Christless Christianity The Alternative Gospel of the American Church

Christless Christianity The Alternative Gospel of the American Church

Is it possible that we have left Christ out of Christianity? Is the faith and practice of American Christians today more American than Christian? These are the provocative questions Michael Horton addresses in this thoughtful, insightful book. He argues that while we invoke the name of Christ, too often Christ and the Christ-centered gospel are pushed aside. The result is a message and a faith that are, in Horton's words, "trivial, sentimental, affirming, and irrelevant." This alternative "gospel" is a message of moralism, personal comfort, self-help, self-improvement, and individualistic religion. It trivializes God, making him a means to our selfish ends. Horton skillfully diagnoses the problem and points to the solution: a return to the unadulterated gospel of salvation.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Is Christianity losing Christ
The Author communicates what he believes is the problem that is deminishing Christ from His prominant place in the Church, and in the heart and minds of the Christian, and one concern that he writes about is 'Moralistic Therapeutic Deism' in it's various facets being promoted and practiced within the Church.

Michael Horton says: "My aim is not to target any particular wing, movement, person, or group. We are all victims as well as accomplices in our captivity. In fact, my sense of urgency is motivated by my impression that 'Christless Christianity' is pervasive, crossing the conservative-liberal spectrum and all denominational lines."

What really caught our attention on the reading of this book, was how it shows that humanistic thinking is really down-playing what Christ did for us. It's like Christianity is becoming a works-based approach to knowing God, and not that we are God's creation, and desperately deprived and God stepped in and rescues us at the Cross by what Jesus Christ did for us. This is the Good News that needs to be shared and proclaimed.

Some of the concerns Michael Horton raises is how the Church in America is obsessed with being successful and relevant, and is mirroring the world without holding to the scriptures instuction to be holy and set apart unto God. He writes: "The church has repackaged itself that it can satisfy the masses. The church has become similar to many secular programs and self-help groups, becoming shallow and human centered."

The author covers many of the current efforts of the Church's use of programs and methods to recapture people's hearts for God, and shows how these attempts have done little to bring Christians back to centering their focus on Christ and his finished work of redemption. The Author also discusses current popular authors and Evangelical teachers that are using psychology and new age teachings that distort the meaning of the Christian faith. He is descriptive and thorough in his explanations of why this raises concerns.

He shows how these methods and programs cause the Christian to be distracted from the simplicity of Christ. 2 Corth. 11:3 "But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be lead astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ."

Some notable statements Horton addresses in the book deserve thoughtful reflection by Christians; On page 19) "The bible is mined for 'relevant' quotes but is largely irrelevant on it's own terms; God is used as a personal resource rather then know, worshipped, and trusted; Jesus Christ is a coach with a good game plan for our victory rather than Savior."

On Page 24) The Author asks the questions; "Does Christ come merely to improve our existence… Is Christianity all about spiritual and moral makeovers or about death and ressurrection? … Is the Word of God a resource for what we have already decided we want and need, or is it God's living active criticism of our religion, morality, and pious experience? In other words, is the Bible God's story, centering on Christ redeeming work that rewrites our stories, or is it something we use to make our stories a little more exciting and interesting?

There was a good section in the book where the author shows how some people use the bible subjectively and allegorically which leads to misunderstanding of the scriptures.

4 Stars Christless Christianity
Michael Horton has written a book that is easy to read yet contains a vast amount of knowledge. As an advocate of Historic Christianity, Mr. Horton builds the case that the American Church is drifting toward old heresies disguised as new revelations.

A must read for those who are concerned about the lack of depth in the teaching of many American Churches today.

3 Stars Anti-liberal
This book is a serious calling out of the "liberal cristian" preaching,a feel good message, rather than the world is going to hell and they are coddling the masses into going along for the ride. Liberals must remember to preach Christ crucified, or not at all. draws a hard line. Good book.

