May 25, 2012 by
SGM Staff
Categories: Conferences
NEXT 2012 | SATURDAY PM | SESSION 1| RECAP
WORSHIP
The first session of the Very Last NEXT Conference was filled with reminders that we do not worship alone. We join the men, women, and children from every age who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ's all-sufficient blood. We gather as they did, to exalt our great God.
Led by Bob Kauflin and the Na Band, we lifted our voices to proclaim God’s greatness, faithfulness, and worthiness in song.
How Great Is Your Faithfulness (by Matt Redman)
Greater Than We Can Imagine (from The Gathering)
Our Song from Age to Age (from From Age to Age)
Behold Our God (from Risen)
Name Above All Names (From Risen)
In Christ Alone (by Keith & Kristyn Getty)
C.J. Mahaney welcomed the attendees: “It is my privilege to welcome you to Next and to communicate to you our deep gratefulness that you would come. We are humbled that you are here. We are grateful that you made this a priority.”
We welcomed internationals, first-time attendees, those who attended NEXT in all four locations (Orlando, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Louisville), those who attended every single NEXT/New Attitude conference, and pastors - “These are the men we respect the most. These are the men we encourage you to esteem most highly. Those who are your pastors. We who lead this conference reap because of what they’ve sowed.”
“There’s one neat element that won’t be a part of this conference will be creativity. I’m not particularly creative and I’m old. But the most important elements remain:
- Preaching – in and through preaching, God Himself addresses us. There is nothing more important that is happening here than the preaching.
- Worship – we will address God by singing theologically informed, Gospel-centered songs.
- Fellowship – we will address and seek to edify each other with the Gospel.
The theme of this conference has been carefully and intentionally chosen because:
- The church is central in Scripture
- This is where it all began. Loooong ago in a galaxy far, far away. The year was 1977. After our conversion a few of us were captured by a vision of the local church that emerged from reading Acts and Hebrews. And from that year on our lives were never the same. We want to transfer that passion for the church to you so that you will take it with you into a future that I won’t see. It’s not about transferring a passion for Sovereign Grace Churches. It’s never been about that. It’s about transferring a passion for the Church."
BOOK REVIEW
Nathan Sasser recommended everyone get Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation by Herman Bavinck.
“This book is meaty. Write down the title and author and at sometime in your life when you feel like you’re getting tired of milk in your diet and want some meat, you’ll know where to go. This is the filet mignon of the theological menu. The title of this book is Reformed Dogmatics. …You can’t get much more unappealing than that. I vote we rename it The Symphony of the Saving Acts of God in Jesus Christ. This is your encyclopedia of the saving acts of God in Christ.”
MESSAGE | Jeff Purswell: “The Church and the Purpose of God”
“Google Earth takes what is familiar and transforms your perspective on it. I don’t just live in a house on a street. I occupy a particular place on a planet. I pray that tonight we will have a theological Google Earth moment; a perspective broadening exercise on the church.”
What is God’s perspective on your church? Where does He locate it in terms of His plans and purposes?
God’s eternal purpose is to dwell among a people He has made His own.
“In our world we are wired to focus on the superficial and temporal, but your church is more glorious, more precious, and more important than you think.”
Five images in the storyline of the Bible that each unveil a new dimension of God’s purpose for His people:
Image #1: A Garden
“The Bible in its structure tells the progressive story of God’s initiatives toward and interactions with His creation (in general) and His people (in particular).”
Safety – think of a lush, enclosed park.
Provision – God gave them plentiful food.
Relational Harmony – a one-flesh relationship of the most intimate kind.
Divine Companionship – this is the most important aspect. This is a sanctuary, a sacred place.
This is not just a garden. It’s a garden temple. The place where God and man meet.
“What does it tell us? Here in the foundational stage of redemptive history, we see a picture for God’s very purpose for mankind: unhindered, unshielded fellowship with God in a perfect, unspoiled environment. God present with His people. That’s the purpose of Creation. This is not a children’s story. This is what we were made for. You were not made for fame or popularity; you were made for God!”
