WHI-1056 | Doctrine & Life
Who is Jesus, and why should he be worshipped? Was his death merely an example of self-sacrifice, or did he actually atone for the sins of the world? These are crucial doctrinal questions, yet many Christians in our time say they are not interested in theology or doctrine, but prefer instead to focus on what Jesus can do for us in our lives today. Is it possible to be a faithful Christian without being concerned about doctrine? (Originally broadcast June 11, 2006)
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Michael Horton
The Greatest Drama Ever Staged
Dorothy Sayers
The Problem of Evangelical Biblical Illiteracy
David Nienhuis
WHI Discussion Group Questions
PDF Document
Doug Powell
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Christless Christianity
Michael Horton
The Courage to be Protestant
David Wells
The Gospel Commission
Michael Horton
Biblical Ignorance | WHI-834
The Case for Theology & Apologetics
Part 1 | WHI-891 • Part 2 | WHI-892
Tolerance & Truth | WHI-238
July 3rd, 2011 at 4:32 pm
In listening to some of the responses to the questions about the importance of doctrine I am reminded of the line in The Princess Bride, “I do not think you know what that word means.” I don’t think a lot of them even know what doctrine is.
A pastor dismissing the importance of doctrine and/or theology is like a scientist dismissing the importance of, well science.
July 5th, 2011 at 8:42 am
I just wanted to thank you for this week’s discussion. It was very refreshing and encouraging. Our church is currently going through a shift to the more practical and missional side of things. Our pastor has openly said that he no longer desires a doctrine heavy church and that his sermons are intentionally more practical and less doctrine. I’m not sure what that means for the future, but I really enjoyed the broadcast this week. Thanks gentlemen!
July 5th, 2011 at 6:06 pm
I’m going through new members’ classes at a church where current members actually visit the class to brush up on doctrine. Doctrine is central to everything the church does, and it focuses on the gospel, and fulfilling the great commission.
My fellow congregants are all students of the word, and are encouraging me to study more and harder. My Sunday school class for the next quarter is about the history of the church during medieval times. Fascinating.
Thanks to you all for bring passion and clarity to the discussion, for my great and lasting benefit.
July 6th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
[...] This week’s episode of the White Horse Inn is a must-listen. The usual cohort of Mike Horton, Kim Riddlebarger, Rod Rosenblott, and Ken Jones hammer away at law and gospel confusion in the American Evangelical church. In this episode, they discuss an informal survey of Evangelical pastors where the vast majority said that following Jesus’s moral example was more important than understanding Biblical doctrine. If you’ve never listened to these guys before, this is the episode to start with. They discuss a huge problem in today’s church and articulate very clearly the Biblical solution to this problem. Give it a listen. It’s free and about half an hour long (as are all their weekly episodes.) [...]
July 17th, 2011 at 7:40 pm
Great session. I will definitely return to it again in the future. I immediately thought of a book by Stanley J. Grenz and Roger E. Olson, “Who Needs Theology? An Invitation to the Study of God,” published by IVP. My seminary professor made us read this as part of the very first theology class curriculum. I had no idea how much my church experience was saturated in “Folk Theology.” To elevate a practical life for Christ over and above doctrine is nothing short of Folk Theology at its best. Thanks.