Conference Day One

Here we are at the Calvin for the 21st Century Bible Conference, and the first two sessions have been rich! Dr. David Murray taught on I John 3:1-5 - "What Kind of Love is This?" (which I plan to blog tomorrow), then Dr. Ligon Duncan spoke on the topic of "The Resurgence of Calvinism in America." Since it's late and I'm tired, I'll briefly share his list of nine factors that have greatly contributed to the renewal of the Doctrines of Grace in our country:

1. Three preachers: Charles H. Spurgeon (from the 19th century), D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (from the 20th century), and John MacArthur (current). I've read books by all three, and I was glad he cited MacArthur's contribution of expository preaching. I remember my first exposure to MacArthur on the radio in the early '80s, and I still greatly appreciate his giftedness! I heard him say just today that he doesn't study to prepare a sermon...he studies God's Word to learn for himself, then he shares what he learns. It shows!

2. Books: Banner of Truth Trust - making Puritan literature available again.

3. An evangelist: D. James Kennedy - although we might fault some of his methods, we appreciate his pursuit and renewal of evangelism in Reformed circles.

4. "Battle for the Bible": The attack on the infallibility of the Bible that stretched across denominations caused men such as Sproul, Packer, and Boice rise up and establish the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy.

5. Two church controversies: One within the Presbyterian denomination resulting in the formation of the conservative Presbyterian Churches of America. The other within the Southern Baptist Convention, lead by R. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary - the largest seminary in the world. Because Dr. Mohler was unwavering in his insistence that all seminary professors must profess the Reformed Confessions, there has been a resurgence of Reformed theology in the Southern Baptist Convention over the last thirty years. (I'm so thankful for the teaching and training Ashlea has received at SBTS.)

6. A book and an Anglican: Knowing God by Dr. J. I. Packer. (I just finished reading it for the first time.)

7. A theologian philosopher: Dr. R. C. Sproul. No question about it, he's the best at communicating seemingly esoteric ideas to the lay person. His "Renewing Your Mind" broadcast is part of my daily routine (I love the internet!).

8. Force of nature: John Piper - Mark Dever describes him as a "swelling wave hitting the coast." He's unusually gifted as with a combination of theological precision and delight in the Lord. He has no fear.

9. Decline of a movement: death of liberalism in our culture. What's left is being sustained by endowments. The rise of cultural secularism coupled with a decline of Christian nominalism has caused our younger generation to look for a place to devote themselves. The truths of Reformed theology are attractive to them.

Dr. Duncan concluded by explaining that the first eight of the above (people or institutions) have the following in common:

1. All have been motivated by faithfulness, not success and numbers.
2. All have a big view of God. The churches in the Western World that are growing are those with a genuine understanding of the sovereignty of God.
3. All have strong confessional convictions held with broad sympathies.
4. All have been favored outside their ecclesiastical constituency.

We are truly blessed. To God be the glory!