Core Christianity: Finding Yourself in God's Story

by Michael Scott Horton

What beliefs are core to the Christian faith? This book is here to help you understand the reason for your hope as a Christian so that you can see it with fresh sight and invite others into the conversation.

A lot of Christians take their story—the narratives that give rise to their beliefs—for granted. They pray, go to church, perhaps even read their Bible. But they might be stuck if a stranger asked them to explain what they believe and why they believe it.

Author, pastor, and theologian Mike Horton unpacks the essential and basic beliefs that all Christians share in a way that is easy to understand and applicable to our lives today. And in a way that will make you excited to be a Christian!

Core Christianity covers topics

Jesus as both fully God and fully man.The doctrine of the Trinity.The goodness of God despite a broken world.The ways God speaks.The meaning of salvation.What is the Christian calling?Includes discussion questions for individual or group use. This introduction to the basic doctrines of Christianity is perfect for those who are new to the faith, as well as those who have an interest in deepening their understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Christian Living, Faith, Religion, Nonfiction

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 5, 2016

About the author

Dr. Horton has taught apologetics and theology at Westminster Seminary California since 1998. In addition to his work at the Seminary, he is the president of White Horse Inn, for which he co-hosts the White Horse Inn, a nationally syndicated, weekly radio talk-show exploring issues of Reformation theology in American Christianity. He is also the editor-in-chief of Modern Reformation magazine. Before coming to WSC, Dr. Horton completed a research fellowship at Yale University Divinity School. Dr. Horton is the author/editor of more than twenty books, including a series of studies in Reformed dogmatics published by Westminster John Knox.

Reviews

[Jenica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Horton is really, really good at explaining.

No, not mansplaining, or excusing, or anything like that.
As he puts it so well in his introduction: if one of us gets deathly sick and needs medical help, we do our research. We need to find the diagnosis, we need to find out what the symptoms are, and we need to find out how to cure it and find the best doctor we can. It would be the height of stupidity to just say "Whatever, I'll just go with the flow... hey, that doctor seems like a nice guy. I like the way he talks."

"He's a pediatric cardiologist."
"Yeah, he's a doctor and I like him!"
"You're 40 years old!"
"So?"
"You're puking your guts out and there's nothing wrong with your heart!"

"We take our physical health more seriously than this person. But what about our spiritual health? Despite medical advances, one day you and I will die. In comparison with eternity, whatever life span we've been given seems pretty brief. The time we have now is for asking the big questions- and finding answers. [...]
The firewall between faith and reason has to come down. Your heart can only embrace someone you know something about. To avoid dealing with doctrine, some say about Christianity, 'It's not a religion; it's a relationship.' But if you think about it, our closest relationships are not with people about whom we know little. It is only as we get to know people and they prove their character, love and care that we grow in our desire for their company. Socrates said, 'The unexamined life is not worth living.' But it's also true that the unexamined faith is not worth believing.
God is either there or he isn't. But it is absurd to imagine that you conjure up his existence and characteristics by an act of personal choice. If God exists, then he is the author of the story that includes you [...] Its validity does not depend on how well it works for you, how it makes your life more meaningful, or how it gives you moral direction and inspirational motivation. Instead the gospel is a very particular claim based upon events that happened in datable history with significance for the entire cosmos."

I'm having a really hard time resisting quoting the entire introduction.
Giving a simple overview of the Bible, its core teachings, and the historical creeds and confessions (along with the heresies that the creeds and confessions were written against), Michael Horton spends the rest of this easy to read and understand book discussing the following "particular claims" of the Bible in the 10 chapters:

1: Jesus is God (and not just "a good teacher")
2: God is three persons (going a little deeper into church history and the doctrine of the Trinity)
3: God is Great and Good (Or, if God is so powerful, why do bad things happen?)
4: God speaks (The Bible and whether it really is inerrant)
5: God made the world but we've made a mess of it (Hooray, sin!)
6: God made a promise (Is there any point to the Old Testament anymore? Spoiler alert: yes there is!)
7: Joy to the World! (God fulfilled the Old Testament promises)
8: Jesus is Lord (what role does Jesus have in our lives?
9: What are we waiting for? (The D-word [death] and the hope we have despite it)
And, finally, 10: In the meantime: callings (Or, what do we do while we're waiting?

