2008 Together for Adoption Conference Audio

Jason Kovacs recently announced that the (FREE) audio of the Together for Adoption Conference messages are now available.  If you are looking for solid theological reflection and exhortation regarding adoption, I encourage you to download and listen to these messages.

Jason Kovacs and Maridel Sandberg – “Conference Welcome and the Christian Alliance for Orphans’ Vision for Orphan Ministry“

Dan Cruver – “Adoption in God’s Story of Redemption“

Rick Phillips – “The Good News of Adoption“

Carl Robbins – “Adoption and the Multi-Ethnic Family of God“

Tullian Tchividjian – “Our Adoption and Visiting Orphans in Their Affliction“

2008 Total Church Conference Audio

Drew Goodmanson has shared that the 2008 Total Church Conference audio is now available online.  Steve Timmis and Tim Chester are the authors of Total Church: A Radical Reshaping Around Gospel and Community which was recently re-published by re:lit.  I encourage you to check out the main sessions (below).  You can also subscribe to the Total Church podcast on iTunes (48 MP3s).

A Community-centered Gospel – Steve Timmis
The gospel is about a King who died to rescue a people who would reveal his character by their shared lives. In keeping with who I am ‘in Adam’, I individualize and privatize the gospel so that church is reduced to a necessary but often intrusive addendum. The gospel calls us to live ‘in Christ’ corporately and so show the power of the cross to reconcile and create community. (A Community-Centered Gospel Q&A)

A Gospel-centered Community – Steve Timmis
The gospel is that which creates, sustains, nurtures and perfects the church. To achieve this, the gospel needs to be at the center of all we are and do as the people of God. The gospel needs to be taken out of our pulpits and meetings and applied into the mundane and routine of our corporate and personal lives. (A Gospel-Centered Community Q&A)

Rethinking Attractional Church – Tim Chester
Attractional church (‘come to us’) and missional church (‘go to them’) are often set up as alternatives, yet throughout the Scriptures God calls his people to a life that attracts the nations. We can bring attractional and missional approaches together by re-conceiving church as a community rather than an event. (Rethinking Q&A Session)

Remodeling Attractional Church – Steve Timmis
As we focus more on the quality of our lives together rather than the slick performance of our Sunday meetings we will see how a gospel community is an integral and indispensable piece of the evangelism jigsaw. In fact, people won’t be able to fully understand the magnitude of what God has done in Christ without it. (Remodeling Q&A Session)

Making Disciples for Missional Church – Tim Chester
‘I’m free and belong to no man’ could be the slogan of our age. But Paul continues: ‘I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.’ What kind of people are going to sustain a church planting movement? This session explores how the cross and resurrection should shape our lives. (Making Disciples Q&A)

Making Disciples in Missional Church – Tim Chester
This session looks at how we train and pastor one another in the context of ordinary life and the context of Christian community.

Andrew Fuller Conference Audio

The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, under the direction of Dr. Michael Haykin, recently held their 2nd Annual Conference focusing on the English Baptists of the 17th Century.  I am a big fan of studying history, especially regarding Reformation and Baptist History.  The period of the 17th century was a very important time in the life of Baptists, and there is much we can glean from their convictions, example, and sacrifice.  Below are the audio from the conference sessions, and though you may not be familiar with some of the names, I encourage you to check them out.  I should mention, too, that some of the men presenting papers are good friends and have frequently P&P, including Stephen Yuille, Jay Collier, Tom Nettles, Jeff Robinson, and Steve Weaver. You may also want to check out the center’s journal called Eusebeia.  They have some fantastic articles from the likes of Haykin, Carl Trueman, Tom Nettles, and others.