5 Stars Horton sees the truth ..and I pray others do also !
From listening to Horton on The White Horse Inn radio program, I can share many of the same view points that he provides concerning the decline of the focus of Christinity in America today. The book can be a little deep in terminology for the average reader but very insightful. Horton is one of the few voices out there right now standing up for the true message of Christ and The Gospel. The Christless Christinity we see today is one more sign (I Believe) that we are in the end times. Paul's messages to Timothy detail what the world will be like and even though Dr. Horton only emphasizes America as being this problem, he does explain that missionaries all over the world are spreading this false representation. America will fall because of it's own greed, laziness and glutony and it's attraction to the new feel good gospel is no different.

The book is great but it is heavy in Christian Theology terminology. Looking beyond that, Horton breaks down every aspect of this new emergent gospel. A definite book to read for all non-casual Christians that see the forest from the trees in today's world. As we all should remember though, James tells us Faith without works is dead. We can write and agree all we want but if we don't take action to bring the message to those who need it, the message is worth the paper it's printed on !

5 stars !

5 Stars Serious and Important
No one would argue that any of us are immune to the influences of the culture in which we live. The question that Michael Horton raises in Christless Christianity is just how much has American culture influenced the American evangelical church? In the minds of some, America is a Christian nation, and patriotism and Christianity go hand and hand. Being a Christian is part of being a good American. Others, in my opinion more perceptive and informed, would claim that America is in as much need of evangelization as any other country, and that whatever Christian roots America may have, it is now following after other gods. Horton would be, in my opinion, in the latter camp, and is concerned that American culture has greatly influenced the American Church to the point that there is little room left for Christ within it. All who are concerned about true religion, and those who take the teachings about being salt and light within the culture seriously, will likely find this book to be valuable. For many of us, this may be a difficult book to read, for it asks us to critically evaluate our culture and the many voices that claim to be Christian within it. Nevertheless, I think the exercise to be well worth while and rewarding to those who will hear him out.

Horton is the J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California. He received a B.A. degree from Biola University, an M.A. degree from Westminster Seminary California, a Ph.D. degree from Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and Coventry University, and also completed a Research Fellowship at Yale Divinity School. He is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served two congregations in southern California. He is the editor of Modern Reformation magazine, and is host of the nationally syndicated radio program, The White Horse Inn. He has written or edited about twenty books, including The Agony of Deceit/What Some TV Preachers Are Really Teaching, Made in America: The Shaping of Modern American Evangelicalism, Power Religion: The Selling Out of the Evangelical Church?, Beyond Culture Wars: Is America a Mission Field or Battlefield?, and Where in the World Is the Church?: A Christian View of Culture and Your Role in It.

The book Christless Christianity contains seven chapters. Chapter 1 is titled Christless Christianity: The American Captivity of the Church. Chapter 2 is titled Naming Our Captivity: Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism. Chapter 3 is titled Smooth Talking and Christless Christianity. Chapter 4 is How We Turn Good News into Good Advice. Chapter 5 is Your Own Personal Jesus. Chapter 6 is Delivering Christ: The Message and the Medium. Chapter 7 is titled A Call to the Resistance.

In Chapter 1, Horton, who has been a critical observer of the American scene for quite some time, writes "I think that the church in America today is so obsessed with being practical, relevant, helpful, successful, and perhaps even well-liked that it nearly mirrors the world itself. Aside from the packaging, there is nothing that cannot be found in most churches today that could not be satisfied by any number of secular programs and self-help groups." Commenting further on how patriotism and evangelical faith may well be often confused, Horton writes "Heaven and hell still figure prominently in this version. Especially on the `high holy days' of the American church calendar (that is, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Father's Day, and Mother's Day), often complete with giant American flags, a color guard, and patriotic songs, this sterner version of `do more, try harder' helped get the culture wars off the ground." "As this new gospel becomes more obviously American than Christian, we all have to take a step back and ask ourselves whether evangelicalism is increasingly a cultural and political movement with a sentimental attachment to the image of Jesus more than a witness to `Jesus Christ and him crucified' (1 Cor. 2:2)." Perhaps you think he is exaggerating and doesn't really mean it in quite such strong terms, but the remainder of the book develops these thoughts in detail.

