Household Gods by Ted and Kristen Kluck sets out to expose one of the biggest and most overlooked idols of my generation: the family. The Klucks’ premise is that the family has replaced God for many American Christians, and the church does little to challenge this idolatry, possibly even encouraging it. They are spot on in their evaluation.
The book unfolds in a memoir-esk fashion; walking through with brutal honesty Ted and Kristen’s dating, engagement and marriage, their infertility issues, their financial challenges, their over-commitment to sports, and more. They explain how each of these circumstances brought with them new idols to worship, and how these idols eventually came crashing down with emotionally crushing force.
Household Gods is a cautionary tale about how the everyday can become our everything, and leave us broken and empty when our idols fail to deliver. The chapters on infertility, sports, and money are particularly good. While I found this book incredibly convicting, what was missing for me is a celebration of the blessings of following the true God and worshipping Him only. Why not take the reader to the One Source of true life after exposing all the phonies? This is what American Christians are really desperate for.
I appreciated Ted’s cultural references to grunge music, Wes Anderson movies, and the New Calvinists. He has a unique voice as a writer, and this book got me excited to read some of his other books, as this is the first of his I’ve read.
This is a must read for all the comfortable Christians in our churches; the ones who have no major vices, and don’t see themselves as idolaters. We are all worshippers, and Household Gods may just be the wake-up call you need to avoid the emotional fallout of misplaced worship. Check it out!
Please Note: This audiobook was gifted as a part of the Christianaudio Reviewers Program in exchange for my unbiased review of this work. This has in no way influenced my opinion or review of this work. More information can be found about this and other Christian audiobooks at christianaudio.com.