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.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
leaving "meianity" for Christianity Others have already given fantastic reviews here, and I don't want to be redundant, so I will just add my own spin to this book that occurred to me as I read it. First, as self-help pop psychology and pop music come to dominate so much of American Protestantism, I couldn't help but wonder where the line will be drawn in the sand. Of course, as the author points out, there are many Christians who have the pop experience for their "worship" experience and still hear that Jesus died for their sins and that... more info
Excellent I won't rehash the content, but the last 150 pages really hits home the problems with the church, and it especially rang true for the traditional Baptist background I come from. This should be mandatory reading for every pastor and church goer.
Excellent exposition Michael Horton has written a most necessary critique of the state of most Christian denominations and churches in America today. Having traded the message of human depravity and salvation alone through Christ for one of self-improvement and moralistic instruction, the majority of America's churches now preach a message that people's itching ears want to hear, that they really are good people who simply need to follow some simple rules to have happy, fulfilling lives. Whether this book serves as a... more info
Just as much a hermeneutic... The push for Horton in 'Christless Christianity' is one for the gospel. Chapter after chapter he systematically shows how secular thought has been adopted by Christianity. With the mixing of outside ideas, the gospel itself has lost the spotlight or disappeared altogether. In many ways, I felt that Christless Christianity is a hermeneutic book in disguise. Horton sets up a proper lens by which to view and interpret the Bible through: God, and His kingdom, and His Son, and His plan (and not our kingdom... more info
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