When tragedy strikes us, what do we do? Do we want to immediately blame God? Do we try to rationalize it in some way? Or do we just lose hope? When trials feel like a main player in our lives, it can be overwhelming. We might feel entitled to the answers for our questions. In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and Walter Strickland take on the challenge of addressing God’s part in our tragedies and consider how to find our way when we feel lost.

Tragedy: Meaningful or Meaningless?

Do all paths lead to God? Is the Bible history or mythology? Are we saved by grace or good works? Featuring conversations with Christians from a variety traditions, this program is designed to give you a better understanding of what you believe and why you believe it.

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Martin Luther once said that, “Adam was the first enthusiast,” and by “enthusiast” he doesn’t mean someone who is enthusiastic. The philosophy of enthusiasm is “god-within-ism,” a belief and tendency to pit internal spirituality versus external texts, institutions, and authorities. In this episode, Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Walter Strickland, and Bob Hiller discuss how this “god-within-ism” has appeared in the church, from Montanists, to medieval monks, radical figures in the Reformation, Enlightenment philosophers, and contemporary movements today.   CHECK OUT THIS MONTH’S OFFERS:   Praying with Jesus: Getting to the Heart of the Lord's Prayer by Adriel Sanchez.   Become a Partner to support the work of White Horse Inn as we apply the riches of the Reformation to the modern church.   Subscribe to Modern Reformation magazine. Our May/June issue is “This Isn’t the Reformation You’re Looking For,” where we feature essays and articles about the “New Apostolic Reformation” (NAR) and how its vision of revivalism and enthusiasm is not the kind of renewal the church and culture needs.    For more information, visit us at whitehorseinn.org or email us at info@whitehorseinn.org.  Featuring: Michael Horton, Bob Hiller, Walter Strickland, and Justin Holcomb  

The “Enthusiasts'' of Church History: From Montanists to Modern Day ``Prophets''

Watch this conversation at YouTube.com/@WhiteHorse1990 Bob Hiller sits down with Adriel Sanchez to discuss the most famous prayer in history and his new book, Praying with Jesus: Getting to the Heart of the Lord’s Prayer. Adriel is the pastor of North Park Presbyterian Church in San Diego and the host of Sola Media’s radio program, Core Christianity.  Pastor Adriel shares how the Lord’s Prayer presupposes the gospel and the doctrine of the Trinity, and how prayer is itself a gift as well as a discipline that requires intentionality on the part of the Christian. Listen in as Bob and Adriel also walk through the petitions of our Lord’s Prayer and how practicing the prayer transforms our lives. (Episode SP017) ON THIS EPISODE:  Adriel Sanchez is senior pastor of North Park Presbyterian Church in San Diego and cohost of the Core Christianity radio program. He is also the author of Praying with Jesus: Getting to the Heart of the Lord’s Prayer. Bob Hiller is the Senior Pastor of Community Lutheran Church in Escondido, California. He is also the author of Finding Christ in the Straw.  CHECK OUT THIS MONTH’S OFFERS:   Praying with Jesus: Getting to the Heart of the Lord’s Prayer by Adriel Sanchez. Become a Partner to support the work of White Horse Inn as we apply the riches of the Reformation to the modern church. Subscribe to Modern Reformation magazine. Our May/June issue is “This Isn’t the Reformation You’re Looking For,” where we feature essays and articles about the “New Apostolic Reformation” (NAR) and how its vision of revivalism and enthusiasm is not the kind of renewal the church and culture needs. 