“The Bible is not man’s search for God. The Bible is about God’s pursuit of man.”
Then, the harmony of Eden is shattered by the fall of man. When you get to Genesis 3 in your Bible reading, don’t yawn. You should be weeping. This was the purpose of Creation devastated.
But God reveals Himself to a moon-worshipping Mesopotamian named Abram. He promises a people will come from him. This people is forged into a nation to represent the people that God dwells with.
Image #2: A Dwelling
“And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst.”
In addition to God’s law, Israel is promised God’s presence. This people will be marked not by a flag or national anthem but by God’s presence.
Israel builds a temple for God where He takes up residence in their very midst. It’s incredible. Never before did God live with His people.
“God is in their midst, but it is certainly not Eden. Access to God’s presence is not open to everyone. A holy God cannot dwell among a sinful people. There can be no temple without some provision for sin. So, God grants them the sacrificial system and animals are sacrificed over and over again because God’s people sin against Him over and over again. The people were familiar with the squealing of animal after animal as they were killed because of their sins. This repetition of sacrifice branded into the Israelites that even though they were God’s people they were in need of a mediator. They knew that for us to be with God, death has to take place. The shadow of Eden hangs over these dwellings. In the temple, God is near, but He is also transcendent.”
The story moves on. Soon after the glorious dedication of the temple by Solomon, seeds are sown for the nation’s destruction by Israel’s sin. And the very place of God’s dwelling is destroyed. The people of God are then vomited out of the land that was to be the dwelling place of God among man. They are exiled and taken into dirty pagan lands.
But it’s not over. Through the prophets God kindles sparks of hope:
“I will forgive you”
“Though your sins be like scarlet they shall be white as snow”
“Behold I am going to send my messenger. He will prepare the way before me and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come into His temple.”
Image #3: A Person
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14
The word “dwelt” literally means “tabernacled”. He set up a tent among us. God was once again dwelling with man.
At Jesus’ death, the rending of His flesh and spilling of His blood, the veil of the temple was torn in two and the access into God’s presence that was once shielded is now open, through the flesh and blood of this sacrifice.
Never before has God dwelt with His people more authentically, powerfully, or personally than in Jesus Christ.
Image #4: A People
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:13-16
The Holy Spirit came, united us with Christ, and became the divine sanctuary where God’s presence dwells. God no longer dwells in a sanctuary built by His people, He dwells in His people.
“I will make my dwelling among them. I will be their God and they shall be my people.” 2 corinthians 6
“Corporately, the Christian community is the new divine sanctuary, the place where the living God most fully expresses His presence.” – Murray J. Harris
The church is that created entity which is nearest and dearest to God’s heart.
Being God’s people means something. Being God’s people demands separation from all that is unholy.
Holiness in the church is the standard because it is here that God’s holiness dwells. Your church, the very dwelling place of God on earth, with all our sin, weakness, and mistakes, is where God dwells.
Our existence as the people of God is pointing to something coming.
Image #5: A City
Here is the climax of everything that preceded it.
“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” Revelation 21:22-23 ESV
“There’s a surprise at the end of the book. In the wake of the destruction of Israel, their hope was in a new temple. Salvation keeps unfolding and we get to the end of the Bible and what do we find? No temple. Why? Because the Lord God the Almighty is the temple. His immediate presence fills the city. The measure of the city is a cube. There’s only one other cube in the Bible—the Holy of Holies. The entire city will be the dwelling place of God. And there are no walls in the city because all people will have access to the immediacy and intensity of God like never before, an ever-increasing, ever-intensifying experience of God. And there is no altar in the city because the Lamb who was slain is at the center being worshipped.”
Mankind returns to paradise: face to face fellowship with God.
