How should we interpret the Bible? Literally? Figuratively? Allegorically? On this edition of the program the hosts take up the subject of hermeneutics, or proper biblical interpretation. Throughout this program they argue that the Bible is not one book with a single interpretive rule, but rather is a library of numerous ancient texts which need to be interpreted according to the rules of their respective genres. In other words, poetry is not the same as history. That's what's on tap this week, at the White Horse Inn!

Interpreting Scripture by Scripture
Michael Horton
Must I Learn How to Interpret the Bible?
D.A. Carson
What to Look for in the Gospels
Martin Luther
How to Read a Book
Adler & Van Doren
The Message of the Old Testament
Dever & Goldsworthy
Principles of Biblical Interpretation
Louis Berkhof
Andrew Osenga

We live in a world of constant distraction. Not only are we constantly being interrupted by cellphones, email, and text messages, but we're also distracted from thinking and contemplation in a culture of constant entertainment. Joining the panel to discuss this topic is media ecologist, T. David Gordon, author of Why Johnny Can't Preach: The Media Have Shaped The Messengers, and more recently, Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns: How Pop Culture Rewrote the Hymnal.

Why Johnny Can't Preach
T. David Gordon
An Interview with Neil Postman
Bombarding Images
Douglas Groothuis
Distracted: The Erosion of Attention
Maggie Jackson
Rapt: Attention & The Focused Life
Winifred Gallagher
Why Johnny Can't Preach
T. David Gordon
Doug Powell

Churches in our time appear to be on a never-ending quest for contemporary relevance. But is this a wise course to take? Shouldn't the church stand up for the timelessness of truth, rather than the timeliness of the trendy? On this edition of the White Horse Inn, the hosts talk with Os Guinness, author of Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance, and Time for Truth: Living Free in a World of Lies, Hype and Spin (originally broadcast May 6, 2007).

But is it Relevant?
Michael Horton
Christless Christianity
Michael Horton
Religion & Politics
Horton, Guinness, et. al.
Prophetic Untimeliness
Os Guinness
The Case for Civility
Os Guinness
Time for Truth
Os Guinness
Dave Hlebo

If Jesus was a real historical individual, then do we have any confirming evidence for his life and ministry from sources outside the New Testament? Some point to the writings of Josephus, but isn't it true that his famous passage about Jesus was proven to be a fabrication? Interacting with the hosts on this topic is historian Paul L. Maier, author of In The Fullness of Time, and editor of Josephus: The Essential Works.

An Interview with Paul Maier

On Faith & History
Shane Rosenthal
History & Faith
J. Gresham Machen
In the Fullness of Time
Paul Maier
Josephus: The Essential Writings
edited by Paul Maier
Charts of Apologetics & Christian Evidences
Wayne House
Zack Hicks

Can we trust the New Testament portrait of Jesus, or is the Jesus of history radically different from the Jesus of faith? What are we to think of scholars like Bart Ehrman who suggest that Jesus has been "misquoted," and that the Bible has significantly changed over time? Joining the panel for this discussion is New Testament scholar Craig A. Evans, author of Reinventing Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels, and the Holman QuickSource Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls.

AUDIO/VIDEO
Debate: Craig Evans vs. Bart Ehrman

Textual Criticism
Michael Kruger
Gospels, Gospels Everywhere
Mark Pierson
Fabricating Jesus
Craig Evans
Jesus, The Final Days
Craig Evans & N.T. Wright
The Many Gospels of Jesus
Philip W. Comfort
David Hlebo

Some today are arguing that the New Testament is so full of transmission errors and scribal additions that it cannot be trusted. But is this really the case? Has the Bible been copied so many times that it is basically unreliable? On this edition of White Horse Inn the hosts discuss this issue with New Testament textual critic Philip W. Comfort, author of Encountering the Manuscripts and editor of The Origin of the Bible.

Textual Criticism
Michael Kruger
Canon & Catholicism
Leon Brown
Gospels, Gospels Everywhere
Mark Pierson
The Origin of the Bible
Philip W. Comfort
Encountering The Manuscripts
Philip W. Comfort
An Introduction to Textual Criticism
B.B. Warfield
David Hlebo

How is a person to know whether or not Christianity is the true religion? Aren't all religious claims subjective attempts to grasp the ungraspable? Isn't it all just a matter of personal faith anyway? And if so, why choose one faith over the other? On this edition of White Horse Inn, the hosts inquire into these questions and more with special guest Craig Parton author of Religion on Trial and The Defense Never Rests: A Lawyer's Quest for the Gospel.

