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 its savor?
The American Religion
Series: The American Religion
The American Religion
37 min
Series: The American Religion
The American Religion
37 min
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Series • 7 Episodes
The American Religion
Explore AllRevivalism
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
Sentimentalism
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 […]
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 […]
Church and Ministry
Explore All
Vocation: God Doesn’t Need Your Good Works, but Your Neighbor Does
Scott Keith from 1517.org joins Michael Horton, Bob Hiller, Walter Strickland, and Justin Holcomb to discuss how churches can recover high views of preaching and the sacraments, as well as robust views and practices around vocation.
5 Signs Your Church Might Be Too Seeker-Sensitive
Is it wrong for a church to be seeker sensitive? Pastor Adriel Sanchez expounds on the differences between seeker-sensitive and seeker-driven churches, and why ordering our services to be palatable for certain demographics is a way of domesticating the worship of God.
A Presbyterian and Lutheran on What Most Christians Miss About Church
Episode 1582 | According to Pew Research, only 51% of self-identified Christians attend church regularly. Pastor Adriel Sanchez is joined by Caleb Keith from 1517 where they both argue that this crisis is not primarily cultural, but theological. Most Christians are simply unaware what the church actually is, what happens there, and why nothing else can replace it.
When Mother’s Day Misfires
I’ve rolled into church many a Mother’s Day morning with a heavy heart and deflated expectations. There were years of singleness, and then miscarriage, when I felt invisible in the pew, wondering if I would ever wear the title of “mother” myself. Then came holidays where I felt steamrolled by the demands of raising babies […]