“Here is the astonishing truth: For the church of God, redeemed by Jesus Christ, this is a reality now. Through the cross God has demolished the impenetrable barrier between Him and ourselves. Through the Holy Spirit God has come and taken residence with us now. Here is your church: the place on earth where the living God most fully makes known His presence.
If you treasure God you will treasure the church, for that is where God uniquely dwells.
If you hunger for God, you will hunger for the church for that is where He makes Himself known.
If you love God, you will love the church for she is made of the ones for whom Christ died.
If you long for heaven, you’ll long for the church because that’s where we get a taste, in part, of what we will experience in fullness forever.”
My prayer for us is that this truth will invade every area of our lives.
CLOSING SONG
Come Praise and Glorify (from The Gathering)
C.J. closed the night with a word to unbelievers:
“This conference exists not only to edify Christians, but to evangelize as well. And it would be unwise for me to assume, given the size of this conference, that there are not a number here tonight who are still enemies of God. Oh, we pray that this conference will date the conversions of many.”
May 24, 2012 by
C.J. Mahaney
Categories: Pastors College
On Sunday, June 10, the Sovereign Grace Pastors College will graduate its fourteenth class. After nearly a decade and a half of training hundreds of pastors, the Pastors College is sending out these 23 graduates for gospel ministry in the United States and five other countries. They have invested in their families, their studies, and each other this past year, and eagerly desire to return and serve once again in a local church. I am deeply grateful for the support and sacrifices made by each of the wives and children, without which this year simply couldn't have been possible.
To give you a glimpse into their Pastors College experience, we recorded some of their responses from a recent Q&A. I thought you’d be encouraged by their answers.
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What surprised you most about your Pastors College experience?
“The unity in the class has been a surprise and a delight. In a room full of 23 leader-men, it is amazing that this group cares for one another and functions in unity the way they do. It has been a blessing to be a part of this class, and I trust that the relationships will continue to thrive long after this year is over.” —Keith Bunting
“I was honestly surprised at the amount of personal growth I experienced in my marriage. I believe the integration between the classroom and the day-to-day interactions we had as a class was a major catalyst for that change. As students and brothers we were able to make connections more readily between the classes we had and our personal lives (marriages, parenting, personal devotion).” —Matthew Wireman
“I was surprised by how much can be crammed into ten months. The workload was heavier than I anticipated, but so was the quality of instruction.” —Dave Odom
Which class did you benefit from the most? How so?
“There were so many great classes and so many great professors. I'd be lying, however, if I didn't say that every class taught by Jeff Purswell was lights-out. The content we received from him was incredible, but his heart and example were what left the biggest impact on me. He made every topic and every fact applicable to us at a heart level because every topic and every fact affects him at a heart level. His constant willingness to spend extended time in specific prayer with us has marked me.” —Joshua Anderson
“This is a very difficult question. Of all the classes, I'd say that our Biblical Theology class opened my eyes the most to the glories of Scripture. And I think they strategically taught it toward the beginning because it has served as a paradigm through which to interpret all our other classes.” —Zach Varnell
“Evangelism. This has been a category in which I have always been aware of my need for growth. Jim Donohue brought us a practical, theological motive that fueled my faith to pursue evangelism as a lifestyle. I am eager to step into my future ministry and make this a major part of my personal life and the life of my family as well as think evangelistically in my ministry.” —Keith Bunting
Describe what you hope the effect of the Pastors College will be on your future pastoral ministry.
“The Pastor's College has ignited a desire to continue to study and learn for the rest of my life. These would have been pursuits for me before, but wouldn't have necessarily been as high on my priority list as they should have been. I can't wait to come back and take classes in the Pastors College in the years to come as well as further my understanding and training through personal study.” —Josh Murphy
“I pray that the effect of these past ten months will result in me being a pastor who faithfully, compassionately and courageously brings God’s word to my congregation.” – Jeff Boettcher
"’Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.’ (1 Tim 4:16) Hoping that this year gives form and content to follow these words.” —Jason Russell
What is the most important thing you will take with you from the Pastors College and into your future pastoral ministry?