So, yeah, I'm going to recommend to our church leadership that we get a big box of these for distribution, especially for newcomers. It's that good.

[Jethro Wall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very helpful book, that I will return to - especially with things relating to the Trinity. Recommend - and it’s free!

[Daniel Ligon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Core Christianity is a helpful book hurt by some faulty assumptions. Author Michael Horton set out to write a theology book that would be simple and understandable while still be comprehensive in its coverage of the nature of Christianity and the Gospel. No doubt he envisioned it as sort of modern update of John Stott's Basic Christianity or perhaps C.S. Lewis's classic Mere Christianity. The book certainly gets off to a good start. He introduces the concepts of drama (the biblical narrative), doctrine (what we believe based on the biblical narrative), doxology (how we respond to God in light of our beliefs), and discipleship (the practical ways that our lives are changed as we follow God). It's a nice outline, but a bit flawed in its execution. The first section of the book is excellent: explaining the Trinity, the nature of God, revelation, and the drama of the gospel throughout the Bible narrative. Toward the end, however, I think that Horton fails to connect these truths well to us. He also gets very bogged down in his eschatology. Horton is an amillennialist, and his eschatology appears to be completely central to all his other beliefs. Horton makes some straw man arguments against other types of eschatology and just ends up overprioritizing his own eschatology in his book, in my opinion. Not only do I disagree with Horton's amillennialism, but I think that in this book at least, he makes poor arguments for his eschatological beliefs.

While I was not impressed by the cohesiveness of this book as a whole, the first part is excellent and could be a very helpful resource. I received a digital copy of this book for free from the publisher and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are entirely my own.

[Bess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Horton does an excellent job of clarifying why we belief what we do and how it impacts our life from day to day.
Each chapter covers a basic component of our faith that he explains succinctly and clearly. He provides a compelling argument for why Jesus is God and not just a good man or a prophet. He then moves on to the Trinity. Following the topic of the Trinity he discusses why bad things happen in the world, the inerrancy of Scripture, man’s sinfulness, and ties the Old testament to the new, clearly depicting how all OT promises were fulfilled. Horton does an excellent job of addressing basic doctrines of our faith regardless of where a person is in his/her understanding of our Christian faith.
Michael Horton has a gift for explaining otherwise complex topics in a way that is not done often enough.

[Amanda Geaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book to a new believer.

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've read Horton's other works, there is nothing new here. It's still a good resource to give to people in your church. We first identify God's drama, from which we get doctrine, out of which flows our doxology. It is only in the first three Ds that we can move to discipleship.

[Noah Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: “Core Christianity” by Michael Horton

“Core Christianity” is an excellent read for the average believer. Horton breaks down the essential doctrines of the Christian faith – things that all believers across all denominations must agree on in order to remain true to orthodox and biblical Christianity. So many people today are looking for these “core” doctrines because of the increasing plurality and divide in our culture and within our church culture as well. There are so many doctrines, so many differences, so many arguments that believers are not sure where to come down on, not sure what to believe.

Horton helps believers discover what those essential truths are and clearly state biblical truth about each of them. Woven together under the subtitle “Find Yourself in God’s Story”, these doctrines find their way into our hearts, minds, and lives as believers. God’s grand story, the unfolding drama of history, and how Jesus and the church fit together in that drama is what Christianity is all about. In fact, it is what life is all about.

In simple terms with quality illustrations, Horton helps simplify huge theological truths into the common language of the American Church as well as I have seen in my readings. As a pastor, I have attempted to do much of what Horton has done in this book, though with not nearly as much success. To make these doctrines easily understandable for the average reader is something few pastors and theologians can accomplish with such fluency and ease without compromising the complexity and beauty of the doctrines.

Long story short, I would highly recommend this book to those who are seeking to know and understand what makes Christianity what it is, to know who God is and who we are at the core, so that we can better grow in our relationship with Him. In this book, we see the story of the Gospel – a Trinitarian God who is mighty and benevolent, who reveals himself to the people who have made a mess of this world and promises to save them anyway if they repent and turn to God through Jesus, our mediator. This is the good news of the gospel message; this is Core Christianity.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Note: This book was provided free of charge by BookLook/Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review.]

