White Horse Inn Blog

On this edition of the White Horse Inn, we’re featuring a panel discussion on global evangelism, sponsored by the Lausanne Movement for World Evangelization. This conversation recently took place on the campus of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and features Skye Jethani, Michael Horton, Jim Belcher, Kay Warren, Jena Lee Nardella, Miles McPherson and Soong Chan Rah.

What is the nature of American spirituality, and how does it differ from classical Christian conceptions of God, revelation, and redemption? On this edition of White Horse Inn, Michael Horton walks through various popular views of American religion and contrasts them with the biblical gospel of free grace in Jesus Christ.

Having established in previous programs that the New Testament documents are the most reliable texts of ancient history, the hosts in this program discuss the way Jesus throughout these texts speaks of the Old Testament Scriptures. Are these a collection of myths and fables with helpful moral lessons? Is one interpretation just as good as the next? Since Jesus Christ rose again from the dead, his view of Scripture may be worth considering above all others (originally broadcast April 29, 2007).

All great books are difficult to master and according to classicist Mortimer Adler, the Bible is the most challenging of all the great books. This may in part explain why there are so many varying interpretations of this sacred book. But when we begin to see the scarlet thread of redemption running from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible’s central message becomes unmistakably clear.

Bonus Audio – Interview with Dr. Bergsma

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Download Dr. Bergsma Interview Audio (20MB MP3)

As they continue to discuss the subject of proper biblical interpretation, the hosts on this edition of the program take a look at frequent errors in biblical interpretation. Mistakes include problems such as moralism, atomism, relativism, taking things out of context, and more. The White Horse Inn: know what you believe and why you believe it!

Bonus Audio – Interview with Dr. Bergsma

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download Dr. Bergsma Interview Audio (20MB MP3)

How should we interpret the Bible? Literally? Figuratively? Allegorically? On this edition of the program the hosts take up the subject of hermeneutics, or proper biblical interpretation. Throughout this program they argue that the Bible is not one book with a single interpretive rule, but rather is a library of numerous ancient texts which need to be interpreted according to the rules of their respective genres. In other words, poetry is not the same as history. That’s what’s on tap this week, at the White Horse Inn!

We live in a world of constant distraction. Not only are we constantly being interrupted by cellphones, email, and text messages, but we’re also distracted from thinking and contemplation in a culture of constant entertainment. Joining the panel to discuss this topic is media ecologist, T. David Gordon, author of Why Johnny Can’t Preach: The Media Have Shaped The Messengers, and more recently, Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns: How Pop Culture Rewrote the Hymnal.

Churches in our time appear to be on a never-ending quest for contemporary relevance. But is this a wise course to take? Shouldn’t the church stand up for the timelessness of truth, rather than the timeliness of the trendy? On this edition of the White Horse Inn, the hosts talk with Os Guinness, author of Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance, and Time for Truth: Living Free in a World of Lies, Hype and Spin (originally broadcast May 6, 2007).

If Jesus was a real historical individual, then do we have any confirming evidence for his life and ministry from sources outside the New Testament? Some point to the writings of Josephus, but isn’t it true that his famous passage about Jesus was proven to be a fabrication? Interacting with the hosts on this topic is historian Paul L. Maier, author of In The Fullness of Time, and editor of Josephus: The Essential Works.

Can we trust the New Testament portrait of Jesus, or is the Jesus of history radically different from the Jesus of faith? What are we to think of scholars like Bart Ehrman who suggest that Jesus has been “misquoted,” and that the Bible has significantly changed over time? Joining the panel for this discussion is New Testament scholar Craig A. Evans, author of Reinventing Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels, and the Holman QuickSource Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls.