Christless Christianity does not propose that the evangelical Christian Church in North America is devoid of Jesus – not yet anyways. But Michael Horton does build a strong argument throughout the book that the evangelical church is heading in that direction.
Horton’s incisive analysis of the preaching and practices of the North American “Evangelical” Church reveals that many of its preachers and pastors have lost confidence in the “Evangel” or “Good News” of Jesus Christ. We have not only lost confidence in the Gospel but have lost our sense of need for it.
According to Horton, the reason for this is that we do not take God and His holiness seriously enough. In His place, we take ourselves, and our own happiness, as all-important. The need for the redeeming work of Christ is downplayed when we emphasize God’s love without trying to integrate it with His righteousness and justice. Who needs a Mediator or forgiveness with such a god?
Horton writes: “My concern is not that God is treated so lightly in American culture but that he is not taken seriously in our own faith and practice” (p. 23). The minimizing, and even disparaging, of doctrinal and creedal instruction in the life of the contemporary Church evidence this. But doctrine is the teaching of the Church regarding who God is and what He has accomplished in Christ for salvation. The apostolic creeds are the Church’s faithful witness to the historic, objective facts of Christ’s person and work. These historic facts and events are the foundation of the Church’s existence.
In a desire to be relevant, we have so emphasized our subjective wants and feelings that our “peace of mind” has become more important than achieving the objective status of “peace with God”. We have succumbed to the secularizing forces of our culture that insist on privatizing all Christian claims. As a result, the Christian faith is being transformed into a form of therapy. “Christ, then, is our answer to bad feelings, not to any actual state of enmity or guilt before God” (p. 53).
Horton goes on to critique Joel Osteen’s teaching in a detailed way. Osteen’s ministry epitomizes the moralistic, therapeutic deism that is rampant in today’s “Evangelical” Church. Horton summarizes Osteen’s teachings by these words: “Basically, God is there for you and your happiness. He has some rules and principles for getting what you want out of life, and if you follow them, you can have what you want” (p. 68). If the goal of our existence is to be happy and to enjoy personal success, then our biggest need is the instruction and motivation of a life coach.
Jesus is transformed into a Tony Robbins or Dr. Phil from the biblical Christ who saves us from the coming wrath through a bloody cross. This biblical gospel is perceived to be too offensive and negative for many in our churches to accept.
Horton also looks at some of the teaching of “The Emergent Movement”. These emergent teachers are not as narcissistic or individualistic in their teaching as Osteen and other prosperity teachers seem to be. They, however, also confuse law and gospel. They downplay what God has done for us in Christ (Gospel) and instead emphasize the need for the Church to be more involved in peace and justice issues like global warming and AIDS (law). These emergent teachers assume that the Church already knows what the Gospel is and all we need to do is work harder in social justice. This is the path to transformation in the world.
Horton, however, builds a strong case that many parts of the Church do not really know the Gospel and its full implications. Horton closes his book with these prophetic words: “The church in America will have to learn what it means to mourn before it can dance. Sticking to the story, fixing our eyes on Christ – even if it means distracting us from what we have diagnosed as our real issues – is the kindest thing a pastor can do for a congregation, the most precious gift we can receive and pass along to our neighbors, and the most relevant mission on earth” (p. 259).
One shortcoming, I think, that is worth mentioning is that Horton paints all revivalist-oriented Christian churches with the same wide brush. He prominently mentions Charles Finney as an example of a man-centered approach to revivalist ministry. It is not surprising that Finney’s ministry produced dubious long-term spiritual fruit. But there are church denominations that began in the holiness revivals of the late 1800s who were contemporary with Finney and who are still producing spiritual fruit for the kingdom of God today.
This book is highly recommended as a critique of the contemporary evangelical church. I give it a 4.5 out of 5.
In Christ’s love and service,
Pastor John Neposlan
Devonwood Community Church of the Nazarene
Ugh. This sounds awful. I know your review was meant to be positive, but this sounds like one more narrow Calvinist bad-mouthing non-Calvinists. Joel Osteen is too easy a target. Emergent Christianity is a loose category of many people / movements / schools of thought. And, don't think his objection to Oberlin & Holiness theologies are incidental to his goals. Horton thinks you are a Christless Christian — and don't you forget it! Besides: anybody can throw stones. So what?
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