Last week, I attended Ligonier Ministries’ 23rd Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. The theme was ‘Tough Questions Christian Face”. The conference brochure states:
“Christians are bombarded with difficult questions every day about Scripture, theology, science, and many other topics. As believers in the one true God, we are not without answers to the hard questions of life, for the Lord has spoken and has given us a revelation that directs us to the One who holds the answers.”
A pre-conference seminar on the role of new media in the church and the world and the issues that confront us as believers was well attended. The main conference sessions addressed the origin of evil, the inerrancy of Scripture, the interpretation of the Bible, the exclusivity of Jesus Christ, the age of the earth, God’s command in the Old Testament for Holy War, and the resurgence of interest in Reformed theology. Here are some of the titles of those sessions and the speakers who were assigned the topics:
- Why Did Jesus Have To Die? - John MacArthur
- Does the Doctrine of Divine Decrees Eliminate Human Will? - John MacArthur
- What is Evil and Where Did It Come From? - R.C. Sproul
- Is The Bible Just Another Book? - Steve Lawson
- Is The Exclusivity of Christ Unjust? - Alistair Begg
- Why Do Christians Still Sin? - R.C. Sproul, Jr.
- Why Does the Universe Look So Old? - Albert Mohler
- Can We Enjoy Heaven Knowing of Loved Ones in Hell? - R.C. Sproul
The other speakers included Michael Horton, Derek Thomas and Burk Parsons, who spoke during the two and a half day conference!
Each meeting began with prayer and worship and ended with a few “infomercials”!
I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and was convicted, educated, edified, encouraged and challenged. I was equipped to answer some of these tough questions to, “…always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;” (1 Peter 3:15b)
The most impact for me came from the pre-conference titled: Bits, Bytes, Blogs & Bibles: Christian Communication in a Hypersocial World. The session titles and their respective speakers were:
- Session 1. The Brave New World of New Media – Ed Stetzer
- Session 2. Principles for Conduct in Communication – Tim Challies
- Session 3. Taking Captive New Media for the Church – Burk Parsons
- Session 4. The Hypersocialized Generation – Al Mohler
I could have left after these sessions and still be enthralled by the content and challenged with the issues. Especially since the intention of the pre-conference speakers was to help those who are wary of the internet/ new media and to provide cautions/yield signs – do we rush headlong and embrace this new technology?
There’s so much I’d like to disseminate that I’ll continue in next week’s blog. There are inescapable trends in the new media that need to be highlighted and we need to realize that vast geographic distances have now been closed. Most importantly, The Lord has prepared technology over the course of history to break down the geographic barriers for the fulfillment of His purposes, “… to do whatever Your hand and Your plan had pre-destined to take place.” (Acts 4:28 ESV)
See you next week!
Joe Capozzi