White Horse Inn Blog

Life in twenty-first century America is distracting. Thanks to the ubiquitous nature of media and countless interruptions from beeping gadgets, it’s becoming difficult not merely to finish a book, but perhaps even a thought. On this program, Michael Horton discusses this new culture of distraction with Maggie Jackson, author of Distracted: The Erosion of Attention & The Coming Dark Age. In the second half of the program, Mike continues this discussion with Los Angeles Times Book Review Editor David Ulin, author of The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time.

What is the impact of technology on the way we live and think as Christians? How has popular culture changed the way we worship on Sunday mornings? On this edition of the White Horse Inn, Michael Horton discusses these issues with T. David Gordon, author of Why Johnny Can’t Preach, and Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns.

What is the history of today’s youth oriented culture, and what kind of effect is this culture having on churches in our time? On this edition of the program, Michael Horton discusses these questions and more with Thomas Bergler, professor of ministry and missions at Huntington University and author of the recent book The Juvenilization of American Christianity.

On this edition of White Horse Inn, the hosts take calls from listeners on a range of topics including: the carnal Christian and the victorious Christian life; the New Perspective on Paul; how to explain God’s sovereign choice to elect some (but not all) to come to faith, and the history of the Reformation idea of the priesthood of all believers.

Life coaches are everywhere these days. Whether found at a local seminar or on television, they can help you manage your finances, bake better cookies, or lose weight in seven easy steps. Unfortunately, too often this is what many people find in churches across the country. Why are we so attracted to “helpful advice,” and how is this different from the radical message of the gospel? On this program, Michael Horton walks through Romans 4, explaining how we can never truly be freed by “to do lists,” but only by the liberating message of God’s grace.

Compared with a summer blockbuster film, many would likely characterize the events at a typical church as “boring.” In order to address this problem, many churches over the past few decades have begun using the techniques of show business. Worship now has the look and feel of a rock concert, and sermons have turned into inspirational comedy routines. What is boredom anyway, and should it be avoided at all costs? Is entertainment always the appropriate response? Joining the panel for this discussion is Richard Winter, author of Still Bored in a Culture of Entertainment.

Islam is in the news a lot these days, but what do we really know about this world religion? Who was Mohammed, and why did he set out to write the Koran? How did Islam evolve into its present state? Can it coexist with other religions and political regimes? On this program, Michael Horton continues to discuss these questions and more with Islamic specialist Adam Francisco.

Islam is in the news a lot these days, but what do we really know about this world religion? Who was Mohammed, and why did he set out to write the Koran? How did Islam evolve into its present state? Can it coexist with other religions and political regimes? On this program, Michael Horton discusses these questions and more with Islamic specialist Adam Francisco.

Many churches in our day offer entertaining music, fluffy sermons, and demand nothing. In short, they give people what they want. But what if “what they want” is informed by a culture of narcissism? On this edition of White Horse Inn, Michael Horton talks with psychology writer Jean Twenge, author of Generation Me and coauthor of The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement (originally aired Aug 2, 2009).

In his book The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, Nicolas Carr writes, “When we go online we enter an environment that promotes cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking and superficial learning. The net seizes our attention, only to scatter it. We become mindless consumers of data.” On this edition of the program, the hosts discuss this disturbing trend as it relates to our understanding of the faith. How can we become true disciples if we are all becoming superficial learners? How are we to be people of the Book in the age of Google?