The English Baptists of the 17th Century
August 24-25, 2008 @ Southern Seminary

Plenary Sessions

Plenary Session 1: “The English Calvinistic Baptists of the 17th Century—An Overview” (MP3)
Dr. Malcolm Yarnell (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary)

Plenary Session 2: “John Spilsbury and the Beginning of the Baptists” (MP3)
Dr. Tom Nettles (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

Plenary Session 3: “Hanserd Knollys (1599-1691) and the Interpretation of Revelation” (MP3)
Dr. Barry Howson (Heritage Theological Seminary)

Plenary Session 4: “The Importance of Baptist Confessionalism” (MP3)
Dr. Albert Mohler (President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

Plenary Session 5: “The Strange Case of Thomas Collier” (MP3)
Dr. James Renihan (Dean, The Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies)

Plenary Session 6: “Benjamin Keach and the Protestant Cause Under Persecution” (MP3)
Austin Walker (Pastor, Maidenbower Baptist Church, Crawley, UK)

Plenary Session 7: “William Kiffin (1616-1701)—His Life and Thought” (MP3)
Dr Larry Kreitzer (Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford)

Breakout Sessions

“Henry Jessey (1601-1663): His Life and Thought” (MP3)
Jason Duesing (PhD candidate, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary)

“‘A Poor and Despised People’: Abraham Cheare and the Calvinistic Baptists at Plymouth” (MP3)
Dr. Jeff Robinson (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

“Baptist Associations in the 17th Century” (MP3)
Dr. Stan Fowler (Heritage Theological Seminary)

“Benjamin Keach’s Doctrine of Justification” (MP3)
Tom Hicks (PhD candidate, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

“The Role of Metaphor in the Sermons of Benjamin Keach” (MP3)
Chris Holmes (PhD candidate, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

“Turks, Jews, & God’s Plan for His People: Hanserd Knollys’ Understanding of Abraham’s Other ‘Descendants’” (MP3)
Dr. Dennis Bustin (Atlantic Baptist University‎)

“Thomas Wilcox and his A Choice Drop of Honey from the Rock Christ” (MP3)
Dr. Stephen Yuille (Toronto Baptist Seminary)

“Hercules Collins and The Temple Repair’d: Baptists and Theological Education” (MP3)
Steve Weaver (PhD candidate, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

“The Prison Epistles of Thomas Hardcastle” (MP3)
Dr. Peter Beck (Charleston Southern University)

“17th Century Baptists and the Perseverance of the Saints” (MP3)
Jay Collier (PhD candidate, Calvin Seminary)

David Platt on the Great Commission

David Platt, lead pastor of The Church at Brookhills, was the guest preacher for the 2009 Great Commission Lectures at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  From those in attendance, Platt’s messages were powerfully used to impact the lives of all who were in attendance.  I encourage you to download them and listen for your own advantage.  Here are the links (MP3s):

1.  The Presence of Christ in the Great Commission (Said at Southern live-blogging)

2.  The Command of Christ in the Great Commission (Said at Southern live-blogging)

3.  The Authority of Christ in the Great Commission

2008 National Founders Conference Summary and Compilation

Summary:

I know that attempting to summarize loaded week in just a few words seems like a futile exercise, but I will attempt to do so here. In fact, I think it is quite appropriate that words should not summarize or bring closure to a conference like this. Indeed, this past week was more than a conference, and thus it requires more than words. I have been told that is was unlike an other in recent years (this is only my second NFC) for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the live-streaming which included over 3,000 viewers with relatively little announcement (my blog, Tom’s blog, and the Founders website) the day the conference began.

The messages were great, and I encourage you to download them all. You can also catch up with the messages by perusing my live-blogging posts as well. Perhaps one of the most helpful times was an unscheduled extended meeting with Stetzer Wednesday where candid talk and genuine concern for church planting took place for the purpose of listening, learning, and hopefully one day leading a movement in the area of church planting in the years to come. I was also greatly encouraged by the time I had talking with Voddie Baucham and Andy Davis who instilled in me a desire to be more godly, to love the church more deeply, and give myself more sacrificially for the glory of Christ. The meetings, fellowship, and mealtime get togethers with guys like Doug Baker (whose podcasting equipment I lusted over), Don Whitney (King of the Fountain Pens), Phil Newton (whose baritone voice I envy), and Art Rogers was really refreshing as I heard of all that God was doing in place like North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

Lastly, I want to say a word about the men whose lives have shaped this movement for twenty-five years. Men like Tom Nettles, Fred Malone, Tom Ascol, Phil Newton, Don Whitney, Joe Nesom, and Bill Ascol–all who have endured much criticism and caricature and yet have continued to work for reformation within the local church–are men whom I consider my heroes. I don’t have many, especially in the SBC, but I am grateful for these that have taught me more with their lives than all the academy can muster with the sharpest of acumen and brightest of minds.

