Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

“Every Christian is as guilty of putting Jesus on the cross as Caiaphas”

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D. A. Carson makes this introductory observation to Matthew 26:57–68 in his 1984 Matthew commentary:

Few topics have caused more tension between Jews and Christians than the trial of Jesus. Those who have committed abominable atrocities against the Jews have often based their actions on the ground that Jews are the murderers of their Messiah, or God-killers, and have all too frequently turned to Matthew 27:25 for backing. (p. 549)

Carson proceeds in six steps, and the first half of his sixth step is moving:

From a theological perspective every Christian is as guilty of putting Jesus on the cross as Caiaphas. Thoughtful believers will surely admit that their own guilt is the more basic of the two; for if we believe Matthew’s witness, and Jesus could have escaped the clutches of Caiaphas (v. 53), then what drove Jesus to the cross was his commitment to the Father’s redemptive purposes. While this does not excuse Caiaphas and his peers, it keeps Christians from supercilious judgment of the Jews. (p. 552, emphasis added)

MP3s of TGC’s Plenary Sessions

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Audio from the ten plenary sessions at The Gospel Coalition’s 2009 National Conference is available here.

I benefited most from these five sessions:

Video for all the plenary sessions and audio from the workshops are coming soon. (TGC’s website has shut down at least twice in two days because it has exceeded its bandwidth limit.)

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).

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

The Gospel Coalition’s 2009 National Conference

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On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week, over 3,000 Christian servants will gather in Chicago for The Gospel Coalition’s 2009 National Conference.

  • The 36-page program that those attending will receive when they register is available as a PDF.
  • The ten plenary sessions (not the workshops) will be available as live webcasts.
  • “Audio and video for each session will be made available online, free of charge, within one day of each session ending. Visit www.TheGospelCoalition.org to download” (from the inside front cover of the conference program).