Turning the Bible into an Idol

Biblical literalism and Fundamentalist Christianity

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Written by Naiomi Gonzalez (originally published May 3, 2026)

On April 18-25, there was an event entitled “America Reads the Bible,” held by the nonprofit organization Christians Engaged. The website for the event states, “In honor of the 250^th birthday of the United States, America Reads the Bible serves as a spiritual celebration of our nation’s founding ideals and a call to rediscover the truth that anchors us today.” The statement of beliefs and values is essentially just a reiteration of Fundamentalist ideals mixed with a bit of Christian nationalism. There is the standard Fundamentalist support for the infallibility of Scripture, belief in the Trinity, a substitutionary atonement understanding of Jesus’ death, and a belief in a literal resurrection. But the page is also clear to endorse marriage as being between a man and a woman, and promote both an anti-abortion stance and rigid gender norms.

The website is also clear about Christianity’s role in society:

“We believe that God has ordained the social institutions of family, church, and government for the benefit of mankind and as a reflection of His divine nature. Therefore, Christians are called to support these institutions, according to God’s design and purpose, and to protect them against destructive social influences. Such involvement is in obedience to Christ’s lordship over all creation and is required by His command to care for the well-being of all people.”

President Donald Trump read 2 Chronicles 7:11-22. For supporters of Donald Trump and the America Reads the Bible event, the passage probably reinforces their notion that America is a country called and blessed by God and that President Trump is a King David/ King Solomon figure tasked with helping turn the country to God. However, for those of us who critique the racism, homophobia, and hatred exemplified by the current administration, the passage reveals the Biblical illiteracy of proponents of Christian nationalism. In addition to the fact that King Solomon is not exactly a ruler worth imitating, whose failure to follow God eventually leads to the Kingdom being torn apart, this passage is not a cosmic blessing for the current administration, but instead a warning. Trump reading this text exemplifies that when the Bible is turned into an idol meant to reinforce harmful and oppressive ideologies, it becomes nothing more than a useless artifact. Moreover, the Trump administration and its supporters are evidence of the dangers that happen when Biblical illiteracy is combined with idolatry.

In the Chronicle passage, the emphasis is not on Israel as a promised land, but it is instead a promise of the pain and suffering to come if Israel worships false gods. Proponents of America Reads the Bible believe that simply making public displays of reading the Bible and trying to force others to accept their narrow and bigoted interpretation of Scripture is, in fact, encouraging the United States to return to God. However, the reality is that they have turned the Bible and their narrow interpretation of it into an object of worship, which, of course, directly contradicts the many prohibitions against idol worship within the Bible.

What is the evidence that they have done this? Well, look at the often-volatile reaction towards anyone, even other Fundamentalist Christians who have a slightly different interpretation of Scripture. Those who disagree are often distrusted, and their whole faith is viewed with suspicion. This rejection makes sense when the Bible becomes not an object pointing to God, but rather god. And of course, pointing this out will lead to furious disagreement and denial: “We don’t worship the Bible!” But here’s the thing: if you are unable to disagree with an interpretation, let alone a Biblical text, without having one’s whole faith come under scrutiny, then how is that anything but turning the Bible into an object of worship? If one’s whole understanding and experience of God is dependent on one particular interpretation of the Bible, how is that not idolatry? If one’s faith begins and ends on a very narrow interpretation of the Bible, then how is that not turning the Bible into god?

When someone pushes back against Fundamentalist theology, the default argument by adherents is, “Well, read the Bible.” For example, when someone says that yes, women can be pastors, the rebuttal is: “Well, the Bible says women can’t be pastors.” Not only does that endorse a reading of Scripture that disregards historical context as well as questions on authorship (who wrote said verses and for what purposes), but it turns Scripture into the be-all, end-all of one’s faith. Can God use women to spread the message of God’s love in ministry? Well, according to some Fundamentalists, absolutely not, God is bound by the words written thousands of years ago. Moreover, another common phrase often heard when engaging with those who adhere to Biblical infallibility and inerrancy is, “if you disagree with the Bible, you disagree with God.” Again, how is this anything but idolatry? How is disagreeing with a text that was written thousands of years ago, the same as disagreeing with God, unless the text is understood (intentionally or not) to be synonymous with god?

