Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller
Week 6: Chapter 5 — The Power and the Glory
Read Chapter 5 of Counterfeit Gods. Key passage: Genesis 41–50 (Joseph's rise, fall, and restoration); also Matthew 20:20–28.
Previewing Week 6 of Counterfeit Gods
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 9-week guide when you’re ready.
Power — the desire to control outcomes, people, and one's own destiny — is one of the oldest human idols, and Keller traces it through Joseph's story and into the corridors of politics, family life, and the human heart.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.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?
2.Keller argues that the desire for power is often really a desire for safety — that we grasp for control because we are afraid of what will happen if we don't control things. Does that feel true to your experience? When is your desire to control things most intense, and what fear is usually underneath it?
3.The chapter explores political idolatry — the tendency to look to political leaders, parties, or movements to provide the salvation that only God can give. Keller wrote before the extreme political polarization of the 2010s and 2020s, yet his diagnosis feels remarkably current. Where do you see political idolatry operating in your own heart or community?
a.What does it look like when someone has made politics their primary identity and source of hope?
b.How can Christians engage political life seriously without making it ultimate?