I’ve been a bit steeped into the conference lately, having written all those stream-of-conscience reviews of the papers. I was particularly struck by Ray Faircloth’s paper on predestination in Romans 9. It gave a very vivid and nuanced understanding of predestination based on the three metaphors/stories in the chapter. I would encourage all to check out the lecture and paper, as I would for all the presentations. Lennox’s presentation was also very pointed and well done. Between his and Chuck Jones, the conference was well balanced with pertinent pastoral information as well as theological truth.
As the conference was in progress, JohnO and I were live-blogging and uploading the audios. However, I thought it would be helpful to have all of the talks in the same place under one post. In addition, I now have many of the actual papers which are useful to follow along with while listening to the audio. DVDs of this conference are available for a fee by ordering from Restoration Fellowship. Unfortunately, the questions did not come out on many of the audio recordings, however, the DVD version should have them. In addition, Michelle Cox has put together a slideshow from the conference with lots of pictures (click here).
Click here to listen to Discerning the Difference Between Two Opposed Theologies presented by Anthony Buzzard, Apr 30th 2008, Atlanta Georgia. Commentary by John Obelenus
Anthony opens by explaining to us that distorted versions of the faith, held up by theological and spiritual leaders in high places, fight against the revealed biblical truth. He spotlights Swindoll and Zuck’s Understanding Christian Theology as a perfect example of this distorted version of the faith from the evangelical camp.
Often times the evangelical camp find and dictate a pre-existent Jesus in the Old Testament as the Angel of the Lord, despite their admission that there is no precise verse to declare a pre-existent Jesus. Futhermore they massively misunderstand the phrase “Son of God” by importing a post-Christian creedal understanding onto the person of Jesus in the gospels. This is where they begin their incarnation doctrines about Jesus that are so repellent to the biblical text and first century Judaism.
Click here to listen to My Story: To God Be The Glory presented by Joel Hemphill, Apr 30th 2008, Atlanta Georgia. Commentary by Sean Finnegan.
Famed gospel singer, Joel Hemphill, the surprise guest of the conference, delivered a riveting message about his story with God from his initial conversion at 10 years old to his recent arrival at the biblical unitarian position from his prior oneness (Jesus only) viewpoint. He speaks with lucidity, energy, and humility and the story he tells is gripping.
He has sent out over 130,000 tracts to various pastors and church leaders around America proclaiming his new found faith in the one God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus. His book, To God Be The Glory documents his research on this subject.
Click here to listen to Looking for the Historical Jesus: In Between Evangelical and Liberal Scholarship presented by Sean Finnegan, Apr 29th 2008, Atlanta Georgia. Commentary by John Obelenus
Sean tells us a story of a girl he met in Borders. He was unable to give her a good introductory book to the Christian faith. He knew the kinds of books on the shelves: the evangelical ‘Jesus-is-God’ type, and the liberal ‘there are no miracles-Jesus is a failed prophet’ type. We need to find a middle road between these two, as they both offer good points and bad points.
He starts with the good news about evangelical scholarship:
- The existence of God (Peter Kreeft, Alvin Plantinga)
Click here to listen to Religion and Politics: A Fresh Look at Imperial Overtones in the New Testament presented by Dustin Smith, Apr 29th 2008, Atlanta Georgia. Commentary by John Obelenus
The thesis of Dustin’s paper is that Paul is using specific phrases and words traditionally used in the context of the Caesar cult (the worship of the Roman emperor as a divine figure in the pantheon) that are re-appropriated for use in the preaching of Jesus as the Messiah, God’s representative.
A startling fact is shared: “If one were asked, what is the biggest and fastest growing religion in the Mediterranean world during Paul’s lifetime, one may be quick to think of the Christians as is described in the early chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. What may come to most a a surprise is that archeology, inscriptions, Greek writers, and historians all confirm that the Roman Caesar cult was the fastest growing phenomenon of the time.”
Click here to listen to The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament presented by Jesse Acuff, Apr 29th 2008, Atlanta Georgia. Commentary by John Obelenus
“Whatever holds back a spirit of inquiry is favorable to error, whatever promotes it, to truth. But nothing, it will be acknowledged, has a greater tendency to obstruct the spirit of inquiry, than the spirit and feeling of party. Let a doctrine, however erroneous, become a party distinction, and it is at once entrenched in interests and attachments which make it extremely difficult for the most powerful artillery of reason to dislodge it.” - John Wilson
Click here to listen to Modern Idolatry or The Other Gospel as presented by Chuck Jones, Apr 29 2008, Atlanta Georgia. Commentary by Sean Finnegan.
Chuck Jones is a pastor of a congregation in Pomona, California. His presentation focused on the subject of idolatry. First, he looked to the Old Testament to describe six examples of idolatry. Next he moved on to look at how idolatry is used, in a somewhat wider sense, in the New Testament. Finally he spoke about “false saviors and other gospels” and how we our prone to wander into putting our trust in goodness, power, wisdom, wealth, a need for significance, etc.
Click here to listen to Yet Another Music City Miracle as presented by J Dan Gill, Apr 29 2008, Atlanta Georgia. Commentary by John Obelenus
Dan opens with a startling thought he had leaving a Billy Graham revival. It seems that nearly all of those who ran forward to receive Jesus there would not have understood the Trinity, nor the divinity of Christ. Odd, it seems, because such revivals are led by those who hold the belief in the Trinity as the marker of a Christian. Yet, here are potential converts without that knowledge being accepted.
He asks “Must one come to faith in the doctrines of the Trinity and the divinity of Christ in order to be saved? Yet the activities of the crusade itself seemed to be overwhelmingly convincing that large numbers of people going forward would not have possessed even a rudimentary faith in those particular traditional doctrines.”
Click here to listen to The Misapplication of Romans 9 to Predestinarian Views as presented by Ray Faircloth, Apr 28th 2008, Atlanta Georgia. Commentary by John Obelenus
On the extreme Calvinistic side there are particular individuals who from “before the foundation of the world” are chosen to be ’saved’, and ‘damned’ by God. The complete and utter lack of free will. Ray explains that this paper is derived from the fact that Romans 9 is often used to support these ideas, when in fact this chapter does not uphold this idea whatsoever.
JAT Robinson: “But we must not press Paul’s analogies, here or elsewhere. He has brought it in for one purpose only to show that God has absolute freedom over his creatures: He is not concerned at this point to find one which will safeguard their freedom”. “To press” means to find all the answers in one analogy. Rather than finding one (or two) answers in one analogy, and then having multiple analogies.