[Update 1/10/12: We are very pleased to announce that Michael Horton will be the keynote speaker at this years Mockingbird Conference in NYC!]
I thought the title should go ahead and communicate what I thought from the outset:) Almost 10 years ago now, I read a lecture by Rod Rosenbladt called The Gospel for those broken by the Church, which introduced me to him, Michael Horton and the other members of what is known as the White Horse Inn radio show. In no small way, the aims of this show—to bring together people of different confessional and even theological commitments who could, nevertheless, agree on the central truths of the Christian message—remains a guiding influence in my life. So, when I sat down to read The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way, I was certainly predisposed to like it, but I had no idea how much I actually would. One post can not do this book justice, but I wanted to give an overview today and then work through some of the chapters at a later date, because this should be on everyone’s Amazon wish list (kindle or otherwise) post-haste!
Lactoso via. flikr
While reading this book, I felt like the little league baseball player carrying his glove around a major league ballpark, just gazing around in awe at the different level this game is being played. What makes this book so special for me is that having listened to countless hours of The White Horse Inn radio show, I can actually hear his voice coming through the pages. However, whether you have heard his voice on the radio or not, his pastoral concern to take the challenges and questions of an increasingly skeptical culture head-on in a courageous, gentle and knowledgeable way echoes clearly throughout. This is how theology should be done, as even in the midst of the most difficult concepts, it always has an eye to how to connect these timeless truths (or even the disputes) to everyday pastoral practice in a way that is at the same time both scholarly and accessible. This book is well written, beautifully laid out and extensively researched so as to make it, in my opinion, a wonderful resource for any Christian–although a non-Christian would certainly be challenged by this book, particularly the opening sections on post-Enlightenment worldviews—who is looking to, in the words of the White Horse Inn, “know what you believe and why you believe it.”
The strength of this project lies in its engagement with not only the source material- but with the exegetical, theological and philosophical developments of the last half of the 20th century, years that have had a significant impact on Christian theology. Whether it is working through the exegetical insights from N.T Wright and the “New Perspective on Paul,” critiquing the work of (so-called) process theologians like Clark Pinnock, or navigating through the renewed trinitarianism of Wolfhart Pannenberg and Robert Jenson, Horton evinces a level of engagement that goes beyond superficial interaction into the realm of serious and substantial critique. However, commensurate with the pastoral sensitivity that is a hallmark of all of his work, Horton’s critiques do not come off as dogmatically contrarian, as if he is simply toeing the Reformed party line, rather, because of the cohesion of his own theological ruminations, there is a clarity to his argument that makes for clear lines of demarcation. It is clear throughout, however, that where there is agreement or any chance of rapprochement, he is charitable and quick to affirm the areas of commonality. Overall, one is left with the sense that whatever disagreements one may have with him, he has probably already thought through your objections! By the end, we are given a winsome, articulate and dare I say compelling case for Confessional Reformed theology, at least the way it is taught and presented by Mike Horton.
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Finally and most importantly, this book shows how the “great questions” that have always confronted Christian theologians–questions like the number and nature of the attributes of God, how to (best) understand the Trinity, for instance–are, despite what many in our generation are wont to believe, not simply dry and dull points of anachronistic quibbling that can be done away with while we “build the Kingdom,” or something like that. They are, as Horton ably shows, the very areas from which our everyday Christian lives–our praxis–derive their significance and meaning. From arguments about God’s aesity and simplicity (read the book) to the questions surrounding infused vs. imputed righteousness, each of these admittedly abstruse issues has a clear and definite analogy to everyday life and, like Steve Jobs, affect your life whether you want it to or not. While the level of theological reflection in this book may not be suitable for everyone’s ability, time , or even interest(!), it stands as a particular challenge to every Christian teacher, pastor and theologian in particular, because this 1000+ page tour de force is a powerful witness to the profound, deep, sophisticated and defensible “faith once delivered.”
