The Gospel Coalition Workshops

The workshops are now online.

Two of the workshops are available in video (as well as audio):

• C. J. Mahaney, "The Pastor’s Charge"
• Joshua Harris, "Ministering in a Church-Hopping Society"

The rest of the sessions are available in audio only:

• Thabiti Anyabwile, "The Decline of African-American Theology"
• Buster Brown, "Preaching in a Christianized Culture"
• Steven Chin, "Working Faithfully Under a Senior Pastor"
• Graham Cole, "Homosexuality and the Bible: Texts, Hermeneutics, and Pastoral Wisdom"
• K. Edward Copeland and Charlie Dates, "Mentoring Younger Pastors"
• Andy Davis, "The Gospel and Social Action"
• Joshua Harris, "Ministering in a Church-Hopping Society"
• David Helm, "Biblical Reflections on Building a Staff"
• Bill Kynes, "Complementarianism: Definition and Priorities"
• Crawford Loritts, "Staying Faithful, Staying Relevant: The Use and Abuse of Polemical Preaching"
• Tom Nelson and Matt Perman, "The Gospel and Money"
• Colin Smith, "Transformational Expository Preaching"
• Stephen Um, "On Ministry and Revolving Doors: Practical Challenges and Ideas for Ministry in a Mobile Society"
• Sandy Willson, "Gospel Mission to the World: Arrogance or Love?"

Three of the sessions had corrupt audio, and the files are being worked on. It may be some time, however, before they become available:

• Michael Bullmore, "The Functional Centrality of the Gospel"
• Tim Savage, "Power in Weakness: The Heart of Gospel Ministry"
• Scotty Smith, "A Biblical Theology of Worship: On Preference and Other Matters"

HT: Justin Taylor

Oprah's Church

Check out this disturbing and informative video:



Speaking to Oprah's comments about the jealously of God, Thabiti Anyabwile says this:

"One thing I'm thankful for from this video is that Oprah helps us preachers to think a bit more carefully about our audience. There are no doubt many in the pew who would find teaching about a jealous God repulsive, and yet they've not understood how God's jealousy for His own name is utterly unlike fallen human jealousy or how it is absolutely right that God infinte in every perfection be jealous for His name, that God's own zeal for His name is commendable in light of who God is. I'd love for Oprah to sit down with Piper and work though some of this! And I'd love to preach to my own people in a way that doesn't leave them at 20-something staggering away from the Lord because they're projecting themselves onto God.
Oh that the Lord would make me a preacher!"

Speaking to this comment by Oprah, "God... in the essence of all consciousness... isn't something to believe. God is. God is. And God is a feeling experience, not a believing experience. And, in fact, if your religion is a believing experience... if God for you is still about a belief, then it's not truly God," Thabiti says this:

"So much for her earlier comment in this video, where she defended the idea that there is not one true way to God but that all paths lead there. All paths except belief in a personal, sovereign God who reveals himself in the Word of God and calls all men everywhere to repent and believe.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
--Jesus Christ (John 3:16-21; emphasis in the original)"

HT: Pure Church

Worship God 2008 Conference: Rediscovering the Psalms

Registration is now open for this year’s Sovereign Grace worship conference, titled WorshipGod08: Rediscovering the Psalms. To be held July 30–August 2 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, the conference will focus on how the ancient Psalms can transform our worship today.

WorshipGod08 is for anyone who wants to grow in understanding and leading biblical worship. Bob Kauflin, the director of worship development, summarizes it this way:

Worship leaders and planners are always on the lookout for ways to serve their churches more effectively. Thank God, we have an increasing number of tools, websites, and books we can turn to. But the most important teaching on modern worship wasn’t written in our lifetime. Thousands of years ago, God gave us the Psalms to inform, inspire, and direct our worship. Every generation has the opportunity to rediscover what he’s said.

Speakers will include Bob Kauflin, Thabiti Anyabwile, Mark Dever, and David Powlison. In addition to the general sessions, each attendee can choose up to five practical seminars on topics such as songwriting, voice and instrumental instruction, pastoral leadership, praying the Psalms, family worship, planning, and creative media.

Register by March 31 to receive the lowest rates. (You can still register until July 9, but prices will be higher.) To register, choose seminars, find travel information, and more, visit www.WorshipGod08.com.

The Bible on Leadership/Elders

See these helpful series of posts by Thabiti Anyabwile, pastor of First Baptist Church in Grand Cayman.