Ligonier Ministries The teaching fellowship of R.C. Sproul

Burk Parsons was the third Pre-Conference speaker. Mr. Parsons serves as associate minister at Saint Andrew’s in Sanford, Fla., and he is editor of Tabletalk. He holds the Master of Divinity degree from Reformed Theological Seminary, where he is also completing his Doctor of Ministry degree. He speaks regularly at various conferences and schools in the United States and abroad and has contributed to various books and journals. He is author of the forthcoming booklet Why Do We Have Creeds? (P&R, 2010), and he is editor of the books Assured by God and John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine & Doxology. You can follow Burk Parsons on Twitter: @burk_parsons.  Mr. Parsons' message is entitled Taking Captive New Media for the Church. Keep Reading

Ed Stetzer has planted churches in New York, Pennsylvania, and Georgia and transitioned declining churches in Indiana and Georgia. He has trained pastors and church planters on five continents, holds two masters degrees and two doctorates, and has written dozens of articles and books. He is also visiting professor at both Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as serves on the Church Services Team at the International Mission Board (SBC). He is currently the President of Lifeway Research and Lifeway's Missiologist in Residence. The title of Dr. Stetzer's message was The Brave New World of New Media.     Keep Reading

Dr. R.C. Sproul ended the conference with a message called Back to Basics.  What are the Basics?  Dr. Sproul read from Romans 1:1-7.  Paul calls himself a slave and notes that he is called for a particular task, that of proclaiming the "gospel of God".  The construction "of" is possessive -- Paul has been set apart for a gospel that is God's gospel. It is His gospel, and He will judge us by how we handle His gospel. Keep Reading

Dr. Michael Horton gave a second message this afternoon, this time on the topic of Moralistic and Therapeutic Deism.  Dr. Horton began with retelling a story of how a mainline theologian who visited a seeker-sensitive church on Easter Sunday heard not the gospel but how his scars can become stepping stones for his success.  This man was clearly not evangelized – on Easter Sunday, at a large, prominent, evangelical church. Keep Reading

I came to embrace the doctrines of grace, but my spouse remains an Arminian.  Should I keep my mouth shut, or am I responsible to help my spouse come to see what I have seen? SPROUL: We are all by nature Arminians. We think that we can bring ourselves to saving faith. So, be patient with friends and family. Don't give up the doctrine, but be gracious. Keep Reading

Dr. Peter Jones is the director of truthXchange, a ministry devoted to equipping the church to combat the rising tide of neopaganism in Western culture. He is also scholar in residence and adjunct professor of practical theology at Westminster Seminary California, and he has also taught at several other seminaries and colleges. Dr. Jones is the author of several books including The Gnostic Empire Strikes Back, Spirit Wars, and Stolen Identity: The Conspiracy to Reinvent Jesus.   Dr. Jones addressed us on the topic of A Gnostic Gospel.  Gnostacism is both an ancient heresy that the church faced and defeated, but it is also associated with the revival of a new paganism that seeks the obselesence of Christianity.  Yet paganism has always been fought both within and without the church. It is not uncommon that what happens in the church is a reflection of what is happening in the church at large. Keep Reading

Dr. Sproul's message was entitled Good Advice or Good News? -- and in particular, Dr. Sproul's message dealt with the relationship between law and gospel. The text of Dr. Sproul's message was Mark 10:17-22.  This rich young man of which we hear came to Jesus like a man on a mission -- seeking to receive an answer from Jesus as quickly and directly as possible.  Yet he received quite a different answer than that of the one the Phillipean jailor received (Acts 16:30-31). Keep Reading

The Q&A session was moderated by Dr. R.C. Sproul with Dr. Horton and Dr. MacArthur serving as the participants.  With regard the assurance of salvation – Calvin said that all struggle.  You, John, suggested that a lack of assurance might be related to a lack of looking forward to heaven.  MACARTHUR:   Yes, all doubt.  But Peter was saying that the testing of faith generates assurance, because then you know that your faith is real.   Tested faith grows stronger and strengthens assurance. Keep Reading

INTRODUCTION Dr. MacArthur began by noting that there are numerous best-selling books out there on "finding God" (The Secret, The Shack, etc.).  The common story line is that we are sufficiently powerful to create reality. If we visualize our succeeding at whatever goal we set, it will happen.  We are in charge of providence. We can rearrange the universe.  In a vast religious ponzi scheme (that makes the ones at the top of the pile filthy rich), there are many participants.  MacArthur listed a dozen names (Robert Schuler, Benny Hinn, Kenny Copeland, etc.) and movements which play on this theme -- Jesus is a force waiting to be activated -- by you, knowing what you want. Keep Reading

The title of Dr. Horton's message was The Church Cries "Uncle" ("Sam" That Is). Horton opened by noting that the Conference title was not the one the speakers would have wanted.  It is unfortunate that a Confernce must be entitled "Christless Christianity."  Many are concerned about the church in America today.  Our own missionaries are often in need of evangelism themselves. Keep Reading