Reformed Theological Seminary will have numerous speakers at next years TGC National Conference “Coming Home.” I hope that many of you will want to and be able to come join us in Orlando, Florida, April 13-15, 2015. Click here to go to the TGC Conference site: The 2015 Gospel Coalition National Conference. Here’s a quick list of our team who will be there.
Yours truly, Augustus Nicodemus, Nancy Guthrie, Melissa Kruger, Scott Swain, Justin and Lindsey Holcomb, Mike Kruger and James Anderson will all be giving plenary addresses or seminar/workshops. Plus, look for special RTS events and plan to visit our beautiful campus at RTS Orlando.
It will be my joy to give the penultimate plenary of the conference on the topic of “Living in the Hope of Liberation from Bondage” from Romans 8:16–25.
Nancy Guthrie, Kathleen Nielson, Gloria Furman, Melissa Kruger | Ministry Among Women
Nancy Guthrie is a widely respected author and speaker (who is studying at RTS) and Melissa Kruger is the wife of RTS Charlotte President/Professor Mike Kruger, and an outstanding author and speaker in her own right. They, along with my friends Kathleen Nielson and Gloria Furman will address the subject of ministry by women and among women in the body of Christ. What makes for rich and profitable ministry among women in the body of Christ? How can churches and pastors strongly encourage such ministry? How can we be raising up women who know and speak and live the Bible well? We’ll discuss together these important questions concerning ministry among women in the church today.
Scott Swain | Your Eyes Will Behold the King in His Beauty: Exploring a Missing Element in Earthy Evangelical Eschatology
Our outstanding Dean at RTS/Orlando, Dr. Scott Swain, who teaches Systematic Theology there will look at the saints’ aspiration to see God’s glory as a key element of Christian eschatology and ethics. He explains: “In recent years, evangelical preaching has sought to recover a proper biblical emphasis on the “earthy” nature of the new creation. Such preaching rightly instructs us that the ultimate destiny of believers is not heaven, but heaven on earth, that we do not look to escape the body, but that we hope for the resurrection of the body, etc. However, notably absent from this preaching is what both Scripture and tradition regard as the ultimate end and happiness of the saints: the vision of God’s glory. The purpose of this workshop is to gesture toward recovering the meaning and significance of biblical teaching on the vision of God.”
Justin Holcomb, Lindsey Holcomb | Sexual Assault, Domestic Abuse, and the Gospel
Justin Holcomb, who teaches theology at RTS/Orlando will, along with his wife Lindsay, tackle the incredible important and sensitive subjects of sexual assault and domestic abuse. Here’s what they say about it: “In this workshop, we will investigate sexual assault and domestic violence to better understand each issue as well as the prevalence of the issue and effects on victims. We will also focus our attention on how the Gospel offers help, hope, and healing to victims.”
Augustus Nicodemus | Whatever Happened to Evangelicals in Latin America?
Augustus Nicodemus has been Chancellor of Mackenzie Presbyterian University in Sao Paulo, Brazil and has led the Andrew Jumper Center, with which RTS has partnered for three decades. He will be giving a plenary address and is this workshop he will bring us up to speed on what is happening in Central and South America. He says: “There has been a phenomenal growth of evangelicals in Latin America, especially in Brazil. In this workshop, we will discuss this along with the crisis that has come as a result of the abandonment of distinct evangelical and reformed traits. We will also talk about the small hopeful signs of a resurgence of Reformed faith in some historical and Pentecostal denominations.”
Michael Kruger | How Do We Know the Bible is God’s Word? Recovering the Doctrine of a Self-Authenticating Scripture
Dr. Mike Kruger is President and Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at RTS/Charlotte. He is a widely respected scholar on the canon of Scripture and an able defender of biblical inerrancy and authority. In this seminar, he will address the issue of Scripture’s self-authentication. He says: “There are few questions more fundamental to the intellectual integrity of Christianity than the question of how we know whether the Bible is really God’s Word. Many answers have been given to this question, ranging from historical evidences to the testimony of the church. However, often overlooked in such discussions is the answer given by the Reformers themselves: that the Scriptures testify to their own divine origins. This session will explore the forgotten doctrine of a self-authenticating Scripture.”
Ligon Duncan | Systematic Theology for Pastoral Ministry, Christian Thinking and Public Theology: Why We need It, Where To Start
I will also do a seminar myself, defending and commending systematic theology and its necessity and practical usefulness for the church. Once hailed as “the Queen of the Sciences” the very idea of systematic theology has fallen under unjust suspicion and neglect in our time (even in evangelical circles). This workshop will demonstrate the biblical basis of systematic theology, affirm its legitimacy, necessity and importance, and identify some significant ways it serves us in pastoral ministry, Christian thinking and public theology. It will also give recommendations on where to begin in studying this important field.
James Anderson | Worldview Apologetics, Worldview Evangelism
My friend James Anderson, Dean of RTS Global, Professor of Theology and Philosophy at RTS/Charlotte will cover the ground of his award winning book on worldview. He explains: “In this workshop we will consider how Christians can develop a “worldview toolkit” for gospel-centered apologetics.”
Melissa Kruger | Delighting in the Perfect Law that Gives Freedom
Our own Melissa Kruger will also address a critical issue for the Christian life and sanctification. God’s law. She says: “The Ten Commandments set the moral framework for all the other commandments in Scripture. Yet, we live in a society where many cannot name the Ten Commandments, much less understand their role in the life of a Christian. This focus gathering will discuss the benefits of studying the Ten Commandments, the role they serve in the church, and the work of Christ in our hearts that allows a Believer to joyfully proclaim, “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free” (Psalm 119:32).”