WHI-1124 | Is “The Easy Way” Always Best?
There is a deeply held assumption in today’s culture of affluence that hard work should generally be avoided, and that everything should be quick, fun, and easy. But what are the implications of these worldly assumptions for Christian discipleship? The answer is seen all around us: churches don’t place demands but only gratify their parishioners, most Christian bookstores stock their shelves with fluffy “get spiritual quick” type resources, and kids in Sunday school work with crayons, glue and glitter, but are rarely found memorizing Bible passages or catechism answers. Is the easy way always best? That’s what’s on tap this week at White Horse Inn.
Michael Horton
Michael Horton
Shane Rosenthal
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David Hlebo
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Os Guinness
Michael Horton
Os Guinness
WHI-238
WHI-263
October 21st, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Congratulations on another great episode. I will point out another example which shows how wrong evangelicals approach discipleship.
I forgot if it was earlier this last week or the previous one that listening to Focus on the Family they were speaking with a pastor that mentioned in his Church what parents want is for their kids not to get into drugs, have sex, or get pregnant while a teenager. All great, until he mentioned those same parents are not too keen on bible study, they want the practical application so their kids will succeed.
As much as I appreciate parents not wanting their children to get into drugs or have sex, you don’t need the Church for this. Many, many unbelieving parents feel the same way. Some of the best students, that don’t get into trouble in high school, move onto university, have a successful career, and a succcessful marriage are non-christians.
Why do christian parents not care that their children be saved from the wrath of God? Why don’t they seem to worry about God’s judgment after death? Instead their minds are on earthly material things. First seek the Kingdom of Heaven and everything else shall be added unto you, but no christian parents have the same concerns as unbelieving parents. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Christ tells us that God knows our needs and will supply, so don’t worry about food and clothing as the pagans do, but seek first the kingdom of heaven.
Pastors are giving people what they want, they are tickling their itching ears ( 2 Timothy 4:3 ).
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:08 am
The problem at the moment is that the concept of ‘church’ is irrelevant to so many people. The thing that you have to grapple with is that world has changed and is changing. This is not 500 years ago or for that matter 50 years ago. So many school kids have no idea what ‘church’ even is. In so many circumstances a new model is needed. Maybe many new ideas of ‘church’. As for scripture recitation I have seen people going through this exercise and establishing an understanding of scripture that is completely out of context and gives a prooftexted idea of who God is and what God requires. You generalize far too much in the interests of what is your own position.
October 22nd, 2012 at 10:35 am
Someone mentioned in the show that there is no list of books or articles that a new Christian should read. I was wondering if you guys would post what are your top five for someone new to the christian/reformed faith?
thanks
October 22nd, 2012 at 12:20 pm
Salvation from sin is as true today as it was 50 years ago, 500 years ago, and thousands of years ago. This is the question that the word of god answers. Christ came to save his people from their sin.
When I was around 13 or 14 years ago (somewhere in my early teens) a missionary dropped a New Testament at my home. I had never attended Church before, neither did my parents or anybody ever talked to me about the New Testament’s message. After going through the 4 gospels I was overwhelmed with the question, will God accept me on Judgment Day? It was my only concern, only the intellect God gave me and the New Testament gospels I read having reveaaled this to me (no Church, no parent taught me this, God alone in his word). So I don’t buy that the problem of salvation is not an issue today, and times have changed, they haven’t one bit with regard to this issue.
October 22nd, 2012 at 12:35 pm
[...] you listened to this week’s White Horse Inn episode Is “The Easy Way” Always Best? perhaps you were intrigued by Kim Riddlebarger’s comment in the latter part of the the show [...]
October 23rd, 2012 at 11:31 am
It is a sad state of affairs when one cannot speak the truth or teach our children the truth about God. I’ve found even in my own church that we can speak about salvation, but the conversation stops when we reach the question, “Salvation from what?” Ultimately, what’s the alternative?
I have been told that the whole truth cannot be told because some might find it offensive or it might scare some people away. In my view this is lying by omission.
One must not take the easy way out, one must arm themselves and their children with the word of God through memorization of the Scriptures and the knowledge of the Apostle’s Creed and the chatechisms.
Frankly, I am tired of hearing the excuse that one must change their views of Christianity because the world is changing. I say, all the more reason to stick to it!
October 24th, 2012 at 5:32 am
@Mike, I think that was Rod Rosenbladt, having just listened today. Having stumbled into Reformed Christianity in the past 5 years, it wasn’t until this year that I read through the “Three Forms of Unity” including Heidelberg Catechism; I’ll go through the Westminster Standards too – my point is that these are great places to start, even if my past 5 years of study have provided some context for understanding the importance of creeds and catechisms. A couple of other good introductory books that come to mind are Steven Smallman’s “The Walk”, and Daniel (aka Danny) Hyde’s “Welcome to a Reformed Church”.
@Sarah, I am also accustomed to hearing such sloppy/lazy thinking, given my membership in an independent evangelical church. Having just read Carl Trueman’s “The Creedal Imperative”, I’m encouraged that churches do exist that are courageous enough to put in writing what they believe, beyond the mere basics of the one-page statement of faith; and as Trueman states, the doctrinal content of the creeds and confessions is not only polemical, it is also doxological. In fact, in listening to this episode on today’s morning commute, I found parallels between the panel discussion and Trueman’s recently released book. I recommend it highly; we who find ourselves to be “seekers” of a sensible, coherent Christian faith in the midst of the sea of evangelical confusion, muddiness, and emotionalism can find that there is another way to know, worship, and serve God, and to engage in fellowship with greater confidence of a commonly-shared faith.
October 25th, 2012 at 10:11 am
I want to say that we should not underestimate how devastating to a life the “lazy road” is. I’ve missed a lot of good parenting in my young years and have become incredibly lazy and unwilling in many areas of life. Now, 27 and married I am picking the rotten fruits from uncorrected lazy behavior in the past. My brain is running on this program if it were, and it is incredibly difficult to “re-program” so that I may take responsibility and not fear the things that don’t go the way I want them to go in an instant.
I am painfully aware that most things take time “to grow” and that patience really is a fruit of the Spirit that I am yet lacking.
There’s also a deeper level to sink to, I’ve experienced: what if even the “easy way” isn’t easy enough? Now the door is open to even more sins to “get results fast”.
Dangerous stuff!
October 26th, 2012 at 9:12 am
R. Mulder,
I understand what you are getting at. I believe that in situations such as these, patience is indeed a virtue. I was always reluctant to ask God for patience, as I believed that God would just make me wait longer. But I believe the lesson is in the waiting.
The best I can offer is prayer and encouragement. Anything worth having is worth working and waiting for.
Best to you.
October 26th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
[...] Michael Horton devoted an episode of the “White Horse Inn” Broadcast to the subject “Is ‘The Easy Way’ Always Best?“ One of the maxim’s of our culture is “work smarter, not harder”, and [...]
October 29th, 2012 at 7:18 pm
Mike Horton compared raising kids to watching corn grow. While I do agree with him, one of my analogies for raising kids is like riding a bike uphill. Stop pushing and you’ll come to a stop and then fall down.
May 26th, 2013 at 12:01 am
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