Listen, there is nothing wrong with reading the Bible or valuing it as a source of faith. And if one wants to base their whole political, social, and personal identity on a particular text, reading said text is a good place to start. However, reading the text without linguistic or historical context often leads to the type of Biblical illiteracy that turns the Bible into a useless idol. For instance, some Fundamentalists will cite 2 Timothy 3:16 to justify Biblical infallibility and inerrancy: “All scripture is inspired by God and is^[a] useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” The assumption is that the author is referring to the canonized Scripture as we know it today. (And for many Fundamentalist Protestants, that is 66 books) Except canonization of the Biblical text took several hundred years, so how could the author be referencing the Bible as we know it now when it didn’t exist? Now, one could argue, well, since God wrote the verse, then God knew the books that would eventually be canonized, but that seems to be a pretty big leap in logic.

In addition to ignoring historical and linguistic context, the notions of Biblical infallibility and inerrancy also still involve a high measure of “picking and choosing.” For instance, going back to the passage Trump read, the implication made by the organizers of America reads the Bible is that the United States needs to turn to their interpretation of Scripture to receive God’s blessings, and that God has chosen America for a divine purpose, if only the US would turn to the Bible and fulfill it. However, a key component of the Bible is the notion of a God who cares for the marginalized, the poor, and the suffering, and the United States, especially Christian nationalists, are invoking policies that target the marginalized. By doing so, isn’t that disobeying God (or the Bible?), and doesn’t that leave the nation in danger of God’s wrath? In other words, the Biblical text could be interpreted in a way that brings condemnation to the United States as a result of Christian nationalism instead of presenting Christian nationalism as the savior of the country. This interpretation is just as valid, if not more so, than the Christian nationalist interpretation because it takes the text’s larger themes seriously.

I am not arguing that this interpretation is “right” or the “only correct one.” In fact, I think more accurately, the passage read by Trump is about how the people of ancient Israel understood their relationship with God, and does not necessarily reflect any modern country’s relationship with God. Rather, the point is that there are multiple valid interpretations of a Biblical text. That interpretation often requires “picking and choosing” which Bible books and verses to center and which to downplay. The difference is that those who claim to adhere to Biblical infallibility and inerrancy are not always honest with themselves and with others about when they “pick and choose” which texts to center and which to downplay.

Finally, when one does not view the Bible as an idol/as God, but rather as pointing to God, that allows one to experience a relationship with a deity that cannot be controlled or contained. That is both a scary and liberating experience. The God of Fundamentalist Christianity is easily controllable: it is a God bound by a very narrow interpretation of an ancient text. But if you view the Bible as pointing to God but not god, that means God is so much bigger than the written word and much harder to contain. Furthermore, not treating the Bible as an object of worship means that one is not threatened by new information. One can debate the validity of the new information, but only if one has an open enough mind to examine it in the first place, rather than immediately shutting it down.

For instance, someone pointing out the larger historical context of the “clobber verses” that are used to condemn same sex relationships is not a threat to Christianity or to “God” but simply to a very specific interpretation of Scripture. One can still argue for that narrow interpretation of Scripture if one wants to, but one need not view other interpretations as faith-shattering or as “going against God.” To be blunt, why would it impact your faith if someone else says they believe that the state should endorse same-sex marriages? Why should it impact your faith if a completely different denomination allows women to be ordained as pastors? However, if the Bible is god, then yes, it makes sense why people would be up in arms about the state recognizing same sex relationships and other unrelated churches ordaining women. It’s because for those who unintentionally hold the Bible as an object of worship, such differences are not just a matter of disagreement regarding scriptural interpretation but instead are a very attack on their god.

We don’t need events like “America Reads the Bible” to get the nation to turn back to God. In fact, such events only solidify how some segments of American Christianity have turned the Bible into an idol. Instead, we need thoughtful engagement with the Biblical text: one that explores the literary, historical, and political contexts of both the early authors, editors, and recipients, and of modern readers. We need Christians who value the Biblical text without turning it into an idol.

About the author: Naiomi Gonzalez (she/they) is a queer, nonbinary Puerto Rican who proudly claims the title of "professional nerd." She is currently working on her Masters in Theological Studies. She has an MDiv, an MA in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and a MA in history. They have a passion for pushing back against harmful and oppressive theology and advocating for a faith that is radically inclusive and just. You can find more of their writing at Faithfully Radical Christian.