Adoption is at the heart of the Christian's experience because none of us are naturally God's children. Rather, we were "dead in our trespasses" and "by nature children of wrath" (Eph. 2:1,4). But God, in love, predestined us for adoption. Ephesians 1:3-6 reads: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to … [Read more...] about Heirs With Christ – Joel Beeke
Theology
ReThink Conference – Wrap Up
I thought I'd organize all the posts for the recent reThink Conference: 1. Introduction 2. Interview with Steve Wright (part 1) 3. Interview with Steve Wright (part 2) 4. Session I - Leon Tucker 5. Session II - David Horner 6. Session III - Dave Owen 7. Session IV - Steve Wright 8. Session V - Randy Stinson Also, I noticed that Steve Wright will be recording a few episodes for Family Life Radio later this week. Lastly, I just want to give a shout-out to all the bloggers I met last week: Nick Kennicott, Mike Seaver, Deb Burton, Steve Thompson (daughter Alli), Chris Graves, Mike Hall, … [Read more...] about ReThink Conference – Wrap Up
Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal
Southern Baptists in particular will be interested in a fascinating new book by Dr. David Dockery entitled Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Proposal. From the book's preface: Southern Baptists have entered the twenty-first century following a lengthy period of controversy. The good news is that a commitment to the full truthfulness of Holy Scripture has been reclaimed and we cannot shrink back from this commitment. Southern Baptists, however, continue to struggle, wrestling with identity, cooperation, and unity, which has implications for … [Read more...] about Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal
Exciting News for The Bethlehem Institute
John Piper announces that The Bethlehem Institute, a one-of-a-kind program in which I participated from 2005-2007, is moving toward accreditation to become a college and a seminary. They are also moving into a new facility that has been freed up for them thanks to a generous donation. "That means offering as soon as is feasible an accredited BA in Biblical Studies and an accredited MA and MDiv at the seminary level."Read the whole thing. … [Read more...] about Exciting News for The Bethlehem Institute
reThink Conference – Session V – Randy Stinson
The fifth and last session was led by Dr. Randy Stinson. Dr. Stinson has served in numerous church staff positions over the years. He is the President of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and the Dean of the School of Leadership and Church Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Danna have six children, three of whom are adopted. Dr. Stinson noted that he fellowshipped at Providence Baptist Church when he was an M. Div. student at Southeastern Baptist Seminary. And it was at Providence that Dr. Stinson first developed a burden for men’s … [Read more...] about reThink Conference – Session V – Randy Stinson
reThink Conference – Session IV – Steve Wright
The fourth session was led by Steve Wright, Assistant Pastor of Student Ministries at Providence Baptist Church. (I previously interviewed Steve -- here is part 1 and part 2 of that interview.) INTRODUCTION Wright explained that he came to Providence really wrestling with why youth leaving for college were so shallow in matters of the faith. He asked the question: What would it look like if churches equipped families to have a daily encounter with the gospel? In his first decade of ministry, Wright confessed, he leaped onto the never-ending treadmill of bigger is better. For many, this … [Read more...] about reThink Conference – Session IV – Steve Wright