The praise given to this book on its back cover must be read to be believed. One reviewer from a supposed “Covenant College” states that to read this book is to “learn from a master who is not afraid to put things simply and clearly,” and another reader, an author himself, compares the author to John Stott, a Calvinist apologist of a previous generation. It is not difficult to see why this is the case. Horton, the author of books such as For Calvinism, Pilgrim Theology, A Place For Weakness, and Ordinary, writes in an engaging and witty style, and is clearly a very philosophical sort of Calvinist. For those who like reading a mild defense of Calvinism that claims total depravity is depravity over the totality of humanity’s essence rather than a total inability to have some remaining aspect of godly nature within us, Horton is the sort of Calvinist that play well with others, unlike many others [1]. Regrettably, like many other forms of Calvinism, the author’s philosophical and highly intellectual beliefs are no more biblical than that of other. One of the most striking aspects of this book is the way that the author shows himself a textbook example of a supposed teacher of God’s ways who starts with his conclusions in mind—many of them unbiblical, like the Trinity, Christmas, postmillennialism, antinomian views on law and grace that twist Paul’s words, and so on. By blind chance, it would seem, he occasionally hits on a genuinely biblical position, such as his view of the ubiquity of covenantal lawsuits in scripture [2] and his biblically grounded hostility to the unbiblical view of the rapture, but these examples of getting the biblical case right where it is anything but totally obvious are few and far between—far too few for the author to be a fit teacher of the Bible for anyone. One cannot teach the truth when one does not understand it, believe it, or practice it , after all.

In terms of the content and structure of the book, the book as a whole is organized around four supposed D’s that govern our approach towards God’s word: drama (the storyline present within the Bible concerning godly belief and practice), doctrine (mostly the search for biblical proof texts of unbiblical doctrines), doxology (a fancy word for praise—like the corporate worship music of the Psalms), and discipleship (how we should live as believers, something the author has comparatively little to say about). After starting with this attempt to show why doctrine matters, the author next goes through ten chapters that cover about 150 pages whose contents are fairly easily understood, if not necessarily biblically accurate, from their titles alone: “Jesus Is God,” “God Is Three Persons,” “God Is Great and Good [3],” “God Speaks,” “God Made the World but We’ve Made a Mess of It,” “God Made a Promise,” “Joy to the World!,” “Jesus is Lord,” “What Are We Waiting For?,” and “In the Meantime: Callings.” After these ten chapters there is a short afterword, some notes, and a scripture and subject index. Pages of this book goes by as the author cites Christmas songs and gives personal stories and seeks to make the Bible conform to his existing worldview, rather than seeking to read from the Bible out. Many readers will be used to people giving scriptural citations that do not say what the writer will claim, and will see little reason to be skeptical of the author’s broad brush-strokes, unless they happen to be existing opponents of his worldview, in which case they will subject this book and its author to a withering, and well-earned, criticism.

Given the fact that the book is written by someone whose acquaintance with genuine biblical doctrine is slight, of what use is a book like this if it does not teach true doctrine? There are some uses, namely that the author occasionally hits upon a true biblical doctrine as a blind squirrel will occasionally find an acorn, and that at times the author will vigorously criticize a genuinely biblical doctrine, like Origen’s subordinationism, by which God the Father is supreme and superior to Jesus Christ, who is subordinate to Him, as Jesus Himself explicitly said (see, for example: John 10:29, 8:49-50, Luke 22:42-44). In addition to these examples where a genuinely biblical doctrine appears in relief or is explicitly defended by the author, the book is useful in that it presents the way that Hellenistic Christianity is believed. The author, in a somewhat exaggerated fashion, shows the weaknesses in understanding biblical terminology like law, how people who defend such a worldview attempt to finesse the contradictions between their claims in biblical inerrancy and their failure to follow what the Bible commands, a problem none of us is immune to. On these grounds alone, as a defense of the importance of doctrine and as a vivid example of how someone can seek praise from men in defending a counterfeit Christianity and be worthy of no praise from God, the book is a suitable cautionary tale on why it was that James recommended that few be teachers, for on us will come a more difficult judgment (James 3:1).

