Theology

I'm about half way through the uncopyedited manuscript of Tim Keller's forthcoming The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. I am finding it to be an excellent read: lucid, engaging, and very fair to skeptics of all stripes who question the veracity and coherence of biblical Christianity. In the first half of the book, he takes on seven tough assertions he has frequently encountered as Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York city: 1. There can't be just one true religion. 2. A good God could not allow suffering. 3. Christianity is a straitjacket. 4. The church is … [Read more...] about Tim Keller – The Reason For God

R.C. Sproul introduces the 2008 Ligonier Ministries National Conference (March 13-15) entitled Evangelism According to Jesus: Nearly half the population of the United States claims to be "born-again." Self-identified "evangelicals" are a voting bloc courted by our major political parties, and a large percentage of citizens attend church services at least once a week. Yet, as we look at the culture around us, an unmistakable erosion of the Judeo-Christian ethic has taken place. God is regularly blasphemed, professing believers often live no differently from non-Christians, and many churches are … [Read more...] about Ligonier Ministries 2008 National Conference

Pastor Joel Miller is the church planter of Providence Church in Birmingham, Alabama, which is about 4 years old. He was born in Dallas, Texas and has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Berea College, Kentucky and a Masters of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. He has studied in West Africa and Central America and was commissioned in the United States Air Force Chaplain Corps. Prior to planting Providence Church, he served on the pastoral staff of Briarwood Presbyterian Church. Joel has been married for fourteen years and has four children. Pastor Miller's … [Read more...] about Joel Miller – African American Ministry – GCA Conf

Steve Ogne is a nationally known church planter trainer, coach and consultant for Church Resource Ministries & coauthor (with Bob Logan) of several church planter training manuals, including the best selling Church Planter’s Toolkit. He is also the co-author of the popular study kit Empowering Leaders through Coaching (ChurchSmart Resources) with Tom Nebel. Steve’s previous ministry experience includes pastorates at Community Church and Crossroads Community Church, both in California. He is a graduate of Azusa Pacific University, Talbot Seminary and is presently a doctoral candidate at … [Read more...] about Steve Ogne – Mobilizing Leaders – GCA Conf

This afternoon, I was again asked to attend an Advanced workshop. Montgomery noted "We want to have theologically driven churches." Our theology must be connected to our methodology and our methodology should be informed by our theology. Biblical theology is concerned with the big picture. Given that God created something good, what is the hope for renewal? We have a God who is personally involved. Dualism (false dichotomies between sacred and secular, or material and immaterial) is thereby excluded. God created culture, so culture matters. Creation: Describes how life was meant to be … [Read more...] about Daniel Montgomerty – Emerging – GCA Conf

Mr. Nebel began by coining the phrase "evangelism entropy." The laws of science teach us that entropy (disorder) tends to increase. While a church planter might start out with an organized approach to outreach/evangelism, entropy can quickly take over if he is not vigilant. Individually: The Church Planter as Evangelist Nebel noted that a church planter is a joiner. Whereas a pastor who accepts a call at an established church enters into a pre-established relational network (e.g., lay elders, perhaps other staff pastors, perhaps a diaconate, etc.), a church planter is (first of all) a … [Read more...] about Tom Nebel – Resisting Evangelism Entropy – GCA