I suspect that in the future you will be hearing more of all that took place. I pray that what was implanted in the hearts of men and women will find fertile soil in the lives of His people and the churches they serve so that abundant fruit may be harvested for years to come.

Below are the conference audio (MP3), a compilation of my blogposts, and the podcasts I did with the conference.

Conference Audio:

1. Ted Christman on “An Exposition of Psalm 1″
2. Andy Davis on “Dangers in Reforming a Church”
3. Tom Nettles on “Biographical Sketch of Daniel Marshall”
4. Voddie Baucham on “Building a Solid Doctrinal Foundation”
5. Ed Stetzer on “Lengthening the Cords and Strengthening the Stakes, Part 1″
6. Don Whitney on “Reforming Through Discipline”
7. Ed Stetzer on “Lengthening the Cords and Strengthening the Stakes, Part 2″
8. Andy Davis on “The Importance of Filling Your Life With Scripture”
9. Phil Newton on “From Planting to Reforming”

Compilation of Posts:

1. A Primer on Ed Stetzer
2. NFC I: Ted Christman on “An Exposition of Psalm 1″
3. NFC II: Andy Davis on “Dangers in Reforming a Church”
4. NFC III: Tom Nettles on “Biographical Sketch of Daniel Marshall”
5. NFC IV: Voddie Baucham on “Building a Solid Doctrinal Foundation”
6. Dr. Nettles Bio Sketch of Daniel Marshall (PDF)
7. NFC V: Ed Stetzer on “Lengthening the Cords and Strengthening the Stakes, Part 1″
8. NFV VI: Don Whitney on “Reforming Through Discipline”
9. NFC VII: Ed Stetzer on “Lengthening the Cords and Strengthening the Stakes, Part 2″
10. NFC VIII: Leadership Dialogue
11. NFC IX: Andy Davis on “The Importance of Filling Your Life With Scripture”
12. NFC X: Phil Newton on “From Planting to Reforming”

** If you would like a PDF of all 12 posts together, you can download it by clicking here.

Podcasts:

1. Interview with Tom Ascol
2. Interview with Donald Whitney
3. Interview with Voddie Baucham
4. Interview with Andy Davis

To view live-blogging posts from the 2007 National Conference, go here.

Founders Podcast 4: Interview with Andy Davis

Yesterday afternoon, I did my final podcast of the conference (there is another one with Dr. Tom Nettles yet to go online) with Dr. Andy Davis. I have heard much about Dr. Davis from Nathan Finn and others, and it was at T4G 06 when I first became aware of his little booklet on extended Scripture memorization. Dr. Davis is a fantastic preacher, and, in my estimation, one of the best relatively known pastors in the SBC. He is a stakeholder with the Gospel Coalition, working for a renewal within modern evangelicalism. All this and more we discuss in the fourth podcast of the conference, and I am sincerely grateful for the time he gave to sit down and share some excellent thoughts on such matters as church membership, scripture memory, the gospel, and the Great Commission.

The total listening time is approximately 43 minutes.

>> Download: FP 4 :: Interview with Andy Davis (at 08FNC)

Previous Podcasts:
3. Interview with Voddie Baucham
2. Interview with Donald Whitney
1. Interview with Tom Ascol

Founders Podcast 3: Interview with Voddie Baucham

Yesterday afternoon, Voddie Baucham joined me for the third Founders Podcast, discussing his theological pilgrimage, cultural apologetics, church planting, family worship, the Southern Baptist Convention, and future projects he is pursuing. As I shared with Voddie, I first met him a decade ago at a conference for college ministers (REFUGE) in Birmingham. It’s great to see what God is doing in the life of Voddie after ten years, including all that God is doing through him and the church he pastors in the area of church planting. I hope you find this interview as encouraging and instructive.

The total listening time is approximately 46 minutes.

>> Download: FP 3 :: Interview with Voddie Baucham (at 08NFC)

Previous Podcasts:
2. Interview with Donald Whitney
1. Interview with Tom Ascol

Founders Podcast 2: Interview with Donald Whitney

This morning, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Donald Whitney to discuss spiritual disciplines and the 2008 National Founders Conference. In the interview, I asked Dr. Whitney about his pilgrimage in the study of spiritual disciplines, how to cultivate spiritual disciplines in challenging and demanding times, his work at the Center for Biblical Spirituality and at SBTS, and finally the work of personal and formative discipline in the practice of church renewal and church planting.