“Confidence in the word of God, and not my own gifting, to be the transformative power in people’s lives.” —Jeff Boettcher
“That Christ is a wonderful and all-sufficient Savior and that his word is powerfully able to make us wise for salvation in him. Also my classmates have taught me so much through their example about the necessity and the privilege of taking all our needs to God in prayer—wherever we are and whatever we're busy with.” —Matt Chapman
“I had the blessing of attending seminary before coming to Pastors College. The reiteration to be a life-long learner has been indelibly stamped on my life as a result of this year. Being able to see the intersection of theology and praxis strengthened my love for God's Word and his people. Knowing that I can email or chat with one of my brothers if issues or questions come up is a real boon for my future ministry. I know that my arms are locked with others and that they care for me and God's people and will drop whatever they are doing to help me.” —Matthew Wireman
We have so much to give thanks to God for in this year’s Pastors College Class. Knowing that these men have been trained by Jeff Purswell, Gary Ricucci, Nathan Sasser, the many teachers, and exceptional staff; to return to the local church and serve brings me great joy. In the days ahead, please join me in praying that God would richly bless these men, their families, and their churches.
May 24, 2012 by
SGM Staff
Categories: Church planting | Music
Bob Kauflin, Director of Sovereign Grace Music, shares a few thoughts related to the move.
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In a little under two weeks my family and I will be moving to Louisville, KY.
After thirty years of being in Gaithersburg, MD, Sovereign Grace Ministries, the family of churches that I serve, is relocating its offices. I’ve been here since 1997, so it’s understandably a bittersweet departure. But I’m filled with faith for what God has planned for the future.
The Lord has been kind to us in Gaithersburg. We’ve been able to co-labor with Covenant Life Church to put on conferences of all types (including WorshipGod), host the Sovereign Grace Pastors College, and serve other Sovereign Grace churches in our region. For ten of the past thirty years we’ve shared a facility with Covenant Life. I have countless memories of rich relationships, encounters with God, and fruitful ministry here. And many dear friends.
But a potential move has been on the radar for a while now and numerous factors have moved it to the forefront of discussion. The high cost-of-living in the DC suburbs has affected not only our staff, but the 15-20 men who move with their families to be trained in our Pastors College each year. In light of the economic downturn, decreased giving, and wanting to steward our resources wisely, it made sense to consider a less expensive location like Louisville. But Louisville has more to offer than low cost living. It’s home to Southern Seminary. Being close to Southern will enable us to beef up our academic offerings for the Pastors College and possibly offer credits toward a Masters degree. Add in the more central location and the thoughts I list below, and Louisville makes even more sense. (You can read more about the reasons for relocating here).
But relocating our offices isn’t the only reason I’m moving. I’m also going on a church plant. In fact, one of the aspects I’m most excited about is starting a church, led by C.J. Mahaney, along with a group of people I know, love, and respect.
Planting a church at 57 is a little daunting (can you say crazy?), especially since the last time I did this was 21 years ago. But as I’ve thought and prayed about the benefits of this move, my faith has only grown. Here are some things I’m looking forward to:
1. Ministry in and from the church: Sovereign Grace Music is songsfrom the church for the church. For a while now, my role has been more Sovereign Grace, less day-to-day local church ministry (thanks to Ken Boer, who assumed my position at Covenant Life about six years ago). I’d like to once again be leading as an elder in a church while also serving as the musical theologian/director for Sovereign Grace Music. Participating in a church plant will bring those two worlds together again.
2. Pastoring: I pastored for 12 years before becoming Director of Sovereign Grace Music in 1997. While I remained part of a pastoral team for ten years after that, I was rarely involved in pastoring people in the church in an ongoing way, other than on Sunday mornings. Participating in a church plant will put me back in the place of doing what God has placed deep in my heart – caring for his people.
