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 of American Christianity.

Sentimentalism
38 min

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Series • 7 Episodes
The American Religion
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The American Religion
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 […]

Revivalism
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?

Consumerism
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 […]

Pragmatism
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 […]

Sectarianism

Legalism
Throughout the history of American Christianity, non-biblical taboos often were made the measure of genuine faith and godliness. So true Christian were those who didn’t “dance, drink, smoke or chew, or go with girls who do.” On this program the hosts will discuss this problem of legalism both as it is addressed in scripture and […]
Arts and Literature
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Old Problems, New Proponents: The Sufficiency of Scripture Debate in Our Day
The church today finds itself amidst a revived trend of advocating for hearing God speaking to his people apart from his word. While there are new figures in this movement, the content of their message is hardly original. One can think of late medieval mysticism’s emphasis on a mystical encounter with God […]

How 20 Years of Touring Tested My Faith – Matt Greiner
Matt Greiner joins Sola Media’s Director of Content Caleb Wait to discuss the tension between faith, art, and public platforms.

“A Different Way of Being,” by David Kirwa Tarus: A Review
I have had the pleasure of corresponding with David Kirwa Tarus while writing my children’s book on Byang Kato (an important African theologian). I have a high estimation of Tarus’s work in his African context, and I am a firm believer in the importance of learning from the global church because we can […]

“The Reformers and Education,” by Harley T. Atkinson: A Review
The Protestant Reformation sought to restore Christian doctrine and* *worship practice in accord with Scripture. But this had implications far beyond the walls of the church, impacting the home, the school, and society. Veteran educator Harley Atkinson gives us the broad sweep of educational change sparked […]


