Mike Horton Has "Issues"

Mike Horton was interviewed on "Issues, Etc" by Pastor Todd Wilken.  They discussed Michael's forthcoming book, Christless Christianity.  I think you'll enjoy the interview.

Here's the link to the interview:   http://www.issuesetc.org/podcast/Show78101508H2.mp3

Here's a link to the Christless Christianity website, should you want more info on Michael's book and DVD:  Click here: Christless Christianity by Michael Horton

Comments

[John Yeazel]

I might stir some feathers by what I am going to say here but I am going to say it anyways. It took me many years of listening to the White Horse Inn, reading Modern Reformation magazine, reading many of Michael Horton's books, R.C. Sproul books, the reformers themselves and a lot of material from Kim Riddlebarger before I actually joined a Reformational type Church. My route to the reformation was a slow and long process. I tried going to many "reformational" churches but I found them to be very cold and not very excited about the rich theological heritage they were a part of. This mystified me and almost turned me off to the whole thing. I did not find much compassion and concern about many tumultuous things I was experiencing in my life trying to make this transition.

It seems to me that many people are going to come flocking into reformational Church's in the upcoming years and I hope they do not experience some of the things that I did. Doctrine is good- but if it is not used in the proper manner it can kill and wound people. I am totally convinced now that it is the Gospel which is the only thing that can change us. The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword and is able to accomplish God's purposes by the proclamation of the Gospel. Proper doctrine also sanctifies us in the truth. It is doctrine that is used in kind of a oneupmanship type manner that bothers me. Doctrine that wants to put people in their place (although it does sometimes have to do this) in a rather insensitive way. I never found this type of thing by listening to the White Horse Inn but I did find it in a lot of Reformational Churches that I tried to attend and quickly left. I finally did find a LCMS confessional Church which I am very glad I found. It is very small (about 70 to 80 attend each Sunday) but with a good mix of both white and black families attending. That was one of the things that impressed me about it- along with the more important fact that the Gospel is accurately and clearly proclaimed at each service.

There are a lot of hurting people going to Mega-Church's, charismatic Church's, Emerging Church's, etc. etc. who are burned out and have fell into some serious sin due to not being able to live out the type of Christless Christianity that is expounded from the pulpits of these Church's. I hope the reformational Church's are able to help these type of people and bring them back to life and productivity in the Kingdom of God. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. It is very difficult to get your hands dirty with worldly and deceived people- you get misunderstood, taken advantage of, shot at and wounded. It is a very difficult task. We can stay cloistered in our doctrinally correct Church's without getting ourselves dirtied by the world- but the joy of watching someone who was lost get found again will never be our experience. I do not now of anything more joyful then to see a struggling sinner get delivered and changed by the Gospel.

[Chris M.]

I'm not a regular listener to Issues, Etc., but enjoy it occasionally. Thanks for the link as I would have missed this program. It was a great discussion.

[Lloyd]

I really enjoy the Issues, Inc. radio program.

We need more of it on Christian Radio.

[Rev. Z. Bartels]

HA! You shmucks have fun waiting till November 1. My wife works for Baker and I've got my (free) copy IN-HAND. I shall be devouring it this weekend.

HUZZAH!

[George]

It's interesting how things work sometimes. I downloaded and listened to Wilken's interview with Horton, expecting to hear about some of the content in his latest work, Christless Christianity. And that was certainly the case, but in the middle of the interview I was suddenly struck with a bit of epiphany when Horton explained "perseverance of the saints," as Reformed theology defines it, is something quite different from the OSAS that I hear all the time among Armenian circles.

This has been a point of confusion for years, because I had always understood those two concepts as one and the same, which seemed contradictory since they come from totally opposite ends of the soteriological spectrum (Calvinist vs. Armenian). Then I heard Horton explain that decision-based systems use the term OSAS to reflect back on the fact that *they* made a choice for Christ, therefore He is stuck with them forever vs. the Reformed view of perseverance as the beginning of faith, received as a gift from God, which He will strengthen and develop in the elect throughout their lives.

Thanks be to God for the likes of Dr. Riddlebarger and his amplification of the Cannons of Dort in these matters and men like Mike Horton and his zeal to continue publishing books containing the truth, often in the face of hostile contemporary protestantism!

[PB]

Saw the advertisement for CC in the Boston Globe this AM, right below the weekly "spirituality" column which usually deals with some heresy or other. Hope it's not money wasted, but it sure was a refreshing change!