3. Co-laboring with CJ: Apart from books I’ve read, my primary mentor through the years has been CJ Mahaney. Even though he makes no claim to being a musician, he gets what’s supposed to be happening when we worship God in song. The idea of being able to serve with CJ in a new church is very appealing, as it will give me more hands on experiences to draw and learn from.
4. Long-Term Training: One of my primary goals in recent years has been to focus more intentionally on the training of worship leaders, songwriters, musicians, and studio personnel. I’ve run an intern program the past two years with Ken Boer and it’s been very fruitful. But I’d like to increase the number of people we can serve and mentor, both inside and outside Sovereign Grace. Louisville would provide a low cost environment to make that happen. On the studio side, I’m grateful thatSteve Cook will be moving with his family to Kentucky, and will oversee our album production from Louisville.
5. Boyce College/Southern Seminary: At the invitation of my dear friend, Chip Stam (now with the Lord), I participated in the Institute of Christian Worship at Southern Seminary for a number of years. Southern is now in the process of retooling their worship program and making some great changes. Being in Louisville will enable me not only to engage with the college and seminary more consistently, but could also provide interns in the future. The folks at Southern have already been incredibly welcoming.
6. Nashville: Louisville is 3 hours from Nashville, which brings a large and influential musical population much closer. We have great friends in Nashville, including Sal Oliveri, Keith & Kristyn Getty, and others. I think good fruit could come from hanging out there a little more often.
7. Sojourn Music: I’ve appreciated my friendship with Mike Cosper, worship pastor for Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, for a while now. Our musical styles and approaches are different (I’m much hipper), but our biblical and gospel foundations are the same. It will be a joy to benefit more consistently from the Sojourn Music and the Sojourn church network, as well as other gospel preaching churches in Louisville.
8. Fresh opportunities for faith. If you had asked me five years ago where I’d be in 2012, my answer wouldn’t have included Louisville. But in the wisdom and sovereignty of God, whose purposes can’t be thwarted (Job 42:2), that’s where we’re heading. I have no doubt my faith will be stretched, and that God will prove sufficient for every task and challenge. I’m grateful that I take with me countless memories of dear friends here in Maryland and expectations of making many more in Kentucky.
I’d appreciate your prayers for the following:
1. that my family, and all the other familes that are relocating, would experience peace, faith, and joy in the transition process
2. that the church plant would quickly be known as a gospel preaching, gospel singing, gospel living, gospel sharing community of believers
3. that we would develop meaningful and fruitful relationships with other gospel-proclaiming churches in Louisville
4. that God would enable us not only to train musicians and leaders for our church, but for other churches and future church plants
5. that this move would enable Sovereign Grace Music to produce Christ-exalting songs and training for the local church more effectively
May 21, 2012 by
SGM Staff
Categories: Conferences | Resources
This past month, Lakeview Christian Center in New Orleans, Louisiana hosted a Marriage Conference with Gary and Betsy Ricucci, authors of Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace. At the invitation of Keith Collins, Gary and Betsy team-taught three sessions on effective communication and fellowship in marriage, conflict resolution, and romance.
The two-day event featured New Orleans-style meals at the church to allow for unhurried fellowship and application of the teaching and to give couples time to talk and pray together. Gary and Betsy returned home with a wonderful report of the grace of God evident at Lakeview Christian Center:
This extraordinary church endured horrific devastation, suffering, and loss as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. However, one is quickly struck by the fact that these wonderful people do not define themselves as victims or by what happened to them. Under the gracious and courageous leadership of Keith Collins, Peter Davidson, Jeff Ehrhardt, and Pete Shefferstein, their constant chorus is of God’s mercy, God’s sovereignty, God’s goodness, and God’s grace through Jesus Christ! When they do rehearse the particulars of friends that couldn’t return to their homes, or cherished possessions gone, or of their building totally ruined, it was always followed by a humble note of worship that trusted in God’s ultimate purpose and plan. We spent three days refreshed by the joy, gratefulness, servanthood, and hospitality (especially of Bill & Nancy Treeby!), of this exceptional church.
