Are We There Yet?

Interesting quote from the first chapter of Michael Horton’s soon to be released book, Christless Christianity:

What would things look like if Satan really took control of a city? Over a half century ago, Presbyterian minister Donald Grey Barnhouse offered his own scenario in his weekly sermon that was also broadcast nationwide on CBS radio. Barnhouse speculated that if Satan took over Philadelphia, all of the bars would be closed, pornography banished, and pristine streets would be filled with tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other. There would be no swearing. The children would say, “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am,” and the churches would be full every Sunday . . . where Christ is not preached.

What is Barnhouse’s point?  Where Christ is not preached, religion is preached.  Where Christ is not preached self righteousness reigns.  The Evil One would be very content for people to trust in their own morality, their own record and not flee to Christ.  Barnhouse reinforces the idea that Christians not only repent of their sin but also of their self-righteousness.

This entry (Permalink) was posted on Monday, October 27th, 2008 at 1:29 pm and is filed under Preaching. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site.