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

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https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

[2] See, for example:

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https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

[3] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

[Ryan Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book I’d highly recommend to new believers in Christ.

[Luke Schmeltzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horton shows his incredible skill as a theologian by clearly articulating deep and central truths on a the most basic levels. This is by far one of the best summaries of the Christian faith I've read, especially geared toward younger believers. If you're looking for something to study through with a new convert or some youths at church, this is the place to look!

[Caylon DePalma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I felt like Michael Horton did a solid job presenting a popular look at systematic theology in Core Christianity.

I LOVED the way he framed the entire discourse in the flow from Drama to Doxology to Doctrine to Discipleship. That is probably one of the most remarkable elements of his work. It's something he also did in "The Christian Faith" - his in-depth volume of systematic theology.

There were a few elements of the book that I felt required better explanation. For example, Dr. Horton makes the statement that the 1,000 year reign of Jesus mentioned in Revelation (also called the Millennium by many Christians) is not a reference to an actual 1,000 year reign of Jesus after the events of his return, but instead a symbolic representation of Christ's ultimate rule. He appeals to the fact that "most scholars" believe this. Which is a pretty unqualified statement...especially in light of the fact that the earliest Christian writers did very much believe that it was a reference to a literal event. Or the fact that many scholars do, in point of fact, hold to what is called a "millenarian" approach to that section of Revelation (millenarian, meaning that Jesus' 1,000 year earthly reign at his return alongside all those who have lost their lives for the sake of the Gospel is an actual future event).

Probably not worth too much debate, but this and other de facto statements of fact in the work could have been better explained. That said, it's a popular work and not a technical examination of any one field of theology...so I think it did its job.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in looking to deepen their understanding of the Christian faith, but especially to those who have become followers of Christ.

In our constant dialogue about "relevancy" we have a tendency to ignore the drama of Scripture - the story as it plays out over the thousand and a half years of history contained in the Old and New Testaments. We get mired down in the "oldness" of it, rather than seeing the thread of God's redemptive story woven throughout it's episodic recounting of the history of Israel and the world. Everything that Christianity is about is based on this drama. Dr. Horton did a brilliant job making that plain, and connecting it to the beliefs, practices, and hopes of Christians.

[Dan Curnutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good primer for Biblical Doctrine. The short ten chapters take us through a variety of subjects and deal with major doctrinal themes, but it does so using very simple terms so that laymen and scholars alike will have no trouble determining what Michael Horton wants us to understand.

Horton starts with a quick discussion of why Doctrine truly matters. He has a simple premise in the "Getting Started" section, he writes, "If God exists, then he is the author of the story that includes you. The gospel -- 'good news'-- that the Christian faith proclaims is either true or false, but it cannot be walled off into a safe room of cuddly bears and the favorite blanket of childhood. Its validity does not depend on how well it works for you, how it makes your life more meaningful, or how it gives you moral direction and inspirational motivation. Instead the gospel is a very particular claim based upon events that happened in datable history with significance for the entire cosmos."

So, if God exists then HIStory needs to be understood. That means that we need a clear understanding of Doctrinal issues in relationship to the Bible and thus in relationship to our lives.

The ten chapters will take us through several issues:
1. Jesus is God
2. God is Three Persons
3. God is Great and Good
4. God Speaks
5. God Made the World but We've Made a Mess of It
6. God Made a Promise
7. Joy to the World
8. Jesus is Lord
9. What Are We Waiting For?
10. In the Meantime: Callings
AFTERWARDS: Tying it All Together

My favorite chapter is chapter 5, God made the world but we've made a mess of it. That is so true. The mess was not just Adam and Eve's mess, it is our continuing mess. We are not very good at following the directions that God gave us, and thus we mess things up.

This book is a great discussion started for any small group. Taking one Chapter a week will take you through any quarter of the year with a curriculum that will reach into your hearts and lives and help you learn Doctrine and make sense of the history that God has given to us.

Enjoy!

