White Horse Inn Blog

On this edition of the White Horse Inn, Michael Horton talks with Pulitzer Prize winning author Marilynne Robinson about many of the themes she explores in her writings, such as the affects of Darwinism on human self-reflection, the significance of the theology of John Calvin, and the complexity of grace. Dr. Robinson is the author of Home, Gilead, and The Death of Adam.

Christianity is the religion of a book, and this particular book contains a good deal of words to be read, reflected upon, and applied. But God’s word contains more than instructions on how we should all behave. Ultimately it points to a person, the Word of God made flesh, who descended from heaven in order to save the fallen race of mankind.

Secularists have argued for many years that religion is an entirely private matter that should not inform public life and policy decisions. But what about secularism itself? Is it really a neutral position itself? On this edition of the White Horse Inn the hosts discuss these issues with Hunter Baker, author of The End of Secularism.

(6MB MP3 Download of the Peter Berger Interview mentioned in this week’s program)

What does it mean to be a follower of Christ? Should Christians focus more on “being the church” rather than going to church? Can we really “live the gospel?” On this edition of the White Horse Inn the hosts will interact with these questions and more as they discuss the nature and meaning of discipleship.

What is the meaning of Jihad? Is Islam really a religion of peace? What does the Koran say about terrorism? On this edition of the White Horse Inn, Michael Horton discusses these questions and more with Muslim scholar and former professor of Shari’ah law, Sam Solomon, who after his conversion to the Christian faith was forced to leave his country of origin.

According to William Willimon, Christianity is kind of like a foreign language that one is not born with, but must be baptized into. Unfortunately, many preachers today are attempting to “translate” the faith into familiar and comfortable terms that people are used to, but the result, he argues, is that things get “lost in translation.” William Willimon, author of Peculiar Speech: Preaching to the Baptized, joins the panel on this edition of the White Horse Inn.

Some postmodern Christians have begun to argue that what we believe is not as important as what we do, and that Christianity is primarily about “living like Jesus.” But are good works enough? Don’t we have to believe something? On this edition of the program the host discuss this issue with Michael Wittmer, author of Don’t Stop Believing: Why Living Like Jesus is Not Enough.

Have you ever heard of the doctrine of justification? What’s the best way to summarize the Christian gospel? On this edition of the program the hosts interact with answers to questions like these as they walk through the results of a White Horse Inn survey of approximately 100 Christians.

How can we believe in God when there is so much evil and suffering in the world? Isn’t it arrogant to insist that Christianity is the only true religion? These questions and more will be addressed on this edition of the White Horse Inn as Tim Keller joins the panel to discuss his New York Times bestselling book, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.

Is the Bible merely a manual of timeless ethics? If so, what do we do with the various civil and ceremonial laws from the Old Testament? Are we, like Israel of old, called to cleanse the land of idolatry by a kind of holy war? How should we interpret and apply texts of this kind? These questions and more will be addressed on this edition of the White Horse Inn.