Book Review: Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church

Reviewed by John Hendryx

Michael Horton’s Christless Christianity is a thoroughgoing manifesto on true vs distorted views of the gospel within contemporary Christianity. He leaves no stone unturned covering the full gamut of evangelicalism; from conservatives to liberals; from (the legacy of ) Charles Finney to Barna; from Joyce Meyers to Rick Warren; from to Doug Pagit to Joel Osteen. He argues that all these, as well as many in his own tradition, seem to share a common thread of proclaiming a message of ‘deeds, not creeds,’ which Horton argues is just another way of saying, “law, not gospel”. The focus of the message in the contemporary church now tends to be more about us and our activity versus God and His work accomplished in Jesus Christ. God oftentimes just becomes a supporting character in our life, rather than our lives being written into the great drama of His redemption. The new legalism, Horton argues, consists of sermons that focus in on principles, rules, steps, laws, codes and guidelines as the central application, that if followed will reap psychological rewards. Preaching of this kind, he calls ‘moralistic therapeutic deism’. But Horton does not merely critique, he also points to Christ as the solution. While this may outwardly seem simplistic, Christianity, Horton says, is news about what Christ has done for us (a divine rescue) not what we do for Him (a self-salvation project or steps to victory). In other words, the gospel is first about divine accomplishment, not human attainment (or principles for living). What we do as Christians is always as a response to the finished work Christ has already accomplished for us. If it is not preached this way in every sermon then Christianity cannot be sharply differentiated from any other religion ascending to God, rather than a message showing our utter helplessness and the need to God to descend to rescue us. This, Horton emphasizes is the key, not only to salvation but to Christian sanctification as well.

 

Horton aptly diagnoses the malaise of contemporary evangelicalism which has influenced us all, to some degree or another. Oftentimes the message of moral and political crusades on the right and on the left often trump (or distract us from) the message of Christ’s redemption as our only hope. Horton says, “As the media follows the growing shift among many younger evangelicals from more conservative to more progressive politics, the real headline should be that the movement is going back to church to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ rather than becoming a demographic block in the culture wars.” (pg. 22). A growing number of evangelicals who are fond of Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom over against doctrinal issues tend to “celebrate this emphasis on Christ-as-example rather than Christ-as-Redeemer as the harbinger of a new kind of Christian, but is it really an old kind of moralist?” (pg. 25). Horton identifies Pelagianism as the default setting of the human heart, the religion of self-salvation … “If we are merely wayward,” he says, “we only need direction; merely sick, we need medicine, merely weak, we need strength. Radical grace, on the other hand, answers to radical sinfulness- not simply to moral mistakes, lack of zeal, or spiritual lethargy. But Evangelicalism is not all Pelagianism Horton suggests that

 

“it is semi-pelagianism that dominates American Christianity, just as it did in the medieval church. While Augustinianism affirms that God does all the saving and Pelagianism crowns our moral achievement with the “grace” of acceptance, semi-Pelagianism says that salvation is a process that depends on the coworking of God and humans. The technical term for this position is synergism (working together). Donald Bloesch laments, “it must be acknowledged …that in much popular Protestantism synergism (salvation through both grace and free will) is even more evident than in Catholicism, and human reason and experience figure more prominently than Scripture in determining norms for faith.”

 

Theologial liberalism is in the imperative mood, while Christianity begins with a triumphant indicative, Horton says quoting Machen. “Liberalism appeals to man’s will, while Christianity announces first a gracious act of God; Liberalism regards Christ as an Example and Guide; Christianity as a Savior…” But this is now not confined to theological liberals as Conservative churches are essentially communicating the same thing with the emphasis on principles, laws, steps and guidelines.

 

Horton’s tonic for the crisis is to focus on what God does for us rather than what we do for God. “Gifts do not go up to God but come down from the God who does not need anything that would obligate a return (Acts 17:24-35; Rom 11:35-36).” The Son of God did not come to be served, but comes to serve us – “we are the ones who need to be bathed, clothed and fed, not God.”

Christless Christianity by Michael Horton - Available at Monergism Books


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