The total listening time is approximately 42 minutes.

>> Download: FP2 :: Interview with Donald Whitney (at 08FNC)

Interview with Tom Ascol on National Founders Conference

Yesterday, I sat down with Executive Director of Founders Ministries, Tom Ascol, to talk about the upcoming 2008 National Founders Conference. In the course of our discussion, we focus on church planting and revitalization while bringing up contemporary issues in SBC life, including Frank Page’s assessment of a dying Convention, Great Commission Resurgence, recovery of the gospel, and the increasing number of young ministers pursuing church planting opportunities.

The podcast is approximately 31 minutes long. We hope to continue with more podcasts in the future. Those of you attending next week’s conference, I look forward to seeing you there.

>> Download: FP1 :: 2008 National Founders Conference (with Tom Ascol)

Calling for Truth, Come and Welcome MP3

The Calling for Truth radio show where we discussed Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ can be accessed online or downloaded by clicking here (MP3).

Interview with Phil Simpson (and me) on Calling for Truth

Calling for Truth has uploaded the audio for Wednesday’s interview, capping off April’s Puritan Paperback, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs.  You can listen to the show online or download it (MP3) as well (right click, save as).  I especially enjoyed hearing the commentary by Phil Simpson who joined me for this discussion on Burroughs.  Thanks Phil for supporting the Puritan Reading Challenge!

Tomorrow, I will announce the winner of the April’s giveaway of books.

2008 Band of Bloggers Audio (The Gospel Trust)

Just a quick note that the 2008 Band of Bloggers panel discussion, “The Gospel Trust,” is now available on the Band of Bloggers website.

Stay tuned to the BoB blog for more info of the continuing vision of developing a gospel-centered community in the evangelical blogosphere.

Also, in case you have not made it over there already, the audio from T4G08 is available as well.  Be sure to download them all!

Interview with Stephen Yuille on John Flavel

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of doing an interview with Dr. Stephen Yuille on the Puritans in general and John Flavel in particular. I had intended to post this interview much earlier, but due to technical difficulties coupled with my audio editing ignorance, I unfortunately had to postpone it until the edits could be made. Even still, it is not perfect, so I ask for your patience as I work out the kinks in audio recording (my apologies to Dr. Yuille especially). In any case, I do believe this interview was a very profitable time of talking about several important matters, and allow me to list a few of them here:

1. The only proper way to pronounce the name “Flavel”
2. The impact of the Puritans upon Dr. Yuille’s life
3. About The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety
4. Lloyd-Jones and “mystical union with Christ”
5. Christ’s offices as prophet, priest, and king (and their neglect today)
6. Regeneration, Faith, and Conversion
7. Puritans too introspective? Addressing the charges
8. Puritans and “standing” on texts
9. Encouragement for those in the Puritan Reading Challenge

The interview in total is around 46 minutes long, and it would be several minutes less if it wasn’t for my mumbling and jabbering! Aside from his book, The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety, Dr. Yuille has a second book that has just been released by Paternoster which you will hear about in the interview (on George Swinnock, whom Yuille focused much of his research and writing).

I want to express my appreciation to Dr. Yuille for the generous time he gave me to discuss these issues, and I pray that this interview will be helpful to you in your appreciation of the Gospel, reading of the Puritans, and love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here’s the interview:

Interviews with J.D. Greear and N.T. Wright

My friend Doug Baker has recently started a podcast for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and has already posted three interviews with more to come. One in particular I would like to point your attention to is his interview with J.D. Greear–a young and influential pastor who recently spoke at the Convergent Conference (@ SEBTS) and will be speaking at the upcoming Building Bridges Conference at Ridgecrest. Stay tuned to their podcast for more interviews.

Fellow Said at Southern contributor Trevin Wax has recently interviewed N.T. Wright and will be posted this Monday on Said at Southern. The transcript will also be available on his blog. Trevin said he asked 18 questions, ranging from justification, sola scriptura, critics, etc. Tony Kummer, king of Kummerpolis, has been putting his NASCAR laptop to work with some excellent podcasts this semester. If you haven’t checked out the Said Podcasts, go here.