[Spencer R · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Full review at SpoiledMilks, 5/30/16)
Michael Horton’s purpose in writing Core Christianity is “to help you understand your reason for your hope as a Christian so that you can invite others into the conversation.” Throughout this book he teaches you about the Bible Story without it feeling like you’re being taught about dreaded doctrine. Horton writes for all believers, and quotes Socrates who said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Horton points it to Christians, “But it’s also true that the unexamined faith is not worth believing” (16).

Core Christianity is situated between the beginner and intermediate level. It’s a good book for a new Christian to read through carefully, and it’s still a good book for long-time believers.
* Drama teaches us the story of the Bible.
* Doctrine teaches us that Jesus was “delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification.”
* Doxology means “praise.” Christians are found “in Christ,” and his story becomes our story.
* Discipleship comes when Christians live out their role in loving God and neighbor.

Horton gives the church an easily-digestible systematic theology (what the whole Bible tells us about its main doctrines). No biblical doctrine stands alone. Each doctrine and teaching is part of a team that plays together.

Conclusion
The essentials are the core of what we believe, and the core holds everything else together. If we miss the essentials, we’ll grow selfish and neglect others, perhaps viewing God as our magic genie who agrees to give us everything we could ever want. God’s story is focused on Christ, and the more we see God rightly, the more we will be in awe of our majestic king.

[Josh Sieders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, a really great book for new Christians looking for a broader understanding of the whole faith, or more seasoned Christians who want to be reminded, or learn how to explain it better.

I found the first few chapters on Jesus and the Trinity a bit thick with "Christian-ese" but I understand that even in trying to make it simple, it's difficult to avoid this language. It's a simple doctrine, until you try to wrap your mind around it....

The four D's were smart, though even with a definition, doxology and doctrine were words I think people might trip on a little. They make sense and they work as a guide, but other words might have been better, though that would eliminate the handy device of using four D's. Horton uses it consistently throughout, and by the end, it sinks in.

The middle chapters of the book were really strong. I especially liked his summary of the entire Bible, painting a picture of the larger narrative of Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. This is something I didn't fully understand until much later in my life, and knowing how the Old Testatment fits into the whole story really puts the pieces together. It also helps in making us realize we are part of God's story, rather than Him being a side character in ours.

The final chapters were enjoyable as well, giving the reader peace and freedom on living out the faith today. The emphasis that we can't change the world ourselves, but that we can be "the means" God uses to bring his new creation to fullness, is liberating and inspiring and one that continues to work through my mind.

I highly recommend this book for any believer, and especially as a book study for new Christians.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book right after reading RC Sproul's Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, and while I liked that book for its encyclopedic approach to the tenets of the religion, I loved Horton's approach to basically the same idea, presenting the basics of Christianity in an accessible way.

Horton approaches the explanation of the core of Christianity using the model of the Four Ds: Drama (the actual story running through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation), Doctrine (the tenets derived from the drama of the story), Doxology (a fancy word meaning liturgical praise, like prayers and songs), and Discipleship (the way to live as informed by the previous three Ds). It's a formula, but it works, and it gives Horton a great scaffolding where to hang his exploration of the Bible, Christianity, and the tenets of the faith. Horton style is conversational, and the book reads as a laid-back chat. It nevertheless packs quite a few punches in how Horton explains elements of Christian doctrine with great ease. For me in particular, Chapter 8: Jesus Is Lord was an eye-opener that had me reading over paragraphs a couple times to get the depth of meaning that Horton had laid out in a few simple sentences.

Horton wants the reader, us, to realize that we aren't bringing God into our life story, but instead we are joining God's ongoing story of creation. In making this shift in our perception, by putting God at the center of the story, we can then live a life that is pleasing to Him, one that is informed by the drama, follows the doctrines, rejoices in the doxology, and is ready and eager for discipleship. A great book for new Christians (like me).

[Troy Neujahr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is both simple and solid. And while that may make the book sound rather boring, in fact I say it makes it important.

Core Christianity does what it sets out to do: re-state the timeless truths of the Christian faith. It does so Biblically. It relies upon the Scriptures. It does not become overly partisan, but emphasizes that which all the church--regardless of denomination--has always held to be true. This is what makes the book important, for against the world stage of competing spiritual systems, Michael Horton chooses the simple beauty of Biblical truth over the easy eye-candy lies that promise everything but deliver nothing.