The Heart of the Lord’s Prayer With Adriel Sanchez

We can't go back to the church environments we grew up with, we can only go forward. So what would a healthy modern reformation and a Great Rechurching look like? Rather than wallowing in pessimism and longing to return to the church of yesteryear, Michael Horton, Bob Hiller, Justin Holcomb, and Walter Strickland discuss how the church today can reform and be marked by orthodoxy, love, and resilient joy.   CHECK OUT THIS MONTH’S OFFERS:   The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? by Jim Davis and Michael Graham, with Ryan P. Burge.   Become a Partner to support the work of White Horse Inn as we apply the riches of the Reformation to the modern church.   Subscribe to Modern Reformation magazine. Our March/April issue is “The Head & the Heart,” where we feature essays, poems, and articles about how the Bible does not separate the “rational” mind and the “emotive” heart; rather, “In the Bible, the intellect, will, and emotions are all capacities that belong to the whole, integrated person.”     For more information, visit us at whitehorseinn.org or email us at info@whitehorseinn.org   Featuring:  Michael Horton, Bob Hiller, Walter Strickland, and Justin Holcomb  

A Vision for a Modern Reformation: From Dechurched to Rechurched

If you go to church, do you know why you attend? Do you know why your friends and family have casually just stopped going to church? How can we talk about the necessity of the church in a way that is beautiful and life-giving, but goes beyond personal preference? In this episode, Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Walter Strickland, and Bob Hiller answer these questions and more as they discuss how Christians can reach out to their dechurched friends, family, and neighbors.   “When asked how willing they would be to go back to church, 51 percent said they are either somewhat willing or very willing—51 percent! Unsurprisingly, the reasons they would come back also represent a longing to belong. These dechurched evangelicals said they would come back if they made new friends (28%), if they move and want to make new friends (18%), if they became lonely and want to make new friends (20%), if their children want to go (16%), if their spouse wants to go (18%), if a friend invites them (17%), if there is a good pastor (18%), if they find a good community (17%), if they miss their church community (20%), or if they just find a church they like (14%). This group's high orthodoxy scores also inform other reasons they would come back: if they feel the distance from God (20%) or if God tells them to go back in some significant way (18%). The main takeaway here is that many dechurched evangelicals simply need a friend to invite them to church.” - The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? by Jim Davis and Michael Graham, with Ryan P. Burge, p. 28.   CHECK OUT THIS MONTH’S OFFERS:   The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? by Jim Davis and Michael Graham, with Ryan P. Burge.   Become a Partner to support the work of White Horse Inn as we apply the riches of the Reformation to the modern church.   Subscribe to Modern Reformation magazine. Our March/April issue is “The Head & the Heart,” where we feature essays, poems, and articles about how the Bible does not separate the “rational” mind and the “emotive” heart; rather, “In the Bible, the intellect, will, and emotions are all capacities that belong to the whole, integrated person.”    For more information, visit us at whitehorseinn.org or email us at info@whitehorseinn.org   Featuring:  Michael Horton, Bob Hiller, Walter Strickland, and Justin Holcomb  

Equipping You to Minister to the Dechurched in Your Life

What happened in American culture and in the church from the 1970s-1990s? What were the conversations and big concerns of that time when White Horse Inn recorded its first episodes? In answering some of these questions, churches can get their bearings as to what trends have impacted those who no longer sit in their pews and what to do about it.   “The early 1990s was an inflection point for American religion. Between the early 1970s and 1990s, the share of Americans who had no religious affiliation had only risen two points. But from that point forward, the nones would grow by a percentage point or two nearly every year through the following three decades.” - Ryan Burge, “‘OK Millennial’: Don’t Blame the Boomers for Decline of Religious America”   Michael Horton, Bob Hiller, Walter Strickland, and Justin Holcomb discuss how modern historical events and trends have impacted church attendance today and how to respond.  CHECK OUT THIS MONTH’S OFFERS:   The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? by Jim Davis and Michael Graham, with Ryan P. Burge.   Become a Partner to support the work of White Horse Inn as we apply the riches of the Reformation to the modern church.   Subscribe to Modern Reformation magazine. Our March/April issue is “The Head & the Heart,” where we feature essays, poems, and articles about how the Bible does not separate the “rational” mind and the “emotive” heart; rather, “In the Bible, the intellect, will, and emotions are all capacities that belong to the whole, integrated person.”    For more information, visit us at whitehorseinn.org or email us at info@whitehorseinn.org  Featuring: Michael Horton, Bob Hiller, Walter Strickland, and Justin Holcomb  

Tragedy: Meaningful or Meaningless?

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