The Marriage Conference was sheer delight (certainly in part because Betsy and I taught together)! Dinner was provided on Friday, and breakfast and lunch were provided on Saturday, so everyone could stay together and enjoy fellowship with one another. These folks were so eager and receptive. From the strongest to the neediest of marriages there was an atmosphere of hope and anticipation for God’s goodness and transforming grace to help every marriage to become increasingly like Christ and the Church.
On Sunday I spoke from 1 Corinthians 14:1 (ESV), "Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy." The morning was spent in celebration and commendation! The activity of the Holy Spirit in their midst, and their attentive responsiveness was palpable. God met us with prophetic ministry during and after the meeting in very personal and profound ways. The diversity of serving-- people simply loving their brothers and sisters by doing what they love to do--was everywhere. It was so encouraging to see people freshly aware that so much of what seems so joyfully natural, really is, by God’s grace, supernatural!
That being said, the love and grace are by no means confined to their membership. This is a church that really has an exuberant passion to be salt and light in this community.
We are so deeply grateful to have finally met and spent time with our brothers and sisters at Lakeview, and to further savor God’s wonderful work in and through Sovereign Grace Ministries.
We thank God for the evident grace at Lakeview Christian Center. And we thank God for the investment the Ricucci's made through teaching at this Marriage Conference. Audio and notes from Gary and Betsy's sessions are now available for download.
May 16, 2012 by
SGM Staff
Categories: Music
We want you to be aware of a few ways you can partner with us in praying for Bob Kauflin, our director of worship development, and Steve Cook, our music producer, in their work on some new projects with Sovereign Grace Music.
Last week, they recorded tracks for a second Spanish album which will be a combination of original and translated songs. In addition to using talented musicians from our churches, two members from the band Enfield (Dave Zimmer on drums and Ryan Foglesong on bass) are playing on the album. Recording of overdubs and lead vocals started this week. Please pray for the recording process as well as health and strength for the vocalists and musicians.
Also, please pray for Steve Cook as he finishes mixing the live album recorded at the Together for the Gospel conference. The album will feature the voices of 8,000 joined in worshiping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, singing ancient and modern hymns.
Both of these albums are scheduled to be out before September, and we look forward to sharing more details on each one when it is released.
May 8, 2012 by
SGM Staff
Categories: Conferences
Last week, Nathan Sasser, one of the speakers at The Clash in July, shared his answer to the question "what is a worldview?" Here are Nathan's thoughts on the difference between a Christian worldview and a non-Christian worldview.
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In my last post, I said that your worldview is the entire structure of your beliefs, a structure that rests on your ultimate foundational beliefs and supports your ordinary, everyday beliefs. As examples of ordinary, everyday beliefs, I mentioned my beliefs about (a) how to get to Smoothie King, (b) who’s going to win the election, (c) whether that guy over there is Bruce Springsteen.
Then I claimed that ultimately there are only two kinds of worldviews: the Christian worldview, which is founded on the self-revelation of the God of Scripture, and the non-Christian worldview, which is founded on anything else.
Here is a picture of a Christian worldview with God as its foundation:
The alternative to a Christian worldview is a worldview founded upon anything other than the self-revelation of the God of Scripture. Even Christians can have alternative worldviews, because true believers in Christ do not always make revelation the foundation of their worldview. Such people are genuine believers, but they don’t have a fully and consistently Christian worldview, as this picture illustrates:
The first worldview is founded on the self-revelation of the Creator. The second worldview includes a belief in the Creator, but it is ultimately founded on the human mind’s independent, autonomous ability to find out about everything.
