The Best Radio Program

Like Christian non-fiction works, I have often not been a big fan of Christian talk radio.

Often times, it is mindless and moralistic. The humor is horrible, the advice utterly cliche, and apart from the name "Jesus," there is often little about the program that is distinctively Christian. I remember our local Christian radio station pushing an effort to pay for the car behind you in the drive thru line at the fast food joints. Is that a nice thing to do? Absolutely. So is helping someone fix a flat. There is nothing distinctively Christian about it.

The biggest problem is often the moralistic messages, by which I mean messages that focus on being a good person or doing nice things. Some family-friendly programming is just that--good principles for raising a good family, regardless of whether one believes that Jesus has been raised from the dead along with those who believe in Him.

There are wonderful exceptions to this type of programming. On occasion, you may be able to find R.C. Sproul, Alistair Begg, or other Christian giants on the radio.

The most profound exception, however, is the White Horse Inn.

Even though it was founded by one of my seminary professors, I never bothered to listened to it because I'm not a big fan of Christian talk radio (see opening).

But as I noticed its rising popularity throughout the chaplaincy and the Church in general, I realized that I had to tune in. I haven't since been disappointed. The program, hosted by four pastors--two Dutch Reformed, one Reformed Baptist, and one Lutheran--is food for the heart, mind, and soul. They engage controversial topics, provide rich surveys of biblical books, and conduct interviews tha range from amusing to heart-wrenching. They introduce you to great defenders and expounders of the faith from a variety of Christian denominations, and demonstrate how to be charitable with guests who are clearly out of sorts (ahem, Robert Schuller).

If you click on the WHI link above, you'll find a list of their most recent episodes on the right on the page. You can enjoy reflections on the book of Job or the matter of suffering. My favorite recent episodes are interviews--one with Rosaria Butterfield, a former top lesbian activist and scholar who is not a Christian (and pastor's wife!), and the other with Nancy Guthrie, whose story of suffering and consequent reflections fill you with grief and wonder.

Enjoy that best Christian program on the radio today and see what so many are talking about!