Not only those who are hoping to lear more about the way the many disparate aspects of the Christian faith fit together, but those who have had their Christian lives directed away from a moralism held together with clichés, platitudes and Dallas Willard books, will find that this book authoritatively puts to rest any lingering fears that maybe this Gospel of God’s unmerited and undeserved Grace is too good to be true after all.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lGkwPe-EsY&w=600]
COMMENTS
12 responses to “Michael Horton’s The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way”
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Interestingly, I just ordered this book from Amazon yesterday. I can’t wait to read it!
The likes of Messrs Horton, Riddleberger and Rosenbladt are deeply respected by those of my generation who needed a table in the wilderness of unrooted theology. Wonderful to hear that such provision continues!
Interestingly, my it reminded me of the story of the emperor’s new clothes. It APPEARS like it must be a “tour de force” (it IS 1000 pages after all) and everyone SAYS it is a “tour de force” (even though they don’t really understand it, so therefore it MUST be a “tour de force.” Just because a book is big and inscrutable (as Mr. Horton’s certainly is, and which you essentially admit to) does not ipso facto make it a tour de force, or even a good book, it just makes it a big inscrutable book. Mr. Horton is so fatigued (along with the reader no doubt) by the time that he gets to “sign gifts” he can manage only a page and a half (out of 1000) on what “seems” to be true (sign gifts have ceased – no surprise there). One illustration among many. Don’t throw away your Grudem (and in my opinion), don’t waste your $50 bucks.
It will come as no surprise that I disagree with your assessment, John!
I think that Grudem’s systematic is rightly deserving of all of its acclaim, but in any Systematic Theology, unless we write them ourselves, of course, our own issues will probably not be covered with as sufficient depth or nuance as we would like. I think this is why having a few good systematic textbooks is a must because the “facts” of the case have never changed, but the perspective from which they are addressed and the particular concerns they are attempting to answer change the overall “feel” of the work in important ways. Surely you would agree?
For instance, in this book, Horton clearly has the ongoing debate/discussion about the “works of the law” and “union with christ”—questions that have been raised by New Testament exegetes and Finnish Lutheran scholars, (and auburn avenue Presbyterians, for that matter)—at the forefront of his thinking. Additionally, his sympathetic treatment of traditionally “lutheran” themes like the distinction between law and gospel and questions about the hiddenness of God is a happy development, one imagines, of his 20+ year relationship with the Gnesio Lutheran himself, Rod Rosenbladt. While remaining true to his reformed commitments, he is respectful of other traditions and theologians in a way that I find, quite simply, inspiring. His use and thoughtful interaction with Barth is, in fact, worth $50 alone!
I’m reminded of the incredibly disparate reviews of Robert Jenson’s own 2 volume systematic. One one side (and in the pages of the same journal!) Francis Watson gives it a warm and respectful treatment while George Hunsinger all but calls for a heresy trial! Personally, I find theological interaction with people with whom I may disagree–particularly ones that I respect–to be both enlivening and helpful in my own development, because I really do want to “know what I believe and why,” and I think it takes more than one book and one perspective to help that desire become reality!
You know, it is just the type omission that you are bothered by that drives most people’s desire to write a Systematic Theology in the first place. Who knows, maybe we’ll be reviewing your own book a few years from now, one with, I suspect, many more pages devoted to “sign gifts”!
Jady, the last point in the penultimate paragraph your review is the most encouraging and has convinced me to take a longer look at Horton’s book. It’s good to hear that Horton seems to have appropriated reformed theology, rather than parroting a canonized reformed position.
Another book to add to my list….. It’s never-ending!
I have both and started reading both at the same time with a highlighter handy. Grudem’s is straight foreward and easy to grasp, sort of like a systematic theology 101. I laid his aside for now in favor of Horton’s. The Christian Faith is deep and rich and requires some heavy thought. I like being challenged, and Horton has done that from the very first time I heard him on White Horse Inn.
Perhaps you misunderstand Dallas Willard. He understood Grace very well.