Here’s why the difference between these two worldviews is so important. If someone asks you whether Christianity is true, how do you answer? If your worldview is ultimately based on the ability of humans to discover truth about the world without revelation, then you have to try to show how, for example, sense perceptions and science and logic all prove that Christianity is true.
But then, if someone asks you how you know that your own mind is trustworthy and able to discover the truth about the world, you will just say, “that’s the most foundational belief I have. Unless I assume that my own sense perceptions and logical capacities and scientific methods are reliable, then I have no basis for believing anything.”
However, if your worldview is ultimately based on God’s revelation in Scripture of who he is, what his world is like, and what he has done for the salvation of the world through Jesus Christ, then you will answer differently. You will say, “my Christian beliefs are the most foundational beliefs I have. Unless I assume that Christianity is true, I have no basis for believing anything.”
On the other hand, if someone asks you why you think your own mind is trustworthy and able to discover truth about the world, you will say, “God created the world, and he created people in his own image with the ability to learn truth—if only they will think about the world in obedience to his word. Sin has corrupted our minds so they’re not obedient or trustworthy. That’s why we need the gospel—so that our minds can be renewed in the image of their Creator (Col. 3:10).”
So the big worldview question is this: who do you ultimately trust? God or yourself?
Check out The Clash on Facebook and Twitter to get updates about the conference, or register to reserve your spot.
May 4, 2012 by
SGM Staff
Categories: Conferences
Nathan Sasser is one of the speakers at our upcoming worldview conference, The Clash, and to give you a little preview of the conference, Nathan has agreed to share some of his thoughts on worldview. Here's what Nathan has to say in response to the question "what is a worldview?"
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People disagree about ordinary beliefs all the time: what’s the shortest way to the Smoothie King? Who will win the World Series or some political election? Is that guy in the airport terminal Bruce Springsteen?
When you want to defend your answer to questions like this, you tell people the other beliefs upon which you base your answer. So for example, you might say, “I know this is the shortest way because Google Maps says so.” Or, “I’ve tried both ways and this way took me longer.” Or you might say, “I think the incumbent will win the election because Americans tend to vote for the incumbent.” Or, “I know that’s the Boss because he exactly matches my memory of Springsteen.”
We can keep on asking these “why” questions: why do you trust your memory of Springsteen? Why do you think that Americans will follow the same voting patterns this year as they have in the past? How do you know that the shape of the earth didn’t change since the last time you clocked your route to the Smoothie King? If we keep on pushing the “why do you believe that?” questions further and further back, we eventually reach our most foundational beliefs, the beliefs on which we base all of our other beliefs.
Your worldview is the entire structure of your beliefs, a structure that rests on your ultimate foundational beliefs and supports your ordinary, everyday beliefs. This makes your worldview like a “house” or “pyramid” of knowledge.
If you think about this a little bit, it is probably obvious to you that not everyone has the same foundational beliefs about the world. In fact, if you think about it a little bit more, it may seem like there is an infinite number of foundational beliefs, and that might explain why there are so many different kinds of worldviews.
Some people aren’t sure whether they have any foundational beliefs at all. They are doubtful about all sorts of fundamental claims: is there really such a thing as right and wrong? Am I living in a dream? Isn’t everyone’s perspective biased?
But even the most skeptical among us don’t have a lot of doubts about what will happen if they jump off a bridge, or whether 1+1=2. What this shows is that everybody has some foundational beliefs that they don’t question, even if they’re simple ones like the belief in gravity or arithmetic.
My claim is that there are ultimately two kinds of worldviews: those based on the self-revelation of the God of Scripture, and those based ultimately on anything else—anything created. This changes not just how you think about your spiritual life, but how you think about gravity, math, the sun rising tomorrow, and whether or not you’re living in a dream.
If you want to find out more about the conference, visit The Clash's page on our website and start following The Clash on Facebook and Twitter.
May 1, 2012 by
SGM Staff
Categories: Conferences
Calling all 17–23-year-olds!
