Is the Church Becoming a Christless Christianity?
The premise of Michael Horton’s book, “Christless Christianity,” is that although the church has not stopped using the name of Jesus Christ, and has not stopped talking about Jesus Christ, the church has stopped referring to Jesus Christ as the “Christ” or as the “Savior” from sins and from the wrath of God. Hence, the title, “Christless Christianity.” The question Horton presents is: are we preaching the crucified Christ who takes away sins, or a counterfeit message of good advice for a better life in Jesus’ name? Has the office of “Christ” or “Messiah” been replaced with “Life Coach” and “Sage”? I have been challenged by Michael Horton’s book. Here are a few challenging quotes to chew on:
In my experience, this is where a lot of Christians are living today: not quite accosted by the death sentence of the law, they are also not regularly hearing the liberating Good News of the gospel. Our intuition tells us that if we just hear more practical preaching (that is, moving exhortations to follow Jesus), we will improve. When this becomes the main diet, however, we do not find ourselves improving. We neither mourn [for our sinfulness] nor dance [over our forgiveness in Christ]. (p132)