College Conference: Who do you say that I am?

Hi All, I changed this post and inserted the article I wrote for our church's newsletter.

Every generation of Christians has a question of Christ’s that they must face. For first century Christians facing persecution it was: “Will you lay down your life for my sake?” (John 13:38) In the 20th century, surrounded by prosperity, the western church was faced with the question: “Do you love me more than these?” (John 21:15) As many denominations today are embracing liberalism and its twin children pluralism and inclusivism, the question that Christ has--not for the world--but for the church is: “Who do you say that I am?” (Mt. 16:15) The exclusivity of the gospel is at stake in the church today!

Ten CGSers from the college group traveled down to Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville to hear a conference addressing just this issue: the person and work of Christ. Dr. Al Mohler, president, gave two key-note addresses showing us how to take a stand for the exclusive claims of the gospel in a relativistic society. A favorite speaker was Dr. Russell Moore, dean of theology at the seminary, who spoke on Christ and engaging pop-culture. He exhorted us that the point of the church is not to offer Christian off-brands of what the culture already has (if you like Boyz 2 Men try DC Talk). Instead, we are to offer something absolutely different through the testimony of the love of a body of believers who have nothing else in common but the Holy Spirit. He declared that evangelism should never be attempted outside the church. Meaning, you have to have a place to bring these people where they can witness the kingdom of God at work as an outpost in this world.

Lucas Weeks enjoyed a session titled: “If Christ loved the church, must I too?” The professor stated that when the Bible commands us to the love the church it is never speaking in general terms of the church “universal” but of a specific body of believers: in other words, real people. Some of us attended a session on seeing Christ in the Old Testament. The professor showed how everything has it’s fulfillment in Christ—for example, all of those meticulous, mystifying regulations show us how we are to be sanctified (literally, set apart) from the culture around us. Michal Bayly appreciated a seminar entitled: “How does Christ save?” where the professor pushed us to realize we must ask the hard questions and make people feel uncomfortable in order for evangelism to take place.

Friday night was interesting: the women’s hotel room was not slightly reminiscent of a sewage problem and so the men graciously traded with us. A male commented on the condition of anonymity: “You would have thought you’d get used to the smell, but it was the first thing I thought of in the morning.” All enjoyed a game of Cranium in the non-fragrant room before retiring for the night.