IDEOLATRY — God is Not Your Problem: The Character and Nature of God — As Revealed in His Word by Dr Rich Masek begins with a powerful statement that constitutes a warning and a call to awareness: “Mankind has a problem and you might be part of it! Placing the human intellect on a pedestal and worshiping its potential is the core of ‘ideolatry.’” The author uses a powerful neologism to convey a strong point; that we can become engrossed with our mental prowess and the things we create so that our perception of reality is flawed by the things we build in our interpretation of God. While not claiming any affiliation to any form of organized religion, this author helps readers to find clear answers to some of the questions that plague us: Who is God? How does He see us? What is His core nature? What is His plan for humanity? How does He treat us?

Answers to such questions are found in the Bible, in the very word of God, and the author allows the Bible to speak for itself, offering succinct and beautiful commentaries as he does so. Dr Rich Masek writes with simplicity and his conversational style will strike many chords with readers. I loved the personal stories the author shares and his deep understanding of how our minds can be manipulated to pursue truth in the wrong places. This is a well-researched and brilliantly presented book that will challenge readers to reevaluate their beliefs and begin the journey of searching for God where He can be found, and with honesty. This book is an eye-opener, one that will make most of us question what we think we know about God. Highly recommended for anyone seeking God.

IDEOLATRY - God is Not Your Problem by Dr. Rich Masek is a guide to assist readers in taking responsibility for the actions in their lives, viewing the world around them (and the experiences of others) with a clear, open mind, and learning to embrace the absoluteness of God and our roles within this universe. While each chapter assigns scripture and connects it to righteous living today, Masek also reaches far outside the comforts of the Bible with references, studies, examples, and quotes by scientists, psychologists, doctors, and even international commercial and property law to tie in examples of real world application. "Ignorance is no excuse for a breach of protocol when handling a "hazardous" item... and could result in death of the individual. With this in mind, let's take a detailed look at the events that cost Uzzah his life."

In the interests of full disclosure, I should start out by saying that, while I certainly believe in God, I am not actually a Christian. The reason that is important here is that Dr. Rich Masek was still able to speak to me in IDEOLATRY - God is Not Your Problem. While it's pigeon-holed as a devotional in its genre (and to a great extent, it is just that), Masek is scholarly in his approach to outlining a highly intelligent and concise analysis. Christians will certainly appreciate this book, but non-Christians will also find a great deal to resource and inspire. There were multiple passages that I revisited, but for me the most poignant was: "Fear opens the door for the manifestation of all sorts of problems in our own lives. Fear is in direct conflict with love and the opposite of faith." I would recommend this book to those who appreciate a truly academic approach to theology, and to Christians who are interested in a greater understanding of the Bible and the truth behind its words.

In Ideolatry— God is Not Your Problem: The Character and Nature of God — As Revealed in His Word, Dr Rich Masek invites readers with compelling arguments to question their faith and to sincerely ask: Who is God? In this book, the author helps readers to understand the factors that contribute to their constructs of God, which quite often are based on our human understanding and intellectual curiosity or our human experience of either joy or pain. Inviting readers to be receptive to God, the author underlines, among others, the influences we receive, especially from family and loved ones and how these can distort the real image of God. For instance, a child who has been consistently abused may tend to see God as a punishing being while one who experiences affection can form a tender idea of God. But the author helps readers discover God as He reveals Himself through His own word in the Scriptures, independently of our human experience.

This is a well-researched, well-structured, and intelligently composed work that comes across as the author’s gift of faith to humanity and his personal search for the truth about God, about His nature, about His plan for His creation. The writing is clear and enjoyable and the author translates his own personal story of faith into the work in a way that makes it more convincing. Here is a book that will help any reader ask the right questions about what they believe in, but what makes it more compelling is how the author allows the word of God to speak for God. What this book didn’t answer, though, is the question of how people of other religions can define the nature of God. The book is well-written for any person seeking the face of the Christian God. Dr Rich Masek is a great author besides being a good dentist. Ideolatry— God is Not Your Problem: The Character and Nature of God — As Revealed in His Word is a book that encourages readers to seek God by listening to His word, because His word is Truth and it is very accessible.

Ideolatry — God is Not Your Problem: The Character and Nature of God — As Revealed in His Word by Dr Rich Masek is a powerful exposition of one of the attitudes that hinder humans from discovering God as He is and in the way He wants us to discover Him. The author makes the keen observation that the growth of our technology can shift our focus when it comes to the fundamental truths about who we are in relation to God. The human mind has developed over the ages and has made incredible achievements in technology, but our cutting-edge technology poses a great advantage and a huge temptation as well. The temptation is in believing that science can offer credible answers to the questions that haunt the human spirit. Relying solely on our intelligence is the very essence of ideolatry, a neologism that aptly translates the poverty of spirit that characterizes contemporary culture.

Dr Rich Masek shares his journey of faith in this beautiful and well-written book, helping readers see the pitfalls that impede them from welcoming the word of God into their lives with openness of spirit and utter trust. Readers will learn to understand the nature of God by encountering Him in His own word as recorded in the Scriptures. They will understand God’s ultimate plan for humanity and what He created us for. Ideolatry — God is Not Your Problem: The Character and Nature of God — As Revealed in His Word is a compelling, highly instructive, and timely companion for those who want to discover God and their purpose. The writing is confident, clear, and filled with biblical references that give depth and substance to the author’s message. I particularly enjoyed the fact that this author shares his personal experience of faith with readers. In a world and at a time when we are bombarded with all sorts of messages, there is the need to determine which voice we should listen to and which one should be shunned. This book is the tool that will help readers make that distinction in life. Inspiring and very educational!