White Horse Inn Blog

Regardless of their denomination, most Christians would argue that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a free gift of God’s grace and mercy that no one deserves. By his righteous life and sacrificial death, Jesus provides for us what we cannot provide for ourselves. But at this point, some argue that the free gift of God’s grace still has to be “accepted,” and that it is on the basis of our embracing the gospel that we are saved. What do you think? Are we saved by “choosing” to follow Christ? Is believing in Jesus the “one work” we have to do in order to get to heaven? The hosts discuss these questions and more as they interact with Ephesians 2.

Throughout this year on White Horse Inn, the hosts have been making the argument that unlike the law the gospel is not in us by nature but must be preached into us from the outside. This is why the proclamation of “Christ and him crucified” is the primary task of the Great Commission. But if the gospel is really to be understood as a foreign announcement, is it enough to hear about it in sermons once a week? If the law is in us by nature and our consciences regularly accuse us of sin hour by hour, shouldn’t we learn to preach the gospel to ourselves? Michael Horton discusses this issue with Joe Thorn, author of Note To Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself. The second half of the program features a discussion between Michael Horton and White Horse Inn executive director Eric Landry about our upcoming conference cruise, “Conversations for a Modern Reformation.”

The White Horse Inn is going back to Minneapolis to broadcast live from the Desiring God National Conference from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm on Friday, September 23, 2011.

The theme of the conference is, “Finish the Mission: For the Joy of All Peoples.” Our program will be titled, “Making Disciples: The Mission & Its Methods.” In some churches, the emphasis is on being the church, living missionally. Other churches focus on “the worship experience,” spiritual formation, or the pursuit of various social and political agendas. What is the mission of the Church? How are we to make disciples of Jesus Christ? Turning to the Great Commission itself and various passages that unpack it, this special live edition of the White Horse Inn will focus on disciple-making through the marks of the Church that Christ himself ordained.

Be sure to sign up for our breakout session and join the conversation. We’ll be taking questions from the audience. Mike Horton, Ken Jones, Rod Rosenbladt, and Kim Riddlebarger will all be there.

On Saturday, Sept 24, 2011 Mike Horton will be speaking about his recent book “The Gospel-Commission” taking questions (12:30 – 1:00), and signing copies at the Conference Exhibit Hall (1:00 – 1:30).

Hope to see you in Minneapolis!

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul warned his readers about various slick preachers that he referred to as the “super-apostles.” Though their style was smooth and rhetorically attractive, the substance of the gospel was either being ignored, or distorted. So Paul admonishes the Corinthians church saying, “if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus…you put up with it readily enough!” On this edition of the White Horse Inn the hosts discuss Paul’s concerns about style over substance, especially as it relates to trends in the contemporary church.

It’s common today to hear in various sectors of the church today that truly missional Christians are those who obey the call to participate in the redemption and reconciliation of the world. Some even say that the church is not to be the bearer of the message, but should itself be the message. Are these views consistent with Scripture? Is redemption or reconciliation something to be achieved, or rather a completed event? On this program the hosts discuss these views as they interact with Paul’s message in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 about being ambassadors for Christ.

One of Paul’s biggest concerns about the Corinthian church was that they were being distracted from the gospel. So he wrote to them saying, “Greeks seek wisdom, and Jews seek miraculous signs, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.” On this program the hosts interact with this text and discuss the incredible popularity of “wisdom for life” style messages in Christian books and pulpits across the country. Has the gospel of Christ crucified become foolishness in the eyes of today’s church? That’s the focus on this edition of the White Horse Inn.

The Great Commission calls us to preach the gospel to every creature, but just what is this gospel that we are to proclaim? Some say it’s being born again or asking Jesus into your heart, while others say that it’s a call for us to participate in Christ’s ongoing work of reconciliation and redemption through building a more just and loving society. The hosts interact with these views and others as they seek to clarify the true meaning of the gospel of Christ. The White Horse Inn: know what you believe and why you believe it!

I appreciated your most recent White Horse Inn episode. I recently went to a LifeWay Bookstore to purchase Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion. Lifeway had nothing by Calvin. I went next door to Barnes and Noble and they had a copy! It’s a shame that a secular bookstore has more theology than a Christian bookstore.

-Mike N.

Our age is not known for its love of the truth. Rather, some are calling it a culture of narcissism. And, unfortunately, evidence of this is found not only in our secular culture, but in countless evangelical churches and best-selling Christian book titles. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul warned that in the last days people would become lovers of themselves and would not endure sound teaching. With itching ears, he said, they’ll raise up teachers to suit their own passions and turn away from the truth. So what are we to do in such a time as this? On this program, the hosts will walk through 2 Timothy 3 and 4 to discuss Paul’s advice about preaching the Word in a culture of narcissism.

What is the Bible principally about? Some say it’s about life transformation, while others say it’s a recipe book for achieving health, wealth, and prosperity. But what if you had the chance to listen to Jesus himself explain the basic message of Scripture? Interestingly enough, this is exactly what we find in Luke chapter 24 as Jesus walks with his disciples on the road to Emmaus. On this edition of the White Horse Inn, the hosts walk through this fascinating chapter and discuss its implications for our understanding of Scripture.