BibleTech:2009 is a two-day conference designed for publishers, programmers, webmasters, educators, bloggers and anyone interested in using technology to improve Bible study.
Are you looking for ways to pump life into your church website? Do you want to get the most out of your blogging community or social web interface? Maybe you’re more interested in Bible translation software or what’s in store for the next generation of Bible technologies. Wherever your interests lay, be sure to secure your seat at BibleTech:2009, where you’ll learn from the experts!
BibleTech:2009 will consist of fourteen sessions split between March 27 and 28. Each session will give you the option of a high-tech presentation or a low-tech presentation. The high-tech presentations will discuss the latest developments in Bible software platforms and the use of computer-based technologies for Bible translation and Bible study. The low-tech presentations will handle issues of design sensitivity, current trends in Bible technologies, and the integration of the Bible with internet-based communities.
A list of conference speakers is available on the conference website. Get acquainted with the speakers and catch up on their preparations for BibleTech:2009 by checking out their personal blogs. You can also view the official BibleTech:2009 schedule and plan ahead for your BibleTech experience!
There is nothing between the person of the Lord Jesus and the person of the believer as that union and communion develops and grows. . . . The union with Christ we have is not that we somehow or another share His grace. Because—follow me carefully—there actually is no ‘thing’ as grace.
That actually is a Medieval Roman Catholic teaching. There is a ‘thing’ called grace that can be separated from the person of Jesus Christ. It is something Jesus Christ won on the Cross and He can bestow it on you. And there are at least seven ways it can be bestowed on you and they all, as it happens, turn out to be in the hands of the church. And you can have this kind of grace, and this kind of grace, and this kind of grace . . .
There is no such ‘thing’ as grace! Grace is not some appendage to His being. Nor is it some substance that flows from us: ‘Let me give you grace.’ All there is is the Lord Jesus Himself. And so when Jesus speaks about us abiding in Him and He abiding in us—however mysterious it may be, mystical in that sense—it is a personal union.
Do not let us fail because of the abuse of expressions. Do not let us fail to understand that, at the end of the day, actually Christianity is Christ because there isn’t anything else. There is no atonement that somehow can be detached from who the Lord Jesus is. There is no grace that can be attached to you transferred from Him. All there is is Christ and your soul.
Grace is something we often misunderstand. We ask for more grace to fight sin. We sing that “He giveth more” as our burdens grow. This phraseology can lead to an awkward concept of grace.
Like Ferguson so emphatically stated, grace is not a thing that we get, like money or new clothes. Grace is a person, a person who gave Himself to redeem us, buying for us victory over death and hell.
Being in Christ, then, we’re assured that we have more grace than we’ll ever need. Our acceptance before God does not hinge on our performance. By the blood of Christ, our standing is completely objective fact.
We can rest assured in the knowledge that He has given us everything we need—for life, and for godliness. Our goal is not to receive more grace, but to live in the fullness of our union with Christ.
The New Attitude Conference just finished. The topic was spiritual discernment. You can find out more at the official NA Live Blog. Several people were blogging the conference. Here are some of the posts covering the eight main sessions from the conference.
The Gospel Coalition Conference (schedule) is underway at TEDS in Deerfield, IL. You’ll probably want to read the Foundational Documents (RTF | PDF). Several people are blogging the event. Here’s what I’ve come across so far—basically in chronological order.
For those who didn’t attend the recent Shepherd’s Conference and haven’t yet heard the audio of MacArthur’s infamous opening message, “Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist Is a Pre-Millennialist,” you might be interested in this transcript. For those of you who may not be aware, this message created a huge stir among the non-premillennial Reformed folks, which we tracked fairly exhaustively in this post: The 2007 Shepherds’ Conference.
I appreciated the emphasis on the nature of true manliness in Phil Johnson’s session:
Biblically, when we are talking about manliness, we are talking about character. We are not talking about bravado, or boyishness. It’s not about style at all. Going out into the woods and getting in touch with nature has nothing to do with real, biblical manliness. Real manliness is defined by Christlike character.
Al Mohler was scheduled to speak at the recent “Reclaiming America for Christ” conference (March 2–3). When he accepted the invitation, he didn’t realize that the would be speaking alongside a Roman Catholic. After someone brought it to his attention, he quietly withdrew from the conference. Here’s his explanation:
I had no idea that the Catholic priest or Ann Coulter would be on the program. I was asked to speak on the role of the church as a counter-culture, and I gladly agreed.
. . .
Nevertheless, early in December I quietly withdrew from the program. The ad in WORLD was my first clue as to what was afoot
. . .
I agree with the Reformers that the Roman Catholic Church represents the greatest challenge to evangelical theology. . . . I cannot participate in any setting that would confuse the Gospel or the nature of the true Gospel church.
Thus, I withdrew. I did so quietly and without intent to embarrass a friend (who is now recovering from a major heart attack).
Read the whole response and some reflections by Pastor Chris Anderson, to whom the above letter was written.
Mohler’s response evidences a humility and conviction that is commendable.
High quality teaching from other pastors. In many situations, pastors hardly hear anything but their own voice in the pulpit. Now they have opportunity to hear God’s Word through somebody else. Its especially helpful that this is often from an extremely gifted expositor (in the last few years I’ve been privileged to hear the likes of John Piper, Tim Keller, Vaughan Roberts, Dick Lucas, and David Jackman).
Highly applicable teaching for pastors. One of the values of pastor’s conferences is that the expositions are especially targeted toward the needs of pastors. I know of no other setting where the preaching is aimed so specifically to our needy group.
Wonderful fellowship with other pastors. Could this be the best benefit at all? To know we’re not alone. To know that others labour and suffer. And who can quantify the value of ideas shared around the lunch table or encouragement shared from someone who’s ‘been there’?
The 2007 Ligonier National Conference, Contending for the Truth, was held in Orlando last weekend. The goal of the conference was to “equip believers to answer the false claims of postmodernism, naturalism, and our culture’s other atheistic theories.”
The speakers were R. C. Sproul, John MacArthur, Al Mohler, John Piper, and Ravi Zacharias.
Tim Challies was liveblogging the conference. Here are his posts:
Justin Taylor shares news about the upcoming Gospel Coalition Conference.
Several years ago, Don Carson and Tim Keller began rallying like-minded pastors who center their ministries on “the center”—Jesus Christ and him crucified. Fifty pastors—including John Piper, Mark Dever, Phil Ryken, Mark Driscoll, C. J. Mahaney, Ligon Duncan—comprised the initial meeting in Deerfield, Illinois.
They are now hosting a special 400-person-only conference for fellow pastors and laborers on May 23-24, 2007. I’ve been given permission now to post this information onto the blog.
To register, go to the Gospel Coalition registration page. Enter the username gospel and the password coalition. Lodging information is available on the website. Conference registration is $80.
BibleTech:2009 is a two-day conference designed for publishers, programmers, webmasters, educators, bloggers and anyone interested in using technology to improve Bible study.
.
A portion of Sinclair Ferguson’s discussion of John 15 at the 
The 
For those who didn’t attend the recent 
