Recommended 

Review by Jason Ragain

Horton, Michael.  Christless Christianity.  Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2008.

“Do More; Try Harder.”  According to Michael Horton, author of Christless Christianity, this phrase is the pervasive message that is being regularly communicated in our churches today.  This deed-oriented faith is not merely found in churches that have embraced theological and practical liberalism; it is becoming more common place in many evangelical churches.  The result of embracing this “do more, try harder” message (which is rooted in American pragmatism) is a faith that has become trivialized, moralized, minimized, and irrelevant.  Horton does suggest that evangelicalism has not become theologically liberal but rather theologically vacuous (pg 23).  In this environment, Christ is viewed as a resource to help improve ourselves and/or our current situation rather than being our Lord, Redeemer, and Savior.  In order to be relevant in our American culture, many churches have embraced this pragmatic message and have communicated this new gospel through moralistic messages of self help, self improvement, and privatized religion.  By preaching these messages, churches pass on good advice, but neglect the greatest message of all…the Gospel.  

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