White Horse Inn

At the heart of the division between Protestants and Catholics is the disagreement over the doctrine of justification. According to Catholic theology, justification is believed to be a lifelong process in which the sinner becomes intrinsically righteous, to the extent that he or she cooperates with grace. On the other side, Protestants assert that this ends up confusing justification with sanctifi...

WHI Classic • Are faith and science at odds with each other? The way the story is often told, science is empirical, rational, and objective, whereas faith is experiential, subjective, and dogmatic. While it's certainly true that many of the world's religions think of faith in this way, the hosts will attempt to show that the Christian view of faith is unique in that it claims to be a reasonable tr...

For the past five hundred years, Protestants have argued that the doctrine of justification by faith alone is a core component of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But sometimes opponents of the Reformation claim that the Bible actually teaches the opposite. In James 2:24, for example, we're told that "a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." So what is the point James is making and does...

WHI Classic • Sometimes when discussing evidence for the Christian faith, a person may respond by asking, "What room does this leave for faith?" This question actually reveals a misunderstanding of the Christian view of faith which is grounded in factual claims about the person and work of Christ as reported and authenticated by eyewitnesses. On this program, the hosts will discuss the New Testame...

Was the book of James written by one of the twelve disciples or the brother of Jesus? Are there any references to James outside the world of the New Testament? Many scholars have concluded that his epistle was likely written in the early to mid-forties of the first century. And since James so frequently quotes and alludes to the sayings of Jesus throughout his epistle, this provides strong evidenc...

WHI Classic • Why do you believe the Bible? What does it mean to "believe" in the first place? Should we think of faith as a kind of blind leap or shot in the dark? If so, why have you made this particular leap, in contrast to all the other faith options? On this program, the hosts will seek to answer these questions and more (originally aired 07-09-17). __________ For the month of October, become...

WHI Classic: How does a life of discipleship flow out of doxology and worship? First, we need to remind ourselves once again that worship is the natural response to encountering the God of Scripture. Once we have been captivated by his mercy and kindness to us in Christ, we not only offer him praise and adoration, but we also give him our very selves, for we are now no longer our own, but have bee...

Though evangelicals and liberals are often at each other’s throats in the culture wars, this division is best understood as a kind of “sibling rivalry.” Whereas liberals tend to focus on creating “our best world now,” evangelicals talk about having “your best life now.” But either way, the focus is on what we are doing either individually or collectively, right here and now. In contrast, the histo...

In his bestselling book The Universal Christ, progressive theologian Richard Rohr claims that the doctrine of original sin was invented by Augustine and that the Bible actually teaches the “inherent goodness of human nature.” So what are the implications of this view on the way progressive Christians think about salvation in general and the atonement in particular? Shane Rosenthal discusses these...

WHI Classic • According to a recent Pew study, 70% of Americans agreed with the idea that "many religions can lead to eternal life." What's more striking is that when this same question was put to self-identified evangelical Christians, 57% agreed. So, is this view correct or is faith in Christ the only way to heaven? That's the focus of this edition of the White Horse Inn as the hosts continue th...

In her new book, Another Gospel, Alisa Childers argues that “progressive Christianity is not simply a shift in the Christian view of social issues. It’s not simply permission to embrace messiness and authenticity in Christian life. It’s an entirely different religion—with another Jesus and another gospel.” On this episode, Shane Rosenthal talks with Alisa about her experience in a progressive chur...

WHI Classic • The Great Commission is both deep in its intensity (making disciples, not just converts) and wide in its extensiveness (“into all the world”). But even where it was once strongly preached and professed, the Gospel's light seems today to be a flickering candle. How do we take the message of the gospel into all the world? On this edition of the program the hosts discuss the meaning of...

How did so many people in our day come to believe that sexuality is at the core of a person’s individual identity? And how is it that inner psychology and subjective feelings came to have more cultural authority than a person’s actual biology? Shane Rosenthal discusses these questions and more with Carl Trueman, author of The Rise & Triumph of the Modern Self. __________ Become a partner and you w...

What is a covenant? Is there a difference between the Abrahamic covenant and the Sinai covenant, or are they basically the same? What is the relationship between the old and new covenants? On this program, the hosts reveal how the study of ancient near-eastern treaties helps us to better understand all the different covenants we find mentioned in the Scriptures (originally aired 05-15-05). _______...

WHI Classic • The kingdom of God can only be defined by attending closely to its unfolding in history. The reign of God takes different forms in this history, but its goal is nothing less than God’s dwelling in the midst of his people in righteousness, peace, and justice. But how does the Kingdom of God advance? What are its signs and how is it related to the redemption accomplished by Jesus Chris...

Who was Abraham and why did God choose to bless him along with his descendants? Was it because he was a particularly holy and righteous man? What was the nature of God’s promise, and what did Abraham need to do in order to make it happen? Also, how does the covenant ritual described in Genesis 15 ultimately point us to Golgotha? Shane Rosenthal discusses these issues with Mike Brown, co-author of...