Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

Historical Theology

Gospel-Fellowship

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One of the most underemphasized blessings of attending a gospel-centered conference is gospel-fellowship with so many brothers in Christ. It’s an invigorating means of grace! (Pictured here is my cancer-surviving friend Matt Hoskinson, whom my daughter appeared to find rather fascinating!)

BTW, audio and video from The Gospel Coalition’s 2009 National Conference is being made available here (just click on the titles of hyperlinked sessions).

The Gospel Coalition Network

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Last week The Gospel Coalition Network (TGCN) opened using a version of Zondervan’s “The City.” Adrian Warnock shares the details.

One of the challenges of maintaining a network like this is administrating it. Consequently, last week D. A. Carson drafted the terms of use that distinguish between “participants” and “members” (posted here with permission):

Welcome to The Gospel Coalition Network!

We invite individuals to sign up to TGCN on one of two levels.

  1. Participants need only fill out the digital forms that follow, and join in the discussion. You do not have to agree with The Gospel Coalition; you do not have to be a Christian. The “participants” level is for anyone wanting to engage in networking and in discussion of common themes with other people.
  2. Members are asked to take a further step in the registration process: you are asked to read our Foundation Documents, all of which are available online—Preamble, Statement of Faith, and Theological Vision of Ministry—and signal your agreement with these documents, without mental reservation. Only members will be allowed to start new groups on the Network.

You have every right to know what our reasoning is.

First, we take some inspiration from the brilliant organizational skills of John Wesley. [Read more…] about The Gospel Coalition Network

From Benny Hinn to R. C. Sproul?

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Christianity Today interviewed Ted Haggard back in 2005, and Haggard expressed his love for the diversity of evangelicalism (apparently defining the movement from a social science standpoint):

“Evangelicalism is a continuum of theologies all the way from Benny Hinn to R. C. Sproul. The R. C. Sproul crowd has a hard time with Benny Hinn, and the Benny Hinn crowd has a hard time with R. C. Sproul. But they’re all evangelicals.

“Evangelical does not mean any particular political ideology,” Haggard continues. “The African American [evangelical] community has an honorable concern for social justice, and that affects their politics. That concern comes from the Scripture. The Anglo community has a different history, so different Scriptures stand out to them. To the Anglo [evangelical] community, most of their sermons are theological. It’s salvation by grace through faith, and other theological points, so social-justice issues don’t have the same compelling justification.

“I have a deep love and appreciation for that diversity. I think it’s some of the wonder of the body of Christ. I feel like my role is to help the various members of the body respect one another and appreciate one another, and work together.”

HT: Collin Hansen

Tony Payne: “On Being Generous”

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Tony Payne, publishing director at Matthias Media and a Sydney Anglican Evangelical, explains why he is generous to fundamentalists but not to “those who have given up on the fundamentals and who seek to teach others likewise.”

  • The former, he argues, are orthodox believers (albeit ones, from his perspective, who “may be or think or do all sorts of things that we find strange, unattractive or even distasteful”).
  • The latter, he argues, are people whom the NT urges him to fight.

More Carson MP3s

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I just uploaded twelve new MP3s to the D. A. Carson archive (listed here in reverse chronological order):

  1. A Holy Nation: The Church’s High Calling (1 Peter 2:9-10) | MP3 | March 20, 2009 sermon at the 2009 Ligonier Ministries National Conference on the Holiness of God
  2. How to Wait for Jesus (Matt 24:36-25:46) – part 2 of 2 | MP3 | March 1, 2009 sermon at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis
  3. How to Wait for Jesus (Matt 24:36-25:46) – part 1 of 2 | MP3 | February 22, 2009 sermon at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis
  4. Is the Culture Shaping Us or are We Shaping the Culture? | MP3 | Video | February 2, 2009
  5. The Flow of Thought in 1 Timothy 2 | MP3 | Video | February 2, 2009 | more info here
  6. On Books with D. A. Carson (Part 2 of 2) | MP3 | June 13, 2008 interview with Mark Dever
  7. Evangelicals and the Church: An Authentic Unity (Part 2 of 2) | MP3 | 2000 lecture for Evangelical Ministry Assembly
  8. Evangelicals and the Church: An Authentic Unity (Part 1 of 2) | MP3 | 2000 lecture for Evangelical Ministry Assembly
  9. Workshop on Isaiah 6 | MP3 | 1996 lecture
  10. Workshop on 2 Samuel 7 | MP3 | 1996 lecture
  11. Workshop on Genesis 39 | MP3 | 1996 lecture
  12. The Temptation of Joseph (Genesis 39) | MP3 | 1996 sermon