One of the things I love about the Basics Conference at Parkside Church is that the theme never really changes. Each year the focus is on some aspect of the pastor's role as preacher. It is refreshingly non-innovative. Alistair Begg preached the first message this year. His text was Acts 6:1-7: Now...

I have the privilege once again to attend the Basics Conference . Basics is the annual pastor's conference at Parkside Church outside Cleveland. I have been attending this conference for nine years and it is always a restful and challenging time. One of the helpful elements of the week is that I...

From Joe Carter : The Blasphemy of Barak Obama Mr. President, Earlier today you made a statement that will go down in history as one of the most audacious ever made by a sitting President. And no, I’m not talking about your admission that you supports gay marriage. The only thing surprising about...

"Take me, for example. I opposed indulgences and all papists, but never by force. I simply taught, preached, wrote God's Word: otherwise I did nothing. And then, while I slept or drank Wittenberg beer with my Philip of Amsdorf the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor...

On Sunday I preached part 16 of our current series through Philippians. It is entitled "Rejoice In The Lord" and can be listened to or downloaded HERE .

[vimeo 41386833 w=400 h=300] From Justin Taylor : You can watch the full 1 hour and 15 minute discussion here , with Michael Horton, Stephen Meyer, R.C. Sproul Jr., and Del Tackett joining R.C. Sproul to answer questions about the Christian mind, science, old and new earth, and more. For those...

Carl Trueman's breakout session at Together For The Gospel was excellent. The theme was the continuing relevance of the Reformation. I would encourage you to take time to listen to the audio HERE . He offers important wisdom (and warnings) for the contemporary church. Trueman has a gift for...

From a helpful post by Johnathan Leeman: The question I want to think about can be posed like this : is there something endemic not just to megachurches, but to post-1950s-evangelicalism as a whole that, over time, tends to undermine the very doctrinal convictions which makes us evangelicals? More...

Denny Burk has linked to the sermon to which Al Mohler refers in his latest article . In the sermon, Stanley told the story of a husband who left his wife for another man. At the end of the story, the wife, her new boyfriend, their children, and the new homosexual couple all end up attending a...

P&R Publishing will soon be releasing a new title dealing with the trustworthiness of Scripture. It is entitled Did God Really Say? Affirming The Truthfulness and Trustworthiness of Scripture . The book is edited by Dr. David Garner who is also a contributor. "Current discussion about the...

Great counsel from Doug Sweeney on how pastors can best serve God's people: 1. Our churches and our world desperately need pastors to lead and teach theologically. We clearly can't rely on families to raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (though a minority of them are...

Ray Ortlund offers a sure fire way to "rescue" your church in only three weeks: Week One: Walk into church this Sunday and think about how long you’ve been a member, how much you’ve sacrificed, how under-appreciated you are. Take note of every way you’re dissatisfied with your church now. Take note...

From an excellent post by Kevin DeYoung on the meaning of God's providence: The God of the Old Testament (and the New Testament for that matter) is a God with absolute power and sovereign sway over all things. “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the people” ( Psalm...

WTSBooks is running a special on some excellent new resources from 9Marks . Anyone interested in the health of the church, elders, pastors, and ministry leaders particularly would benefit from these resources. First, there are the 9Marks "Building Healthy Churches" booklets. These are brief books...

From a letter to his father in 1855 responding to public criticism of his ministry: DEAR FATHER,—DO not be grieved at the slanderous libel in this week's Express. Of course, it is all a lie, without an atom of foundation; and while the whole of London is talking of me, and thousands are unable to...

Ligon Duncan: “The Gospel Preaching of the Cross” Ligon Duncan is one of my favorite preachers and it is not just because of his amazing voice. Dr. Duncan has a peculiar gift of combining exegetical precision, doctrinal depth, and pastoral warmth in all his preaching. His message at Together For...

Harry Reeder, the pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama was the speaker for the morning session. I was immediately struck by his deep southern accent. Quite a contrast to Dr. Ferguson's Scottish brogue. Romans 3:9-26: What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all...

I have been asked by the Alliance Of Confessing Evangelicals to live blog the Philadelphia Conference On Reformed Theology . The conference begins this evening with a message from Sinclair Ferguson. More to come...

Absolute brilliance from Jared Wilson : 1. You must love Jesus. I don't care if you're a "good Christian boy." I was one of those too. So I know the tricks. I'm going to ask you specific, heart-testing questions about your spiritual affections, your daily devotional life, your idols, your...

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This month, Eerdmans is set to release a book attacking the doctrine of the Scripture's inerrancy . It is surely well written and accessible to the well-read layman. If the author holds to the positions in his previous book and articles for Biologos (all of which attacked the trustworthiness of the...

Great news from the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Recording Trust . It was announced at T4G that the good folks at the MLJ Recording Trust will now be making some 1,600 sermons from "the Doctor" available free of charge.

On Easter Sunday I preached part 12 in our current series through Philippians. It is entitled "God Highly Exalted Him" and can be listened to or downloaded HERE .

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