White Horse Inn Blog

What is the basic point of the parable of the Good Samaritan? Most people would probably say that it’s a nice story that teaches us to be helpful to those in need. But as we’ve been seeing in this series, there is a deeper meaning that many overlook. On this program, the hosts will walk through this and other similar parables relating to the theme of sin and grace. The White Horse Inn: know what you believe and why you believe it!

On this program, the hosts will discuss the parable of the Prodigal Son and other similar narratives. Through each of these tales, the point Jesus makes is that something lost is suddenly found. In fact, Jesus taught that his mission was “to seek and save that which was lost.” But in the Prodigal Son story, we find that Jesus’ primary point is to show that the religious leaders of his day, represented by the older brother in the parable, were the ones who were truly lost.

What is the point of the parables? Is there a moral to the story that we should all look for and attempt to follow? Is the point of the wicked tenants parable that we should all try to be good tenants, or is there something else going on here? On this broadcast, the hosts will discuss these questions as they unpack the parable of the wicked tenants and others related to it. And as they will show, Jesus and his forthcoming crucifixion at the hands of Israel’s unfaithful shepherds is really what these messages are all about.

Some say that Jesus taught in parables because this mode of communication is the most effective for large audiences. But is this really what Jesus was up to? What is a parable anyway, and why did Jesus use this particular method of teaching? On this program, the White Horse Inn hosts will answer these questions and more as they begin a new six-part series on the parables of Jesus.

On this edition of the program, Michael Horton talks with Princeton Seminary professor Kenda Creasy Dean about her new book Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church. Kenda, along with sociologist Christian Smith, was one of the researchers for the National Study of Youth & Religion project that surveyed thousands of teenagers over a five-year period. In her new book she observes that “if churches practice moralistic therapeutic deism in the name of Christianity, then getting teenagers to church more often is not the solution (conceivably it could make things worse). A more faithful church is the solution.”

The hosts have been making the argument for the past few weeks that Christ and his grand rescue mission is the major subject of Scripture. The core of the Christian faith, they argue, is his saving work on our behalf, not our own personal transformation. But if this is really the case, how shall we interpret various biblical texts that seem to contradict this view? For example, Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Do verses like this undermine the doctrine of justification by an imputed righteousness? Tune in to find out (originally aired November 26, 2006).

The most important difference between the religions of the world and the Christian faith is the difference between law and gospel. At the core of every religion is the application of moral instruction and advice for personal transformation. This appeals to all human beings because we are all wired for law. But the essence of Christianity is not law but gospel. Christ fulfilled the law and paid the penalty for our lawlessness. The gospel therefore is not good advice that needs to be applied, but good news to be believed (originally aired February 10, 2008).

What is the heart of the gospel message? On this program the hosts make the claim that the essential core of the good news is the doctrine of justification by an imputed righteousness, namely, that we are declared righteous not because of anything we have done but rather on the basis of the righteous life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. The hosts also discuss how this doctrine is being ignored or outright denied in our time (originally aired October 7, 2007).

On this edition of the program Michael Horton talks with Tullian Tchividjian about his new book Surprised by Grace: God’s Relentless Pursuit of Rebels. The book walks readers through the story of Jonah and provides a good example of how to read an Old Testament text with Christ at the center. Mike and Tullian also discuss the value of employing a redemptive historical method of biblical interpretation.

According to Australian theologian Graeme Goldsworthy, author of Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics, and According to Plan, the gospel of Christ is the central story of the entire Bible. But if this is the case, how then do we interpret various Old and New Testament texts in light of that fact? On this program, Michael Horton talks with Graeme about this question and other related issues addressed in his many books on this theme.