Understanding Complementarianism With Yarborough & Carson

Don Carson and Bob Yarborough were the guest speakers at the 2012 EFCA Theology Conference, and they tackled the very incendiary subject of gender.

Matt Smethurst writes on The Gospel Coalition website:

Our Lord and his inspired apostles were culturally situated, yes, but they weren’t culturally bound. Many assume that cultural rootedness automatically amounts to cultural relativity; the two, however, are simply not the same.

Followers of King Jesus must remain finally tethered “not to a political conviction or to social habit or to hermeneutical whimsy, but to divine mandate.” And for those who embrace the King’s word as their supreme authority, the divine mandate is clear. In these talks, Carson and Yarbrough have offered careful reflection on a contentious and critical issue.

The TGC site links are not working as of October 2014.  Perhaps they will be corrected at some point.

Understanding Complementarianism >>>

A secondary site to find the audio links is at the Caffeinated Thoughts blog >>>

Father Hunger: Doug Wilson

Doug Wilson’s latest book ‘Father Hunger‘ has recently been released. Posted on the Father Hunger website are 7 sermons that cover the basis of the book. Wilson is not only an excellent expositor of Scripture, he is a great teacher who has a gift in writing.

Richard Phillips says of the book:

“Wilson sounds a clarion call among Christian men that is pointedly biblical, urgently relevant, humorously accessible, and practically wise”

Father Hunger audio >>>

Walking the Old Paths, Albert Martin

Emmanuel Baptist Church of Coconut Creek, Florida invited Albert Martin to speak at their 2010 Men’s Conference. His subject, Walking the Old Paths.

Walking the Old Paths >>>

Richard Phillips: The Masculine Mandate

Richard Phillips discusses his excellent new book The Masculine Mandate with the team at Christ the Center. Phillips was motivated to write this book after reading Wild at Heart, the horrid, yet popular book by John Eldredge.  Phillips observes that Eldredge got the primary text for men right, but took a wild interpretation that isn’t at all biblical.

Phillips identifies masculinity as being both working and keeping (nurturing), which emerge from the responsibilities he had in the garden of Eden.  It’s not common to consider man as a nurturer, but that is a major part of what it means to be a man.

Phillips also suggests that many men are consumed with “man idols” that appear to be masculine, but need to be put in their place because they hinder the true responsibilities of men.  He suggests many young men need to be admonished to grow up, put away their video games and begin to behave responsibility, and prepare themselves for marriage.

One of the most insightful comments was that the feminism movement in the church has largely been fueled by the movement of masculine abdication. Men have forgotten what it means to be a man in the church, and in the home, and women have responded with feminism.

This discussion is very invigorating, and at the end you will want to have this book ordered, as I did.

The Masculine Mandate >>>

Bruce Ware: Big Truth for Young Hearts

Al Mohler invites Bruce Ware onto his radio program.  Ware has written a book that encourages and guides parents in teaching their children systematic theology, called Big Truth for Young Hearts.  Mohler and Ware have a very enlightening conversation about Ware’s conviction and practice of teaching children systematic theology.  Al observes this is one of those books that is unusual in the market, and when you see it you can’t believe there aren’t more like it.  Mohler and Ware talk about the need for adults to give more credit to the ability of children to learn challenging theological concepts rather than watering them down to moralities.

Big Truth for Young Hearts >>>

The Eclipse of Manhood

Al Mohler addresses the eclipse of manhood that we see today on his radio show.  Mohler asks the question, what should we be telling young men today?  What do we believe about manhood? Very important subject that we all should be thinking about.

The Eclipse of Manhood >>>

Raising the Bar: Biblical Manhood Summit

First Baptist Church in Killen, Alabama hosted Paul Washer for a summit to speak to the men.  Washer challenges men not with the challenges the world or the common challenges that most men’s conferences do.  Washer challenges men to do what the plain reading of Scripture says.

Men need to get their jobs and ministries in sync with a true belief in God’s sovereignty.  This means we don’t sacrifice our wives or children on the altar of career or ministry.  To do so is a denial of God’s sovereignty over your life.

Men are called to serve and sacrifice.  Do you care for your wife?  Do you sacrifice for her good?  Do you truly love her without condition?  Are you washing her with the Word.  Washer says, “If you’ve been married for 10 years and your wife is not any more presentable to you than she was in the first year of your marriage, you are to blame.”  Husbands must be ministering the Word of God to their wives and children, not using Scripture to prop you up as a privileged officer.

Washer also suggests that Christian dating organizations are not God’s will, because God’s will is not that you find someone who is compatible.  Very often the wife God has for you is far from compatible.  Because God’s goal for your life is Christ-likeness, not compatibility in marriage.

Paul also looks at men as fathers, and considers how our society is loosing our children because we are more concerned about socializing them with other children their age while we completely neglect having them around us while we are with other adults.  Children need to be around adults.

This is a very challenging and much needed series of 3 addresses to men.  I highly recommend them.

Paul Washer is the founder of Heart Cry Missionary Society.

Raising the Bar Session 1 mp3>>>

Raising the Bar Session 2 mp3 >>>

Raising the Bar Session 3 mp3>>>

Raising Boys to be Men

Al Mohler interviews Col. Shane Blanton, the president of a Christian boys school.  While most of the conversation surrounds this school that Blanton oversees, Mohler discusses some of the current challenges parents face with raising boys.

Raising Boys to be Men page >>>

Parenting Conference with William Mackenzie and Sinclair Ferguson

Children are not the future of the church, as the popular expression goes.  Children are of the present church.

William Mackenzie, director of Christian Focus Publications, joins his wife Carine and Sinclair Ferguson in participating in a parenting conference presented at Ferguson’s church. Mackenzie  presents a number of messages about the importance of investing spiritually in our children.  He begins by presenting the case of how the world is targeting Christian children with atheism, and specifically attempting to turn children away from the Bible.  He does so by quoting Richard Dawkins and popular children’s book author Phillip Pullman, both atheists who believe teaching children Christianity is a form of child abuse.

Mackenzie spends an entire message discussing the importance of family worship, and he carefully relates the practice of family worship that he grew up with.  This is a valuable insight into a rare Christian home that looked like a mini church.

Mackenzie’s wife Carine, an author of a great many children’s books, and Sinclair Ferguson also each presented a single message.  William carried the bulk of speaking at this conference.

This is a great conference, filled with information and exhortation that will challenge you to consider the Godly heritage of children in a sadly unfamiliar light.

William Mackenzie is director of Christian Focus Publications, which also carries the wonderful imprints of Mentor and Christian Heritage. He and his wife Carrie, an author, join Sinclair Ferguson at First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina.

First Presbyterian Church Parenting Conference page >>>

Men’s Fall Conference: Rick Holland

Rick Holland, the mastermind behind the Resolved Conference, delivered 4 messages for the 2008 Men’s Conference at Grace Community Church of Huntsville, Alabama.

Rick considers the qualities of godly manhood.  First he looks at the importance of sexual purity, which is an area a lot of men and Christian leaders fail.  Second he looks at humility, which is one quality which God says catches his eye.  Do you want to catch God’s eye — pursue humility and a trembling at God’s Word. Thirdly, Rick considers the qualifications of elders listed in the book of Titus.  The Q&A session was helpful and lively on a wide variety of questions submitted by the audience. 

Men Who are Pure
Men Who are Humble
Men Who are Leaders
Questions & Answers

2008 Men’s Fall Conference >>>