I remember the talisman-like power I placed on the amount of time I spent reading the Scriptures in college. If I missed a morning session of Bible reading, I felt like anything bad that happened that day was caused by missing my ritual. I was less concerned with the sincerity and reverence of my behavior toward God than with checking off that box to ensure a good day for myself.

I have a piece over at The Gospel Coalition on the problem of the pious superstition.

Last week I was speaking with a man who drives for a ride-share company, and he told me about the rosary hanging from the rearview mirror in his car. It’s been there for his entire career, and during that time he hasn’t had an accident. An acquaintance of his had removed the rosary from his own rearview mirror, and soon after got in an accident. “How do you explain that?” he said.

The human tendency toward superstition is strong. We can all lean toward spiritualizing objects, behaviors, and beliefs without a Rconcern for the person and will of God. We love our superstitions and the talismans that seem to protect us from the things we fear most.

Charmed Christian Life

As followers of Christ, we aren’t immune to superstitions and talismans. Too many Christians fall prey to the temptation to use the good things of the Lord to control our fates apart from him.

I remember the talisman-like power I placed on the amount of time I spent reading the Scriptures in college. If I missed a morning session of Bible reading, I felt like anything bad that happened that day was caused by missing my ritual. I was less concerned with the sincerity and reverence of my behavior toward God than with checking off that box to ensure a good day for myself.

We can turn anything into pious superstition, even church attendance and participation. If I just show up Sunday morning or join the right ministry team, God will bless my life. Others might even join the church’s leadership, hoping that being a professional Christian will better ensure the blessings of God.

None of these activities is bad. In fact, they’re quite excellent and beneficial—unless they’re approached as acts of pious superstition.

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