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Only Half an Answer
I was quite disappointed in Horton's conclusions in this book. He nailed the problems of the American Church very eloquently and with lots of fervor. However, I disagreed with his bottom line on the answer. He is right about the Pelagianism that has infiltrated most American Christianity. He is right about Charles G. Finney and Joel Osteen and Robert Schuller and TBN. But he is wrong, in my opinion, in thinking that theological correctness is the ONLY answer. Academic orthodoxy is only half an answer. According to Scripture we also need the Holy Spirit. Horton comes out very strongly against revival, which I found baffling. To Horton, spiritual revivals such as the Great Awakening (Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, David Brainerd) or the first and second Welsh revivals (which brought us G. Campbell Morgan, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and Evan Roberts), are part of the problem rather than part of the answer. For him, the answer lies in a kind of academic neo-scholasticism. Horton believes that right doctrine will bring about the desired result, while revival will only bring wildfire. I think he is dead wrong. I think you must have BOTH the Word and the Spirit in order to have a Christ-filled Christianity. Orthodoxy can be 100% correct and 100% dead at the same time (as the Pharisees and the Fundamentalists have proven over and over). I'm going to disagree with Horton, but agree with Edwards and Roberts and Morgan and Lloyd-Jones and Spurgeon and Habakkuk that we need a revival of the Word and Spirit of God. Horton is right about the problems. And he is right about the need for orthodox theology. But he only gives us half the solution. And we need a whole Gospel to revive a lifeless American Christianity. "O Lord, Revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy." (Hab. 3:2). "I do not understand Christian people who are not thrilled by the whole idea of revival... If you want a perfect exposition of 1 Corinthians 1:25-31, read books on revival." (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones).
November 2008 · Books · verified purchase
the product in question
Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church
4.6★ · 301 ratings, as of 2023
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