In Chapter 2, Horton claims that American evangelicalism is primarily moralistic, therapeutic deism. Horton writes that "evangelicals are as likely as mainliners today to talk pop psychology, politics, or moralism instead of the gospel." Horton quotes George Barna as follows: "the spirituality of America is Christian in name only". According to Horton, "The challenge before us as Christian witnesses is whether we will offer Jesus Christ as the key to fulfilling our narcissistic preoccupation or as the Redeemer who liberates us from its guilt and power."

In Chapter 3, Horton claims that evangelicals give lip service to true Christianity while actually leading the way in secularization of the faith. He writes: "Not only have evangelicals caught up with their liberal rivals in accommodating religion to secular culture, they are now clearly in the lead. No secular self-help guru comes close to the sales of evangelical rivals." Horton gives a great deal of space to analyzing the "ministry" of Joel Osteen (he gives some space also to Kenneth Copland, T. D. Jakes, Benny Hinn, and Joyce Meyer). He concentrates on Osteen because of the phenomenal success, in terms of numbers, of Osteen, but also because he so clearly, according to Horton, displays the characteristics that Horton criticizes in his book. Horton writes, "There is no condemnation in Osteen's message for failing to fulfill God's righteous law. On the other hand, there is no justification. Instead of either message, there is an upbeat moralism that is somewhere in the middle: Do your best, follow the instructions I give you, and God will make your life successful." "Osteen seems to think that we are basically good people and God has a very easy way for us to save ourselves – not from his judgment, but from our lack of success in life – with his help." "While Osteen is hardly unique, his message is one of the clearest examples of moralistic, therapeutic deism. Is it possible to have evangelism without the evangel? Christian outreach without a Christian message?" "Osteen's outlook may resonate with Americans steeped in a sentimentalized version of the Pelagian heresy of self-salvation. But it is not Christianity." "You do not need Christ for the things that Osteen and many other preachers today promise. You do not need the Bible, just Tony Robbins. You do not need the kind of redemption that is promised in the Gospels. It is not even clear why you would need God simply to have a more positive outlook on life."

In Chapter 5, Horton claims that "While evangelicals talk a lot about truth, their witness, worship, and spirituality seem in many ways more like Mormon, New Age, and liberal nemeses than anything like historical Christianity." Then he approvingly quotes Curtis White: "We would prefer to be left alone, warmed by our beliefs-that-make-no-sense, whether they are the quotidian platitudes of ordinary Americans, the magical thinking of evangelicals, the mystical thinking of New Age Gnostics, the teary-eyed patriotism of social conservatives, or the perfervid loyalty of the rich to their free-market Mammon. We are thus the congregation of the Church of the Infinitely Fractured, splendidly alone together. . . . Aren't these all the false gods that Isaiah and Jeremiah confronted, the cults of the `hot air gods'? The gods that couldn't scare birds from a cucumber patch? Belief of every kind and cult, self-indulgence and self-aggrandizement of every degree, all flourish. And yet God is abandoned."

In Chapter 6, Horton summarizes what he thinks should be the message presented in Christian churches. "The faithful ministry of Word, sacrament, and discipline is the mission (Matt. 28: 19-20). A church that is not outward looking, eager to bring the Good News to the ends of the earth, is not really bringing it to those already gathered into Christ's flock. A genuinely evangelical church will be an evangelical church: a place where the gospel is delivered through Word and sacrament and a people who witness to it in the world. It will be a place where believers and unbelievers alike will be recipients of God's Good News." "Preaching is central, not because we value the intellect to the exclusion of the emotions and the will, but because it is God's action rather than our own. The God who accomplished our salvation now delivers it to us."

In Chapter 7, the last chapter, Horton appeals to true Christians to resist the secularization of the church. "It begins by challenging not only weak views of God, sin, and grace but the plausibility structures, paradigms, or worldviews that make biblical views increasingly incomprehensible even for most laypeople and pastors. In the Christian discourse of resistance, God is the speaker. It is time to start listening to God's voice in Scripture again, taking our covenant Lord more seriously than we do ourselves and the wider secular audience that needs to be saved from its self-talk."

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Larry D. Paarmann

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