At the 2008 Dwell Conference in New York City Tim Keller spoke on the topic of persuasion in preaching. I appreciated how at the very beginning of the session Keller addressed some of the common objections to the use of persuasion in preaching the Gospel. Video of the session is embedded below.
You can also download the audio and notes at the Acts 29 website.
In the following promotional video for Redeemer Church Planting Center Tim Keller and other church planters explain why planting churches in the world’s big cities is so crucial.
RCPC Promo 08 from Redeemer Video on Vimeo.
Keller’s emphasis on cities has certainly caught my attention over the last few years. I’m still trying to figure out what to do about it on a personal level. 
My good friend Jason has begun blogging at Personal Theology. Today he asks the following questions.
What above all else characterizes a Christian? The Republican party? Opposition to abortion and gay marriage? Is it creationism vs. evolution(ism)? Is it morality? The 10 commandments? The location of the 10 commandments in public places? Is it boycotts of offensive/immoral movies? Is it 7 steps to how to live life to its fullest? Is it don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew (or go with girls who do)? If one were to take a poll of non-Christians—heck, if a poll were taken of Christians themselves—what would be said to be the defining characteristic of a Christian? What would be that sine qua non of Christianity?
See the full post for Jason’s answer.
The fight for joy is a fight to grasp and marvel at what happened in the death of Christ — and what it reveals about our suffering Savior. If it were not for the death of Jesus in our place, the only possible joy would be the joy of delusion — like the joy on the Titanic just before it hit the iceberg. Without the cross, joy could be sustained only by denying (consciously or subconsciously) the inevitability of divine judgment. In fact, that’s the kind of joy that drives most of the world — a joy that preserves the power of its pleasures by being oblivious to the peril just ahead. If the passengers were suddenly made aware that in a matter of hours most of them would drown in the icy ocean, all their merrymaking would cease. Their joy depends on their ignorance (John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God, 71).
In the introductory material of his commentary on The Gospel According to John, D.A. Carson includes a helpful section on preaching from the fourth Gospel. Carson reminds preachers and Bible teachers that John’s Gospel is about Jesus; his person and work and “his place in the sweep of redemptive history”. He then remarks,
“…John’s stated purpose in composing the Fourth Gospel is not that his readers might believe, but that his readers might believe that the Christ, the Son of God, is Jesus, and that in believing they might have life in his name. To hammer away at the urgency of belief without pausing to think through what it is John wants his readers to believe and whom it is he wants them to trust is to betray the Gospel of John. Preaching from the Gospels is above all an exercise in the exposition and application of Christology (102, emphasis in the original).
I would like to pose a question. In the observance of the Lord’s Supper are we offering something to God or is God offering something to us? Do we give to God or do we receive from Him? Do you think this is an important nuance to make conclusions about?
What exegetical and theological arguments would you use to support your position? Please share your thoughts.
Mark Lauterbach’s article People, Not Culture in the May 2009 issue of NEXT is a helpful piece for those who are thinking through how to relate to the world around them. Lauterbach writes,
But I want to suggest that this question–“How should a Christian relate to culture?”–may be the wrong question. This may be the wrong place for us, as Christians in the middle of culture, to start. Here’s why: I am not sure how I am to relate to the culture, but I am sure I am to relate to people outside of Christ for the sake of their salvation
You can read the full article here.
Jonathan Dodson posted several suggestions at theresurgence.com for being more intentional about spending time with non-Christians. The suggestions are simple, common sense stuff, but all too often we overlook these types of opportunities.
(via JT)
The Gospel Coalition website is proving to be a great resource for Gospel centered text, audio, and video resources. You can browse resources by the name of the author/speaker, topic, or Scripture reference. In addition, you can browse for specific types of resources such as sermons, articles, interviews, etc.
If you’re looking for a place to start I suggest you listen to or watch D.A. Carson’s lecture entitled “What is the Gospel?”. You can find the audio and video here or in iTunes.
In The Prodigal God Tim Keller “lays out the essentials of…the gospel” by examining Jesus’ parable commonly known as “The Parable of the Prodigal Son”. As you can tell from the title of the book Keller has a different take on the parable than most other preachers.
Keller contends that the parable isn’t merely about the “prodigal” son (younger brother). Rather it’s a story about two lost sons and a father who’s love extends to both of them. It’s a story in which Jesus shows that the Gospel is for both the outwardly sinful and the religious because both are in desperate need of salvation.
I think that this book, like Keller’s previous book, will appeal to both believers and unbelievers alike since it focuses on a message that both groups need to hear.
