The Alternative Gospel of the American Church
Michael Horton
Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Horton, Michael Scott.
Christless Christianity: the alternative gospel of the American church / Michael Horton.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ).
ISBN 978-0-8010-1318-8 (cloth)
1. Evangelicalism—United States. 2. United States—Religious life and customs. 3. Jesus Christ—History of doctrines—United States. I. Title. BR1642.U5H674 2008
277.3′083—dc22
2008023631
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Scripture marked NASB is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture marked NIV is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked NKJV is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked NRSV is taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
through whom we have
now received reconciliation”
Foreword: Liberating a Captive Church
1. Christless Christianity: The American Captivity of the Church
2. Naming Our Captivity: Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism
3. Smooth Talking and Christless Christianity
4. How We Turn Good News into Good Advice
6. Delivering Christ: The Message and the Medium
Liberating a Captive Church
Here we are in the North American church—conservative or liberal, evangelical or mainline, Protestant or Catholic, emergent or otherwise—cranking along just fine, thank you. So we’re busy downsizing, becoming culturally relevant, reaching out, drawing in, making disciples, managing the machinery, utilizing biblical principles, celebrating recovery, user-friendly, techno savvy, finding the purposeful ...
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About Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American ChurchThe church in America has willingly been taken captive. The captors are American culture and ideals: consumerism, pragmatism, self-sufficiency, individualism, positive thinking, personal prosperity, and nationalism. These are antithetical to the Gospel, but we have nevertheless made them part and parcel of it. We are well on our way to a Christless Christianity. The result? A faith that is—in Michael Horton’s prophetic 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. In this critically acclaimed book, Horton skillfully diagnoses the problem and points to the solution: a return to the unadulterated Gospel of salvation. Here is a must-read for anyone concerned about the state and future of Christianity and the church in America. |
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