Peter Glover talks to Michael Horton, President of Christians United for Reformation (CURE).
Michael Horton is still in his thirties. In America he is a well-known evangelical author and President of CURE (Christians United for Reformation). The fact that a string of highly-respected authors (including Jim Packer, Don Carson, James Montgomery Boice, R.C. Sproul, Alistair McGrath et al) support and contribute to CURE's work may say something about the materials produced by CURE and Michael Horton's emergence as a major figure on the American evangelical scene.
What more than anything defines CURE is its specific emphasis in 'seeking to communicate the insights of the 16th century Reformation to the contemporary church and society' (CURE brochure). TIME Magazine put it more bluntly by noting CURE was seeking to 'bring about the sort of theological clean-up that Martin Luther sought for medieval Christendom'. Michael Horton and those connected with CURE believe that unless evangelicalism regains the insights of the Reformers and takes the doctrines of the Word of God far more seriously, it is destined to become increasingly irrelevant in the world.
Always reforming?
CURE's first UK conference at St. Paul's Church, Robert Adam Street, in London, over two days in November represents the organisation's formal introduction here. The conference's opening address, given by Dr. Paul Blackham (a lecturer of Oak Hill Theological College), underlined CURE's raison d'etre. Under the title 'What Is Reformation Theology?' Dr. Blackham saw significant similarities between the state of the medieval church before the arrival of Luther and the Reformers and the state of the contemporary Western church. He said: 'Studying the Reformers is a quest of discovery both for our Christian identity and authenticity. The church should be constantly reforming itself because error will constantly creep in. The Word of God must be allowed to stand over us as it did for the Reformers.'
For two years some British evangelicals have been urging Michael Horton to 'bring' CURE to Britain in terms of its resources and its influence. Speaking to Evangelicals Now at the end of the first day of the conference (and a full 26 hours without a break since leaving California!), Michael Horton had some stark observations to offer on the state of contemporary evangelicalism and its relation to our modern culture both here and in America.
'What is crucial and central to CURE's work,' Michael explained, 'is the belief that we can never have reform in the church as long as preachers of the Word fail to realise that telling people the truth is only half of the biblical picture - they must also refute error. Every major turning point of reform has come when ministers of the Word have had the courage to do this.' When pressed for his view on where the modern church 'is going', he is very clear. 'I believe the church generally - and I include evangelicalism in this - is veering towards a new Gnosticism. Most disturbing is that gnostic or mystic tendencies and behaviour are finding a ready acceptance in evangelical churches on both sides of the Atlantic.'
Michael himself has lived and studied here for a number of years and clearly holds an affection for Britain. It is with regret (as an American?) that he notes one of the trends that has led to the weakening of evangelicalism in Britain. 'It's a pity to see fringe movements in North American evangelical circles catching on in areas where there used to be a firm biblical depth.' As a key example of the movements that he believes are changing and severely weakening modern evangelicalism he states: 'The Signs and Wonders Movement (S&WM) is part of a narcissistic preoccupation with our own felt-needs rather than the real needs defined by Scripture. When the S&WM carnival comes to town, sound instruction almost always gives way to irresponsible enthusiasm.'
Word & Spirit divided
He pointed out that the divorce between Word and Spirit lies at the heart of what movements like the S&WM are all about. He maintains it was the identical division that the Re-formers saw in the Anabaptist Movement. In terms of the S&WM of our day he said: 'It effectively divides our churches. If we protest the tidal wave of 'charismania' we are seen as divisive and it makes the whole doctrinal approach, central to the teaching of the apostles, very difficult.'
The new Gnosticism
Michael is currently working on a new book In The Face of God which in his own words is 'a call to veer from the new Gnosticism'. While he understands people's spiritual hunger and their attempts to 'bring God down to them or get themselves up to him' through direct experience, he accuses those who encourage it as lacking theological understanding. He explains: 'The search for a direct, intuitive and immediate power encounter with God is what Luther described as the theology of glory and not the theology of the cross. The S&WM is all about sensational spectacles and not sin and atonement. The movement does not intentionally reject a theology of the cross, but in the presence of the overriding commitment to mysticism there is simply no room for it.' He sums it up in one very graphic phrase: 'It (S&WM) is all about a 'blowing spirit' rather than 'dripping blood'.'
Irrelevant church
Michael's main concern is that these diversions are speeding up the creeping irrelevance of the church in contemporary society. More specifically he sees an evangelical church which has largely turned its back on the centrality of the authority of Scripture. He believes many are increasingly relying on gimmicks coupled with spurious mystic, non-doctrinal, spirituality to win back the lost. While he does not think that the situation for American and British church-goers is totally analagous, he does perceive parallels for evangelicals in how they are attempting to interact and affect society. 'In both contexts we often think a simple gospel presentation will stem the tide of secularism. It will not be turned back apart from this but much more is required. The forces of modernity are so insidious that we end up believing, accepting and living contrary to our Christian confession without realising.'
'We need two things: first, a solid grasp of theology (which is currently weak in evangelical circles) and second, an understanding of where we are with the forces of modernity.' By the latter he gives one example of the often corrosive effects of technology on our lives which we often never even consider or take into account.
Shallow teaching
In his own address to the conference Michael highlighted the shallowness of teaching and the importance of doctrinal understanding. Speaking on the doctrine 'Justification by faith alone', he claimed that many Christians are never properly introduced to the doctrine and that this leads them into grave misunderstandings about the Christian life. 'Our culture,' he said, 'finds others ways of coping with our sense of guilt and sin. Instead of believing ourselves to be justified because of Jesus' blood alone, we invent ways that turn salvation into self-fulfilment.' He pointed to the upbeat style of religion in the 90's which he says has removed the confession of personal sin from the agenda 'because it badly affects our self-esteem'. He adds: 'Guilt and sin have been toned down in our highly-therapeutic culture. Therapeutic 'wellness' has replaced gospel and law.'
Michael quotes 77% of American evangelicals as believing that man is basically good. 'What does that say about the biblical doctrine of total depravity?' he asks rhetorically. 'Self-love' and a 'feel better' factor he claims have replaced biblical concepts of Christian life and living. He says: 'It is causing the church to be seen as having nothing to offer a spiritually hungry generation. By pursuing relevance we've become irrelevant.'
Doctrine needed
In America Michael Horton can be heard every Sunday across the nation on his own radio programme, 'The White Horse Inn' (named after the tavern meeting place in Cambridge where the first English Reformers began meeting). There is talk of a European satellite link to England but Michael doesn't know much about that other than that one or two people will be speaking to him about it while he is here. As he finally gets ready to leave for a much-needed and well-earned sleep, I asked him for a message that evangelicalism needs to hear above all others. It took a whole split-second. 'If evangelicalism doesn't take doctrine very seriously within the next five to ten years,' he said, 'it will become the liberalism of yesteryear.'
CURE materials (including books and tapes) are available through Acorn Ministries, 209 Crawley Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 4ET.
