discussion questions

Lead your group with the discussion already prepared: a reading plan, thoughtful questions, and printable handouts for everyone.

Last updated August 16, 2026

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Week 1 — FreeRead the Introduction of Counterfeit Gods. Key passages: Genesis 31 (Rachel and the household idols); Ezekiel 14:3; Romans 1:21–25.

Discussion question your group will work through:

1.Keller opens by describing what he calls an "idol factory" — the human heart's relentless capacity to take good things and turn them into gods. In your own words, how does he define an idol? How is this definition broader than the common picture of a carved statue?

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About This Study Guide

At a glance: this is a 9-week study and discussion guide for Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller, with 64 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.

Timothy Keller's Counterfeit Gods (2009) confronts one of the most subtle and pervasive problems in human life: the tendency to take good things — love, success, money, achievement, family — and make them into ultimate things. Drawing on Old Testament narratives, New Testament teaching, and sharp cultural analysis, Keller argues that an idol is anything we look to for the meaning, security, and satisfaction that only God can provide. When these "counterfeit gods" fail to deliver — and they always do — the result is not just disappointment but despair, rage, and a disordered life. The book's central hope is that when we identify and dismantle the idols of our hearts, we discover that the only truly satisfying treasure is God himself, revealed most fully in Jesus Christ.

This study guide is designed for either a small group or personal study over nine weeks — one week for the Introduction, one week per chapter, and a final week of review and reflection. The recommended rhythm is: read the assigned chapter before your group meeting or quiet time, journal your honest responses to the questions before discussing them, and then bring those reflections into prayer or conversation. Don't rush. Keller's arguments reward slow reading, and the questions are designed to press past surface agreement into genuine self-examination.

By the end of this guide, you should expect more than intellectual clarity about what idolatry is — you should expect to know your idols more honestly than before. That self-knowledge, painful as it can be, is not the end goal; it is the doorway. Keller's deepest aim, and the aim of this guide, is to lead you toward the one Person who can bear the full weight of your longing without collapsing under it.

Week 1: Introduction — The Idol Factory

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Read the Introduction of Counterfeit Gods. Key passages: Genesis 31 (Rachel and the household idols); Ezekiel 14:3; Romans 1:21–25.

Before diving into specific idols, Keller lays the theological and cultural groundwork — what idolatry actually is, why every human heart is prone to it, and why this ancient problem is urgently modern.

2.John Calvin's phrase, which Keller borrows, is that the human heart is a "perpetual factory of idols." Does that description feel harsh, accurate, or both? What reaction does it stir in you?

3.Keller distinguishes between "surface idols" (the specific things we want, like money or approval) and "deep idols" (the fundamental drives beneath them, like security or control). Try to identify one surface idol that is active in your life right now.

a.What deep idol might be driving it — comfort, power, approval, or control?

b.How does naming the deep idol change how you think about the surface one?

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9-Week Schedule

Week 2: Chapter 1 — All You've Ever Wanted

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Read Chapter 1 of Counterfeit Gods. Key passage: Genesis 12–22 (Abraham and Sarah; the offering of Isaac).

1.Keller traces the long, painful arc of Abraham and Sarah's longing for a child. How does the delay of Isaac's birth — spanning decades — set up the temptation to make Isaac an idol once he finally arrives?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 3: Chapter 2 — Love Is Not All You Need

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Read Chapter 2 of Counterfeit Gods. Key passage: Genesis 29–30 (Jacob, Leah, and Rachel).

1.Keller describes Jacob's love for Rachel as so consuming that "seven years seemed like only a few days" — and yet argues this very intensity is a warning sign. What is the difference between deep, genuine love and love that has crossed into idolatry?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 4: Chapter 3 — Money Changes Everything

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Read Chapter 3 of Counterfeit Gods. Key passage: Genesis 38–47 (Jacob, Joseph, and the story of wealth and provision); also Luke 12:13–21 (the Parable of the Rich Fool); 1 Timothy 6:6–10, 17–19.

1.Keller distinguishes between using money and trusting money. In practical terms, what does it look like to use money without trusting it? What are the signs that money has moved from a tool to a trust?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 5: Chapter 4 — The Seduction of Success

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Read Chapter 4 of Counterfeit Gods. Key passage: Genesis 11:1–9 (the Tower of Babel); also Philippians 3:4–11.

1.Keller uses the Tower of Babel as an archetypal image of success-as-idolatry — a project built not for God's glory but to "make a name for ourselves." What makes the Babel builders' motivation so relatable, and so dangerous?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 6: Chapter 5 — The Power and the Glory

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Read Chapter 5 of Counterfeit Gods. Key passage: Genesis 41–50 (Joseph's rise, fall, and restoration); also Matthew 20:20–28.

1.Keller uses the story of Joseph to illustrate how power and control can be both genuinely good gifts and serious spiritual dangers. In what ways did Joseph's gifts — administrative skill, vision, and strategic intelligence — create a temptation toward the idol of control?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 7: Chapter 6 — The Hidden Idols

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Read Chapter 6 of Counterfeit Gods. Key passage: Jonah 1–4 (the entire book); also Colossians 3:5.

1.Keller describes Jonah as a man who loved his people, his nation, and his sense of moral and ethnic superiority more than he loved God's purposes. In what ways is Jonah more sympathetic — and more like us — than he first appears?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 8: Chapter 7 — The End of Counterfeit Gods

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Read Chapter 7 of Counterfeit Gods. Key passages: Romans 1:21–25; Colossians 3:1–5; Revelation 21–22.

1.Keller argues that the fundamental problem with idolatry is not that we want too much but that we settle for too little — we exchange the infinite God for finite substitutes. Does that reframing change how you think about your desires? What does it suggest about how God views our longings?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 9: Review & Reflection

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Review your notes and journal entries from the entire book, Counterfeit Gods.

1.Looking back across the whole book, which chapter or case study hit closest to home for you — Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Rachel, the money chapter, success, power, or Jonah? Why do you think that particular one landed so hard?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Book Club Questions More by Timothy Keller Christian Living Faith & Theology For Small Groups For Churches For Pastors & Sermon Series Free Question Generator Make a reading schedule for this book

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About the Counterfeit Gods guide

How many weeks is the Counterfeit Gods study guide?

This study guide covers Counterfeit Gods in 9 weeks, with week-by-week discussion questions, reading references, and closing prayers for each session.

How many discussion questions are included?

The complete guide includes 64 discussion questions across 9 weeks — an average of 7 questions per week, designed for group conversation.

Can I use this guide for a book club?

Yes — the questions are written for group discussion and work well for small groups, book clubs, church studies, and couples reading together.

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