Bonfire of the Vanities Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Bonfire of the Vanities Keywords: "idol" "self-censorship" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: Deuteronomy 13:16* Gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It is to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt. Questions 1. How seriously does God view his rivals?   2. What message can modern Christians take from this passage?   Practical help Contrary to popular belief, the phrase "bonfire of the vanities" did not originate in an excellent novel by Tom Wolfe or a horrible movie starring Tom Hanks. Fifteenth-century Italian priest Girolamo Savonarola made it famous. The bonfire of the vanities was Savonarola 's pyre of lewd pictures, gaming tables, books and art. (Side note: Savonarola was later burned to death on the same spot.) While we may question Savonarola's wisdom, his single-minded zeal matches the message from this passage in Deuteronomy. God brooks no rivals, and he's doesn't mind asking his followers to set their idols ablaze. Why not start with your stash of porn? If you've got any magazines stuffed in the back of your closet or between your mattress and box spring, exercise some self-censorship. Commit them to the flames. Or got any smut images or bookmarks stored on your computer? Hit delete. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2000, 2004 by eXXit *Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version © Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.