Actually, if I were to write a blog post on all the things Michael Horton has taught me they’d form a book, not a blog post.
He was the first living contemporary Reformed theologian I had ever read, and since stumbling upon Putting Amazing Back Into Grace in an old bookstore in North Park back as a college student I made sure it wasn’t going to be my last. (And yes, for San Diego longtime locals that’s the same bookstore that was once Evangelical Bible Bookstore and is nowadays home to an amazing brewery—shoutout to Mike Hess!).
I soaked up his dogmatics, systematic, popular works, oldest works (ever hear of or read Mission Accomplished (1986), We Believe (1998), The Agony of Deceit (1990) or Made in America (1991)? Yeah, didn’t think so. :p), essays, articles, talks, and sat under his superb teaching for four years in seminary, went to as many conferences as I could where he spoke, and worked for him at White Horse Inn—soaking in the theology of the Francis Turretin or Petrus Van Mastricht of our time.
Sure, I was a big fan. It was borderline idolatry but, if you’ve ever been around a theological giant (who is not 6 feet tall) you’d understand.
Although the bulk of his teaching is something available to all who would “take up and read,” not everybody has the opportunity to see who Mike is behind the scenes and get to know the author who writes endless pages. All that to say, he’s taught me far more than I can articulate in one blog post and I’m thankful to God that I’ve had the opportunity in my lifetime to get to know him and his family over the years.
Here are six things I learned from Michael Horton, the person, not just the author of numerous books ;).
1. A Christian is humble.
When I was his Executive Assistant, I saw a man who was humble enough to be corrected by anyone. And I mean, anyone. He would often answer emails from people who clearly had no idea what they were talking about, and yet, he wouldn’t belittle them or use his theological expertise to squish them but would graciously and patiently listen to them.
For the first time in my life, I witnessed someone who could theologically crush just about anyone—the equivalent of MARVEL’s Titan, Thanos—choose to be gentle and lowly instead. It was a remarkable witness to the humility of Christ and has left a deep mark on me in my own ministry. It’s not just about being right. Christians are called to both “get the gospel right and to get the gospel out.”
2. A Christian is kind.
Every morning that he came into the office, Mike would say hello to “the least of these.” From the administrative assistant near the front door to our writing staff, it didn’t matter who—Mike was ready to greet every image-bearer in the room on his way to grab a Diet Dr. Pepper from the mini-fridge. This small thing reinforced that great Reformation teaching of God wearing a mask in our neighbor. When we greet another person, or befriend the other, or ask how they are doing, or offer a cup of water, we are greeting, even befriending Christ. God wears many masks.
3. A Christian is free to enjoy life.
As I look back to the moments we shared together and with others, whether it was a ride to the airport, a graduation or ordination celebration, a backyard hangout, a lunch, family dinner, or a cigar outside in the sun, I saw a man who was able to appreciate the good gifts of God in all of life.
Christians do suffer, but we aren’t masochists. We can appreciate the good things that God generously gives us in this life and thank him for these gifts, with a cheerful spirit. Sometimes even, while enjoying a good dram full of a “spirit”! ;)
4. A Christian suffers, yet still glorifies and serves God in everything.
You don’t write A Place for Weakness without God making plenty of room for weakness in your own life. From over a decade ago to the present, Mike has taught me the truth and the somewhat harsh reality that every Christian suffers.
He is no stranger to suffering—from watching loved ones and mentors die to living with excruciating back pain. But his hopeful response to suffering is what has always stuck with me.
In the midst of weakness, he continues to serve the Lord as he is able with what he has in front of him. He lives with gospel hopefulness.
Michael Horton once told a small group of us, “The problem with Christians is not that they aren’t where they should be. The problem with Christians is they aren’t who they should be where God has called them to be.”
I remember when his back injury happened and watched that long road to what would hopefully be a recovery but has remained to be continual pain... In spite of the personal pain he experiences, Mike is a joyful person to be around. He’s sincere as a friend and colleague and seeks to serve Christ in everything. Of course, like any sinner-saint, he fails to do this perfectly and isn’t the gospel. But that’s what makes Mike so great. He points others around him to the gospel, not to himself.
5. A Christian shows charity.
As one of his students, I often observed an emphasis on assuming the best about others from Mike. He emphasized this especially in his Doctrine of the Church class at Westminster Seminary California (WSC), but throughout all of his written works and his personal correspondences, Mike is an incredibly charitable person toward those outside of his own theological tent.
Where Reformed folk tend to circle the wagons, Mike would engage with others far outside the Reformed tradition noting carefully where there are disagreements, while still pointing out similarities or things to learn from other traditions. He’s able to synthesize and learn from others in the best of ways. I love that.
Mike also teaches all of his students to value others’ work enough to fairly critique it. You don’t have the right to critique someone else if you haven’t taken the time to understand them and critique them on their own terms. True to form and to this day, among my Eastern Orthodox scholarly friends I still hear, “Michael Horton gets us.”
6. A Christian is all about the gospel.
I think it was Kevin DeYoung who came to speak at my seminary when I was a student there, and he mentioned different personalities who were about x, y, or z. And when he came to mention Michael Horton, what he said about him was something like, “And Mike, well, he’s about the gospel.” And he just left it right there.
Well, that’s not a bad thing to be identified by and known for!
And from the first time I read Mike’s words in Putting Amazing Back Into Grace, he has always been all about the gospel, to the last hangout I had with him—the gospel was the main thing to encourage us, weary pilgrims, on the way to Zion.
And with that, I know this post has been about what Michael Horton has taught me, but in all the ways he’s taught at his best, it’s only because of the gospel of grace that he has on his lips and has typed on his keyboard that he has been able to do it.
Thank you, Mike, for teaching me more about what it’s like to be a disciple of Jesus. I praise God for his work through you and continue to pray for you and your family regularly. And more importantly than any of us, I thank God for the gospel that is “the power of God unto salvation,” for sinners like us.