As a Lutheran pastor, I can't say that this book breaks any new ground, but I also say that's the point. "New ground"--when it comes to the Christian faith--is more often than not the mark of heresy. Core Christianity tells the old, old story to us once again, and in so doing, gets it right.

[Daphyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had read this book before my kids were out of school. I definitely would have incorporated it into our studies. Michael Horton does an amazing job of clearly and simply presenting the 4 D’s of the Christian Faith: Drama, Doctrine, Doxology, & Discipleship. He presents an overview of the historical drama of the gospel & presents complex doctrines using proper terminology but with understandable meanings. He encourages us towards a doxology of praise and gratitude and explains how that gratitude forms the basis for our discipleship.

Highly recommended for junior high and up. I’d use this in a bible study setting or as a gift for any new or young Christian.

[Matthew Richey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Positives: Very easy to read and understand. Well-written, flows easily

Negatives: Horton is reformed and Calvinist. This isn't a problem, but if you aren't these things, you might get a bit frustrated with this book (you may get frustrated even if you are). He frequently says things like "everyone agrees that..." where we do not all agree! I often found myself annoyed with his assumptions and oversimplification of complex issues.

[Almir · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐ 3.5

[Jeanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Good news is not an agenda for us to fulfill but an announcement of God's victory in his Son.

This is a study to help you get on track of what is important and not to be distracted on the things that take us away from the Gospel message. The text begins on who God is. This is so important because without it, we are utterly lost and will cling to other gospels such as the social gospel, prosperity gospel, etc and so on and so on. The study brings the old to the new. It shows the fulfillment of the old promise to the new promise. And most importantly it shows how the Old Testament points to Jesus and the work of the cross.

The relationship between the trinity of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the work of the Holy Spirit are key to the Christian life. I always appreciate an author and teacher that brings clarity to the work of the trinity. I love his words We experience this wonderful truth in the salvation that comes to us from the Father, in the Son, and through the Spirit. All three persons are dedicated to our salvation, working in distinct ways toward the completion of a single work of redemption.

We can make Christianity about our feelings and our passions but really Christianity is about God. His redemptive plan and making him known through our faith in who He is. Saving mankind from sin and death to a relationship that satisfies.

Biblical insights are important to see the whole arch of the word of God. This was prevalent throughout this study. One that I found interesting was the story of Abraham and the sacrifice of his only son. This was meant for mankind to be a picture of Jesus from everything to where and how and why all are significant. Because of this, I have always appreciated the teaching of Horton.


Quotes that I found encouraging

Until then, we are called neither to change the world nor to abandon it but to love and serve our neighbors to the best of our ability.

Evil is not a principle in creation itself but is the willful distortion of good gifts into an arsenal deployed against God's reign.

In finding our self in God's Story, we live and breath the Gospel. We don't fret about politics but we do get in the trenches to make Him known. We are not consumed by worldly things that don't last but treasure the things that last for eternity. We are not making our own kingdom but bringing the kingdom of God to others. This is a story that matters.

A Special Thank You to Zondervan and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[Josh Bauder · Rating 2 out of 5]

A title that so boldly echoes Mere Christianity, while an attractive marketing move for Zondervan, sets the bar pretty high, and not everybody can be a CSL. The writing is passable but not impressive, there are too many anecdotes (whoever made the rule that you must begin every chapter with a one-paragraph real-life story should be dragged out into the street and educated), and at times it reads like an apologetic aimed at unbelievers rather than a basic theology for Christians.

There's an organizational problem as well: in the introduction, Horton presents "the 4 Ds" (drama, doctrine, doxology, and discipleship) as a framework to "guide our exploration" of "each main doctrine of the Christian faith." Each of the 4 Ds is even assigned its own minimalist graphic inscribed in a circle, suggesting structural significance in the chapters to follow. Alas, by the third chapter the 4 Ds and their totems have been largely abandoned as organizational mechanisms for the content, aside from occasional perfunctory reminders that they're a thing. If even the symbols had been retained to visually punctuate each chapter's contents, the effort expended on them in the introduction would not seem like such a waste.