Can We Still Believe in the Resurrection?
Michael Horton
God Does Not Believe in Atheists
Craig Parton
Legal Evidence for the Truth of the Faith
John W. Montgomery
Religion on Trial
Craig Parton
The Defense Never Rests
Craig Parton
The Testimony of the Evangelists
Simon Greenleaf
E-Pop

Why were some books chosen as part of the biblical canon while others were rejected? Why do Catholic Bibles have an extra section called the Apocrypha? Was the selection process primarily about the exercise of power in determining what ultimately became Scripture, or a submission to the inherent authority of sacred texts? These questions and more will be addressed on this edition of the White Horse Inn.

Sufficient for Faith & Practice
Michael Horton
Canon & Catholicism
Leon Brown
An Interview with Paul Maier


The Canon of Scripture
F.F. Bruce
Exploring the Origins of the Bible
Craig Evans
The Canon of the Old & New Testaments
A. Alexander (Google Books)
Zack Hicks

Why is the Old Testament arranged the way it is, and how do the various books relate to each other? Is it likely that these documents were edited and amended over time? On this edition of the White Horse Inn the hosts examine the covenant origins of the Old Testament scriptures.

Sufficient for Faith & Practice
Michael Horton
An Interview with Richard Bauckham

An Interview with Paul Maier

The Origin of the Bible
Philip Comfort
Introducing Covenant Theology
Michael Horton
The Structure of Biblical Authority
Meredith Kline
David Hlebo

What is an emerging adult, and how have the beliefs and religious practices of this group changed in recent decades? What effect does our contemporary culture have on the religious lives of young people in our day? Joining the panel to discuss this topic is University of Notre Dame professor Christian Smith, author of Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults

Are Churches Secularizing America?
Michael Horton
How Preaching Reveals this Secularizing Trend
Michael Horton
A WHI Survey of Christian Faith & Practice
(500 kB PDF)
Souls in Transition
Christian Smith
Soul Searching
Christian Smith
Soul Searching
(DVD Documentary)
Doug Powell

On this edition of the White Horse Inn, the hosts continue to explore the topic of "Contending for the Faith," as they take questions from the live audience in Southern California. Questions include: are we simply assuming the truthfulness of Scripture since we can't interview the eyewitnesses of Christ's resurrection; what should churches do to encourage evangelism in our time; and can our testimonies be seen as evidence of the gospel's truthfulness.

Can We Still Believe in the Resurrection?
Michael Horton
Using the Gospel to Share the Gospel
Rico Tice
Why Everyone Must Believe
Michael Horton
When God Goes to Starbucks
Paul Copan
The Reason for God
Tim Keller
Missional & Reformed
WSC Faculty (MP3 Audio)
Andrew Osenga

How did the apostles contend for the faith throughout the book of Acts? Did they appeal to the practical benefits of living life Jesus' way? Did they share their testimonies or inner experiences? Did they encourage blind faith? On this special live edition of the White Horse Inn, the hosts walk through the apologetic sermons in the book of Acts in order to discover how to "contend for the faith once delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).

For the Sake of the Gospel
Kim Riddlebarger
Christian Scholarship & The Defense of the Faith
J. Gresham Machen
When the Method Obscures the Message
Shane Rosenthal
The Gospel-Driven Life
Michael Horton
The Message of Acts
Dennis Johnson
The Book of Acts
F.F. Bruce
Zack Hicks

Some who believe that the Bible is an inspired book go on to reject the idea that it is inerrant. But what does it mean to believe in the inerrancy of Scripture? How can sinful men produce a holy text without errors? What are we to do with some of the alleged contradictions in Scripture? Joining the panel for this discussion is Dr. R.C. Sproul, one of the founding leaders of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy. The White Horse Inn: know what you believe and why you believe it.

The Truthfulness of Scripture
Michael Horton
Why Inerrancy Still Matters
Kim Riddlebarger
Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy

The Erosion of Inerrancy
G.K. Beale
Ancient Word, Changing Culture
Steven Nichols
The Inspiration & Authority of the Bible
B.B. Warfield
E-Pop

What does it mean to assert that the Bible is an inspired text? Did this holy book fall out of Heaven? Did the biblical writers dictate word for word what God wanted them to say? How are we to understand the nature of Scripture? On this program the hosts will unpack the meaning of the biblical doctrine of inspiration and will also take a look at some of the challenges that this doctrine is facing in our time.

