Legalism

In this six-part series the hosts will explore the extent to which our message has become more American than Christian. Tracing the effects of moralism, sentimentalism, consumerism and pragmatism, the hosts will argue that God has essentially been tamed and reduced to the role of public mascot. Has the salt of the American church lost […]

Is conversion man’s work or God’s? Revivalist preacher Charles Finney argued that since it was a work of man’s will, it is the church’s responsibility to use various kinds excitements in order to change that will and to induce conversion. What have been the effects of this revivalistic spirit?

Church shopping has become another branch of our consumer culture. In fact, many churches in attempt to make their worship services relevant and entertaining in order to attract people in the marketplace of competing options. But what are the historic roots of this approach to ministry, and do we end up distorting the gospel message […]

We live in a day in which truth is downplayed, while handbooks for discovering the right spiritual technique to get God’s blessings end up selling like hotcakes. The ultimate question of pragmatism is not, “Is this true, good, or beautiful?,” but rather, “Will it work?” On this program, the hosts will trace this pragmatic spirit […]

Does the spiritual insight and advice that you hear in church sound a lot like the kind of platitudes you find on Hallmark cards? Is the main purpose of religion to provide emotional comfort, and spiritual uplift? On this program the hosts will trace these emphases back to the triumph of sentimentalism in the history […]

In an age of skepticism and institutional distrust, what is the role of preaching?

Michael Horton explains that it’s not through the means of technology or war that God builds his kingdom, but through the power of his word.

The Book of Acts gives us some examples of what the earliest preaching of the church looked like, including many sermons preached by Peter, the apostle Paul, and others. These sermons have a similar shape and give us a clear picture of what should be included in a good sermon. They should be based in a biblical text, understood in context, about Christ and his good news, and applied to listeners.

Although it would be silly to rank the books of the Bible by their perceived importance or relevance, in many ways, the Book of Exodus looms large over much of both testaments. No other book is cited throughout the Old Testament as much as Exodus is, and only the Psalms and Isaiah’s prophecy are quoted more […]