Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

The Gospel Coalition

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).

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).

Carson’s 7-Minute Extemporaneous Overview of The Gospel Coalition

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In my recent post “D. A. Carson: ‘Making Sense of Suffering,'” I wrote this:

DAC also led a pastor’s session on “Preaching and Biblical Theology.”

After his hour-long address on biblical theology, DAC was asked to “say something about The Gospel Coalition” (59:24 to 1:06:10 in the MP3). Since people often ask, “What exactly is The Gospel Coalition?”, I turned DAC’s useful extemporaneous overview of TGC into this 7-minute MP3.

Related:

  1. from my recommended theological writings page: *The Gospel Coalition (D. A. Carson, Tim Keller, et al.): “Who We Are,” council members, foundational docs (preamble, confessional statement, theological vision for ministry), resources (including video interviews and video Q&A), and Themelios
  2. from my post “TGC Videos“: Introduction to The Gospel Coalition (In order of appearance: Carson, Dever, Ryken, Keller, Harris, Anyabwile, Mahaney, Carson, Keller, Piper)

Themelios 33.2

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The latest issue of Themelios was just published online today, and there is now a Themelios RSS feed. This issue is available in HTML and as a 126-page PDF. Here’s the TOC:

I contributed three of the thirty book reviews:

  1. Review of C. J. Mahaney, ed., Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World. Themelios 33:2 (2008): 116–18.
  2. Review of J. Julius Scott Jr., New Testament Theology: A New Study of the Thematic Structure of the New Testament. Themelios 33:2 (2008): 85–87.
  3. Review of Carl R. Trueman, Minority Report: Unpopular Thoughts on Everything from Ancient Christianity to Zen-Calvinism. Themelios 33:2 (2008): 91–92.

TGC Videos

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The Gospel Coalition recently uploaded nine short videos.

About The Gospel Coalition

About TGC’s 2009 National Conference

More info about the conference here. Register here.

Using and Abusing Sermons

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At the annual pastor’s colloquium for The Gospel Coalition last May, the pastors discussed future enhancements on TGC website. When discussing the new database of resources, John Piper strongly suggested that we add a note against sermon-stealing, something he “abominates.” Everyone seemed to agree. Here’s the note that is currently on the bottom of the resources page:

A NOTE ON THE USE AND ABUSE OF SERMONS

The instant availability of thousands of expository sermons and addresses prompts us to reflect a little on how they should not be used, and how they should be used.

To take the latter first: many of our Council members avidly read the sermons of others, or, increasingly commonly, listen to them while they are driving or walking or jogging. Good preaching not only opens up texts, but helps us learn how others tackle the challenge of structure, apply Scripture to their particular congregations, relate their texts to the central themes of God and the gospel, and much more. We soon sense their urgency and God-given unction. We are sent back to the study and to our knees to become better workers who do not need to be ashamed of the way we handle the word of truth.

The bad way to listen to the sermons of others is to select one such sermon on the topic or passage you have chosen and then simply steal it, passing it off as if it is your own work. This is, quite frankly, theft, and thieves, Paul tells us, will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:10). Yet in some ways that is not the most serious aspect of this form of plagiarism. Rather, it is the deep damage you are doing to yourself and others by not studying the Bible for yourself. Ministers of the gospel are supported by their congregations so they will give themselves to the ministry of the Word and prayer. That demands rigorous study. A faithful minister of the gospel is never merely a biological tape recorder or CD, thoughtlessly parroting what someone else learned, thought through, prayed over, and recorded. Indulge in this exercise and before long you will starve your own soul—and, no matter how good the sermons you steal, your ministry will sooner or later, and deservedly, become sterile, for the stamp of inauthenticity will be all over you.

One helpful suggestion: Listen to many sermons, not just one or two. You will be far less likely to steal, and far more likely to be stimulated and helped, if you listen to five or ten sermons than if you listen to one.