White Horse Inn

Many of us were raised in churches that downplayed the clergy-laity distinction. Every member, we were told, was a minister. Now, we’re in churches that take ordination seriously and that sees the biblical rationale for “office.” Maybe we’re even relieved to find that these churches don’t fill our calendars with a busy week of “ministry activities,” but instead prioritize Sunday worship. But where does that leave the laity? And where is the spiritual formation that happens when we live in community with one another? In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller consider how the liturgy of our worship pushes back against the liturgies of the world. And they discuss the responsibility of members to exercise their spiritual gifts alongside their freedom to receive and rest on the Lord’s day.

Many churches preach that your biggest problem is that you’re not living your best life now. Rather than calling people to repentance, they call them to “try harder, do better” so that they can be fulfilled, healthy, and happy. Reformed theology provides a doctrine to help counter this wrong diagnosis of our true problem: total depravity. But sometimes, this doctrine sounds much more like “utter depravity,” leaving nothing good or redeemable about humanity. In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller consider how we hold total depravity in tension with the goodness of humanity.

Is Christianity really as intellectually driven as some of us seem to think? Sermons are lectures. Bible studies, book groups, and theology discussions take on an outsized role in the life of the church. We have difficulty talking to people who don’t know our jargon. In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller discuss how we can push back against an overly intellectual approach to the faith and embrace a holistic church ministry and spiritual life.

Martin Luther once said, "Prayer, study, and suffering make a pastor." Few things can better describe the life and ministry of Tim Keller. In this episode, Michael Horton is joined by Tim Keller to discuss how his cancer diagnosis has affected his spiritual practices, why forgiveness is essential in life and society, the church's resilience amidst increasing secularization, and more.

In this final episode for the 2022 Christmas series, White Horse Inn hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller unpack the beloved Christmas text, Isaiah 9:6, considering how each phrase is truly good news of great joy: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

"Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point," said Scrooge, "answer me one question." In this special episode, Michael Horton shares how the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol' points us to our need for a transformation, but how only the gospel can move us from behavioral change to living a new life of gratitude and joy.

What did Jesus accomplish in his first Advent? In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller consider the effects of the incarnation of the Son of God—sin is atoned for, exile is over, and his reign reaches “far as the curse is found.”

"Come in! and know me better, man!" In this special episode, Justin Holcomb shares how the Ghost of Christmas Present in Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol' teaches us about grace and peace and the invitation to feast in the Christian life.

As we wait for Jesus to come again, what exactly are we waiting for? What kind of kingdom will Jesus bring? In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller look back to the expectations surrounding the Messiah’s coming and consider what Christ’s rule and reign look like now and in the future.

“Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!” In this special episode, Bob Hiller shares how the Ghost of Christmas Past in Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol' teaches us about guilt, the law, and how we are freed from its condemnation through Christ.

The Advent season reminds us that we’re still waiting. But as we long and wait for God’s promised peace and redemption, we’re tempted to take matters into our own hands. On this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller discuss what Advent is and what faithful longing for God’s peace and redemption looks like.

In this episode, David VanDrunen advocates for the Two-Kingdoms view, which Michael Horton shares. Though they are not uniform in their approaches, this beneficial conversation examines the view of the Two-Kingdoms, the criticisms against it, and its practical application in the church and society.

In this special Thanksgiving episode of the White Horse Inn, Justin Holcomb interviews Trevin Wax about his new book, The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith.

In this episode, Gary DeMar advocates that America once had a Christian heritage that can and should be recovered and that some of Israel’s civil laws should indeed govern American and Western society.

In this episode, Susannah Black Roberts advocates for the view of “Christian post-liberalism,” defending her position that “the purpose of earthly government is to bring those governed to their natural end: to be virtuous men and women with justice in their souls, who participate in the common good of the city; it also has the purpose of directing us to our final supernatural end, according to its own methods, in a humble way and without stepping on the toes of the church.”

In this episode of White Horse Inn, Peter Leithart advocates for what some describe as “Constantinianism,” where the church is knit into the civic order, and where civic responsibilities are also carried out by the church and its clergy.

In this special episode concluding our White Horse Inn series on vocation, Michael Horton and Justin Holcomb sit down to discuss the call to vocational ministry. Drawing on their experiences as ordained ministers and seminary professors, they answer questions like: What are the qualifications for pastoral ministry? How do you know if you’re called to ministry? When should you go to seminary? And how can we encourage those in our midst we think may be called?

During the Reformation, “the priesthood of all believers”—considered one of the most important discoveries of the Reformation—countered the clericalism of Rome and restored the dignity of ordinary vocations. So what does the daily office of “Christian” look like today? And how are laypeople meant to engage in the work of ministry? In this episode of White Horse Inn, Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and special guest Walter Strickland discuss the priesthood of all believers, considering its different expressions and implications in the Reformed, Anglican, Baptist, and Lutheran traditions.

The apostle Paul tells us that in light of Christ’s resurrection and in view of our own, our work is not in vain. It has meaning and purpose. So how do we navigate the goodness and the promises of work in the context of a world where sin has plagued our vocations? What does the doctrine of vocation say to a generation of people who are unsatisfied, burning out, and just plain tired? Listen to Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and special guest Walter Strickland continue their discussion of vocation in this episode of White Horse Inn.

Is there a distinctly Christian way to go about our day jobs? In this episode of White Horse Inn, Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and Walter Strickland consider what makes our work valuable. They challenge the human tendency to search for ultimate significance and satisfaction in our work, pointing listeners to God’s design for believers to live out their vocations under God’s pleasure, in the power of the Spirit, and within the rhythms of work and rest that he provides.