God's Words in Human Words
Michael Horton
Teacher & Lord
John Stott (PDF)
Jesus Christ & The Authority of the Word
John Stott (Offsite link)
Can I Trust the Bible?
R.C. Sproul
The Inspiration & Authority of the Bible
B.B. Warfield
The Authority of the Bible
John Stott
Soular

How would you attempt to persuade someone who is unconvinced about the basic truth claims of the Christian faith? We asked pastors that question at a recent convention and their answers will surprise you. Joining the panel for this discussion is noted apologist Dr. John Warwick Montgomery, author numerous books including History & Christianity, and Faith Founded on Fact (originally broadcast April 16, 2006).

Legal Evidence for the Truth of the Faith
J.W. Montgomery
History & Faith
J. Gresham Machen
God at University College Dublin
J.W. Montgomery
Faith Founded on Fact
John W. Montgomery
What is Faith
J. Gresham Machen
History and Christianity
John W. Montgomery
David Hlebo

On this edition of the program the hosts walk through the significance of Christ's death, burial and resurrection. In particular, they focus on the importance of his resurrection from the dead, which vindicates his truth claims and provides a ground for belief in his sacrificial death on our behalf.

An Interview with Richard Bauckham

The Historical Jesus
Paul Zaul
The Importance of Christian Scholarship
J. Gresham Machen
Jesus & The Eyewitnesses
Richard Bauckham
There is a God
Anthony Flew
Scandolous
D.A. Carson
Zack Hicks

On this edition of the White Horse Inn the hosts continue their discussion of the Kingdom of God. Though many today seek a Kingdom of power and glory, God's Kingdom advances in weakness and humility. One day God will reign visibly with great power and majesty, but in the meantime his Kingdom advances through word and sacrament.

Thine is the Kingdom
Michael Horton
Thy Kingdom Come
Kim Riddlebarger
Augustine & Jerome
Michael Horton
Introducing Covenant Theology
Michael Horton
The Kingdom of God
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Christianity & Liberalism
J. Gresham Machen
Zack Hicks

How does God's Kingdom advance? Can we usher it in by our political or cultural endeavors? Will it come if enough people band together in pursuit of social justice? As the hosts discuss on this edition of the program, the Kingdom of God is not something that we build or bring in by our own activity, but rather is something that we receive by grace alone (Heb. 12:28).

Our Father in Heaven
Michael Horton
Religion & Politics
Michael Horton, Jim Wallis, et al
The Common Good & Common Grace
Don Eberly
Kingdom & Culture
WSC Faculty (MP3 Audio)
The Church in Emerging Culture
Horton et. al.
The Gospel Driven Life
Michael Horton
Andrew Osenga

What is natural law? Is it consistent with Reformed theology? How about the Two Kingdoms approach to the relationship between Christianity and culture? Is this a Lutheran position, or has it also been held by advocates of the Reformed tradition as well? On this edition of the White Horse Inn, Dr. David VanDrunen joins the panel for a discussion of his new book, Natural Law & The Two Kingdoms: A Study in the Development of Reformed Social Thought.

Defining the Two Kingdoms
Michael Horton
Natural Law & Christians in the Public Square
David VanDrunen
Augustine's City of God

Natural Law & The Two Kingdoms
David VanDrunen
The Biblical Case for Natural Law
David VanDrunen
Written on the Heart
J. Budziszewski
Doug Powell

Can we discover truth about God outside of the Bible, or is Scripture the only true source of heavenly knowledge? On this edition of the program the hosts will outline the distinction between general and special revelation. In the former, God reveals himself through creation, and in the latter he reveals himself in the pages Scripture and in the person of Christ. Though we can know many things about God by the things he has made, only Scripture reveals his good will toward us in the Gospel.

Hearing is Believing
Michael Horton
Without Excuse
Michael Horton
A Summary of Apologetic Positions(PDF)

Knowing Scripture
R.C. Sproul
Revelation & Reason
K.S. Oliphint & Lane Tipton
The Gospel-Driven Life
Michael Horton
David Helbo