We’d like to invite you to The Clash, a 6-day conference that will explore what it means to develop a Christian worldview that impacts all of life.
The reason that worldview is so important is that there’s a clash going on in the world right now between rival worldviews. It starts in your heart and extends to the ends of the universe. If this clash between worldviews isn’t something you’ve experienced already, you are sure to experience it soon as a young adult in college or in the workplace.
The Clash is designed to equip you with a worldview that will allow you to worship and bear witness to Christ in every sphere of life and learning. If you choose to attend, we hope you leave with an increased understanding of what a Biblical worldview is and how it functions.
Registration for The Clash is now open to all young adults ages 17–23. The speakers joining us at The Clash are:
Wayne Grudem is Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary. He served on the committee overseeing the ESV translation of the Bible and was the general editor of the ESV Study Bible.
David Powlison is a faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation. He has written numerous articles on biblical counseling and on the relationship between faith and psychology.
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Iain Duguid is Professor of Old Testament at Grove City College. He has planted numerous churches, most recently Christ Presbyterian Church in Grove City, Pennsylvania.
Jeff Purswell is the Dean of the Sovereign Grace Ministries Pastors College and the editor of Bible Doctrine, an abridgment of Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology.
Nathan Sasser holds bachelor's degrees and an M.Div and is a PhD student in philosophy at the University of South Carolina. He also serves as Jeff Purswell's teaching assistant at the Pastors College.
The Clash will be held at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. Sessions, rooms, and meals will all be on site and included in the registration cost.
To learn more and to register, visit The Clash's page on our website. And start following The Clash on Facebook and Twitter to get video updates, worldview quotes, and more.
April 30, 2012 by
SGM Staff
Categories: General
As I noted in a post a few weeks ago, we have seated a sub-committee of pastors to begin the process of developing a comprehensive polity for Sovereign Grace Ministries and our member churches. This word, “polity,” has been kicked around a lot in our circles recently, sometimes without definition.
“Polity” is simply the stated rules of how an organization governs itself. For our ministry, we want our polity to grow out of a robust doctrine of the church but also to be useful and practical, creating mutual understandings of how we work together in those areas where Scripture is silent or lacking in detail.
The Board appointed seven men to the committee; you can find their names in the document linked below that was sent to all our pastors last week. You’ll also find in this document a description of the process the committee will engage and some parameters for their proposal, including some initial questions for them to address. One interesting part of the process is the Committee’s invitation to all Sovereign Grace pastors to present position papers to the Committee for their consideration before they write their proposal for the Board.
Please pray for the men on the committee and for their work. We in Sovereign Grace have enormous agreement on so much, but this is one area of our life together that must be defined. Please pray that what results from their work will further our unity as a family of churches as together we endeavor to plant and build churches together by the grace of God.
John Loftness
Chairman
Download the Letter to SGM Pastors Concerning Polity
April 26, 2012 by
SGM Staff
Categories: Conferences
The Gospel Coalition is hosting a National Women's Conference in Orlando, Florida from June 22–24. The conference, with its theme "Here Is Our God," will seek to help attendees fix their eyes on Christ with the goal of seeing him more clearly and serving him more effectively. Main sessions will focus on Scripture passages in which God reveals himself to his people, and workshops will discuss women living out their faith.
In addition to main sessions and workshops from many renowned speakers, Carolyn Mahaney will be speaking from John 21:15–22 at a workshop entitled "The Snare of Compare." The conference website describes her topic:
We'll consider the risen Lord's dramatic confrontation with Peter, in which Peter is called to face a future he would not choose but cannot change. Peter's first instinct is to compare—to look to those around him rather than to his Lord. How do we respond to challenges we don't want but can't change? The human temptation is to measure our lot against that of others. How can we turn this temptation to compare ourselves with others into a heart of gospel ministry to others? Jesus' challenging words to Peter can point the way.
For more information about main sessions, other workshops, and registration, visit The Gospel Coalition's website.