The biggest issue, though, is that the title is fundamentally inaccurate. "In Core Christianity," the back cover promises, "Horton tackles the essential and basic beliefs that all Christians share." On the contrary, Horton allots significant space in this slim book to the defense of theological opinions that are totally secondary, including speculations, presented as fact, on the nature of the soul, the Imago Dei, the covenants, the church in the Old Testament, and the timing of the Rapture.

[Rachel Ramey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read some of Horton's other works, I had high expectations for this one. And I was hoping it would be useful as a foundation-building approach to basic theology for my high schooler. Unfortunately, I found it to fall flat.

As others have noted, Horton's approach is distinctly Reformed/Calvinistic. As I was already familiar with him, I expected this and did not find it off-putting. I was, however, disappointed at how dogmatically he presented his views as "the" Christian perspective, even going so far as to say that "all interpreters believe" or "everyone agrees" on a given interpretation of Revelation, despite the fact that this is patently untrue. I assume his intent was to avoid confusing readers with too many choices, but it's misleading to suggest there's universal consensus where there is not.

Overall, though, I found the theological content to be sound (hence the three stars), and I particularly appreciated the introduction of theological vocabulary where many believers may know concepts but not their names. It reads roughly like a simplified systematic theology (or at least as if that's its intent). I did find it odd that the NIV was the translation of choice, given the heavily theological focus of the book. A more precise translation is typically used in that context.

The reason I didn't rate the book higher is that the organization is odd, at best, and the target audience is very poorly defined. That makes the entire thing difficult to follow (or describe) and leaves me at a loss regarding who will find it useful. (I suspect most of the 5-star reviews are from those who already know and agree with the theology and have thought, "Yes! This is good stuff!" but didn't stop to consider who the target audience is supposed to be.)

There's an underlying assumption of strong Scriptural familiarity. There's an assumption of a certain worldview. Yet simultaneously, the intent seems to be to present the basics of the faith. With that said, the approach to these basics isn't very basic. As I said, it's difficult to describe, but there's this muddled sense of bouncing back-and-forth between an elementary audience and a more intermediate one. There's also an ongoing assumption that the reader will simply trust him, the author.

The net result is that I can't figure out who would truly benefit from this book. The infant believer will be overwhelmed and confused. The long-time believer who is new to the Reformed perspective will likely be unconvinced. The more "advanced" believer will, apart from some of the vocabulary words, probably find that this doesn't introduce anything new.

It's my opinion that this would have been better presented as two separate books: one to address the true BASICS of the faith, and another to introduce more intermediate-level believers to systematic theology. As it is, this simply fails to be a good fit for any particular audience.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for reviewing it on my website.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed with this book. With the title"Core Christianity," I expected it to be pretty sound and focused on the basic, core Christian beliefs or perhaps even walking through the apostles creed. The main sections did focus on core things (the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, etc) but sprinkled through were very opinion and interpretive nuggets that are not mainstream doctrine. What bothered me more than anything was the attitude in which it was written. Statements were made as absolute facts about things that are not doctrine and without any real evidence to back them (Jesus referred to biblical characters like Noah so that means Noah was a real historical person, and Eve believed that she was giving birth to the Messiah when she gave birth to Cain).

I wish I could have finished reading this book but half way through I realized it wasn't worth my time. That attitude in which it is written promotes a shallow and very fundamentalist reading of Scripture. To like this book seems to require an acceptance of whatever the author states to be true...there's not really any room for disagreement or alternative views and I found it very unhelpful and frustrating to read. It is certainly not written for an academic audience as the argumentation is virtually non-existent but I wouldn't recommend it for a general audience either as it does not fairly represent the various Christian understandings and contains statements (like the above mentioned) that jump to unsound conclusions.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This is a good book for me to keep as a quick summary of my beliefs. It's in the vein of Stott's "Basic Christianity," but it says more than it should to express latitudinal core christian beliefs across various denominations. However, he articulated what I believe quite well. It is better said to be "Core Reformed Christianity," particularely by including the covenant theology section.

I enjoyed the thoroughness of this book as it hit on several subjects from Genesis to Revelation, stringing together Systematic ideas while moving along the biblical narrative.

