Michael Horton: Slouching Towards Gomorrah or Risky Business?

 

Laodiceans,

I haven’t been writing much lately, and I am sorry about that. Happily, life is taking on new twists and turns and me and my family have been busily looking for our first house. Not only that, but I have been engaging in a major battle of words with that fake dangoldfinch over at Life Under the Blue Sky. Goldfinch is such a fake and I think someone needs to expose him for the fake he is.

Anyhow, here’s what is eating at me today. Michael Horton, professor at Westminister Theological Seminary, author, host of the White Horse Inn, has done something that really, really frightens me. We have learned from other discernmentalists that it is a dangerous thing to use illustrations from pop culture–especially the world of film. I even learned recently that it is against the rules to quote from Dr Seuss when making a point about the Gospel. We agree! There is no place for such childish, and clearly products of the devil in our worship services.

This is why I am so torn up today. White Horse Inn is normally a very reliable resource for getting at the real, hard-core truth. Michael Horton is normally a profound thinker, theologically orthodox Gospelnator. This video episode (from May 18, Selling Jesus) of the White Horse Inn features Michael Horton opening the program with, gasp, an illustration from, I can barely say this without partially regurgitating my unfrostedstrawberry pop tarts, a Tom Cruise movie: Risky Business!

There are many of you in our sphere of influence who, like us, count on the sound expositions of the Gospel by people like Dr Horton, but if we are to do our job correctly, and faithfully, and evenhandedly, then we must call out Dr Horton on this serious transgression of ethics. This is sad, sad, sad and terribly disturbing. We simply cannot stand for Gospelizers who use illustrations from movies that are filled with gratuitous s**, exploitation of women, drug use, alcohol consumption, prostitution, public s**, violence, crime, cigarette smoking, partial nudity, dancing, secular music, and a star actor who is a Scientologist.

Now I know Horton used the illustration as a negative example, and I know this is a radio program and not a ‘church’ per se. Nevertheless, church people watch and listen to the White Horse Inn. I wonder how many hapless Christians will be interested in this film and rush right out to Blockbuster to rent it? I fear this is an example of Dr Horton slouching toward Gomorrah–using a fantastic, scintillating hook to rope people in to the story. I think he could have chosen a better film, say a Christian film like Left Behind or Facing the Giants.

One Holy Movie!

I am calling on Dr Horton to rebuke himself and to edit this videpisode of White Horse Inn to reflect his sincere repentance at this gaffe. The opening few minutes need to be excised so that this terrible illustration from a film about ‘human pleasure’, a film about ‘fleshly indulgence,’ will not be heard by the hapless Christians who cannot tell their right hands from their left feet. Dr Horton: You are hereby on notice! We will continue to warn people of your use of such illustrations and your less than holy approach to teaching people the Gospel. Repent!

I care for you in Laodicea and I want you to know that it pained me to listen to this episode of WHI knowing that I had to listen, at the beginning, to a lengthy description of this horrible film. Please write to the White Horse Inn and let them know that you do not appreciate their use of secular films to make their points, no matter how valid those points may be. These are dangerous times, and we cannot continue this sort of nonsense We need people who will abandon all such illustrations and get back to the truth. Dr Horton has clearly proved that he cannot be trusted here in Laodicea.

Mailing Address
White Horse Inn
1725 Bear Valley Parkway
Escondido, CA 92027

Telephone/Fax
Tel: 800.890.7556 | 760.739.9001
Fax: 760.741.1045

 

yours for the truth war,

struggle4laodicea