What I liked about this book is that Horton explains what is core to the christian faith with a good deal of success, especially in the beginning of the book where he touches on the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity. He has a chapter on the attributes of God, God as Revelator, the human condition and the Fall, God of Covenant-Creator, and the fulfillment of promise, Jesus the Christ. He ends on the church's mission, and a call to faith.

This is a more robust understanding of core elements to the christian faith than Stott's version, but Horton perhaps falls into the opposite error of Stott. Stott said too little. And Horton said too much.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

It does exactly what it says on the cover. It presents and describes the core of Christianity as a story written by God in which we have parts to play. And it does this well.

To be sure, this “core” is Protestant, so Catholics and Eastern Orthodox may take issue with some of Horton’s perspectives and priorities. And his Reformed framework is detectable, but not emphasized to the point of turning away non-Reformed Protestants, I should think.

At times he will discuss multiple Christian views on a topic (such as eschatology) and present his own convictions without condemning those who hold to the others. But he grounds his arguments in Scripture first, along with logic. He really does stick to the core, historic doctrines of Christianity, so even if you’re not Reformed, nor maybe not even Protestant, you should still find most of it to be agreeable and helpful. Even if you’re not Christian, but just want to understand what Christians really believe and what they don’t, this is a great introduction.

[Ariadne Cares · Rating 3 out of 5]

This treatise is an outstanding and succinct reference work detailing all the major tenants of orthodox Calvinist Christianity. Horton is a very capable writer, and stellar researcher, so his points are extremely well-supported.

The three stars are because first, I think this book should perhaps include a warning label reading "for new/young believers or reference only," and second, as with a great many professional theologians' efforts, Horton's extensive information dump includes only a very few sparse illustrations, not at all what one would expect from the luminous intro, and is therefore difficult to slog through if you're a mature believer compelled to read it from cover to cover. Illustrations are what catch the emotions and make truth matter and mean something. With good and prevalent illustrations, this could have been a work of (h)art.

[Matt Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

n the afterword, there is a line that puts the entire book into a nutshell. Christianity is historic realities worked out. In this short volume Horton works through some of the tenants of the faith. I would have to say that it does not work through all primary issues of Christianity, but when a book is less than 200 pages, you can either do everything poorly or a few things well . What Horton does especially well is stick to his outline. The drama leads to doctrine which leads to doxology and results in discipleship. Whether discussing the hypostatic union, ESS and other heroes, theodicy, covenant theology, or federal headship, he sees how all of these are played out. He is very sharp on the law gospel distinction. Something that is perhaps been missing and why we need to return back to core Christianity.

[Shawn Durham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book.
I’ve been studying theology for almost 10 years (3 yrs of serious study). With that said, I read nothing in this book that was “new” to me. But this book is not meant specifically for the “seasoned” theologian. Not to say that the theologian shouldn’t read this, for it is always good to be reminded of the essentials of Christianity.

But in regards to the author, I think this book shows his genius. For a theologian to be able to expound the Bible in a collegiate level is one thing; but for a theologian to be able to do so at a level that new believers or those interested in Christianity, is a great skill.

I very much recommend this to new believers/those who are seeking to know more about Christianity!

[Carrie Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the exception of adding his own opinions about eschatology and stories about visiting heaven, the author lays out what is "core" Christianity - things that all Christians should agree on. It's well laid out, and he summarizes the OT well for beginners, but I don't think I can recommend it because he violates his title by adding his opinions about eschatology and visiting heaven - things that Christians are allowed to disagree about, and which I certainly did of him. He would have also done well to include a chapter about what the different layers of doctrines are to differentiate the core from those we are allowed to disagree on.

[Darin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who attempts to write a book to follow in the "short summary of all of the Christian faith" in the vein of CS Lewis' _Mere Christianity_ is fighting an uphill battle. But Horton has done well to create an account that is both short and accurate, with enough anecdotes and examples to make it accessible to all. While it is what is says it is and sticks to the generally-accepted doctrine of all Biblical Christian churches, it covers many areas that most books do not; for instance, its summary of the Old Testament in 12 pages is worth the price of the book alone. Highly recommended.