Philadelphia Conferance on Reformed Theology

[Chris Connally]

I attended my very first Presbyterian function on Tuesday. It was at Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC. The senior pastor there is Richard Phillips. The Lord willing I, along with my wife, will be attending the conference April 17-19 and am looking forward to it very much. The scheduled speakers are Jerry Bridges, Steve Lawson, Richard Phillips, and Derek Thomas. This conference is a ministry of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. Anyone had any experience with these conferences in the past?

Chris Connally
Romans 8:28

 

[lynnie]

Hi- we took the train in the past two years. (you mean Philly, 10th Pres, right?) We got tickets for the overflow downstairs for 25 bucks each instead of 95 each, I think it was, and we enjoyed that more than being crowded up in the main room. The overflow is in the library with big TV screens, and the bathrooms and water fountain are down there too.

The speakers were generally awesome. Sproul and Ligon Duncan I thought were the best. 2 guys in the AM, 2 workshops in the PM, evening speakers too.

We spent too much money on books! They had some neat kids material and music also.

You can almost feel burned out. A pastors wife we know skipped an afternoon session to go for a walk for an hour and just think. Some speakers do make you want to spend time thinking and praying, but there isn't always time, you go right on to the next speaker. It can be a lot to absorb.

Have fun! We are so blessed in this country with good teaching!!!

 

[DMcFadden]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Don't go near those Presbyterians! They will kidnap you and force you be be baptized by sprinkling . . . with what they CLAIM to be water. I don't know though. If it is really water, why are they afraid to put your head underneath it like a regular baptism??? Then they will thorougly catechize you (I don't know exactly what that means either but some elderly men in our old folks home had to wear bags on their legs when the doctor said they needed catechizing). Then they will tell you about how important the munis triplex is (I'm pretty sure they took mine out when the doc removed my tonsils???).

If you stay long enough, they will ask you if you are a preterist or if you are related to some guy named Amil. They didn't take too kindly to my saying that I was not a Preterist-erian, my religion is Babptist. And, I don't remember knowing any Amil, because we don't have middle eastern people in our church (but we ain't prejudiced, just small).

If you make it through this harrowing experience, someone is sure to ask you about your views on the lapsarian controversy. What nerve! It is none of their business. If my lap is a little bit wet, it's just because my Depends leaks and they don't have to get all high and mighty and call it a "controvsery" neither.

Anyway, Chris, stay away from them Presbyterians. They are one weird group!

(BTW, the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology in Greenville on April 17-19 looks GREAT this year! What a super topic: The Doctrine of Justification! And, listening to Derek Thomas is always a pleasure.)

 

[Whitefield]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Don't go near those Presbyterians! They will kidnap you and force you be be baptized by sprinkling . . . with what they CLAIM to be water. I don't know though. If it is really water, why are they afraid to put your head underneathe it like a regular baptism??? Then they will thorougly catechize you (I don't know exactly what that means either but some old men in our old folks home had to wear bags on their legs when the doctor said they needed catechizing). Then they will tell you about how important the munis triplex is (I'm pretty sure they took mine out when the doc removed my tonsils???).

If you stay long enough, they will ask you if you are a preterist or if you are related to some guy named Amil. They didn't take too kindly to my saying that I was not a Preterist-erian, my religion is Babptist. And, I don't remember knowing any Amil, because we don't have middle eastern people in our church (but we ain't prejudiced, just small).

If you make it through this harrowing experience, someone is sure to ask you about your views on the lapsarian controversy. What nerve! It is none of their business. If my lap is a little bit wet, it's just because my Depends leaks and they don't have to get all high and mighty and call it a "controvsery" neither.

Anyway, Chris, stay away from them Presbyterians. They are one weird group!

(BTW, the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology in Greenville on April 17-19 looks GREAT this year! What a great topic! And, listening to Derek Thomas is always a pleasure.)

 

[Chris Connally]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Don't go near those Presbyterians! They will kidnap you and force you be be baptized by sprinkling . . . with what they CLAIM to be water. I don't know though. If it is really water, why are they afraid to put your head underneathe it like a regular baptism??? Then they will thorougly catechize you (I don't know exactly what that means either but some elderly men in our old folks home had to wear bags on their legs when the doctor said they needed catechizing). Then they will tell you about how important the munis triplex is (I'm pretty sure they took mine out when the doc removed my tonsils???).

If you stay long enough, they will ask you if you are a preterist or if you are related to some guy named Amil. They didn't take too kindly to my saying that I was not a Preterist-erian, my religion is Babptist. And, I don't remember knowing any Amil, because we don't have middle eastern people in our church (but we ain't prejudiced, just small).

If you make it through this harrowing experience, someone is sure to ask you about your views on the lapsarian controversy. What nerve! It is none of their business. If my lap is a little bit wet, it's just because my Depends leaks and they don't have to get all high and mighty and call it a "controvsery" neither.

Anyway, Chris, stay away from them Presbyterians. They are one weird group!

(BTW, the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology in Greenville on April 17-19 looks GREAT this year! What a super topic: The Doctrine of Justification! And, listening to Derek Thomas is always a pleasure.)

I read up on the 'lapsarian controversy' just so I could feel like one of the boys and I'll be dogged if it didn't even come up in conversation. What a waste of time. Then again now that you've explained it to me in a way I'd never heard before I'm kind of glad it didn't come up.

Chris Connally
Romans 8:28

-----Added 3/6/2009 at 01:37:23 EST-----

Hi- we took the train in the past two years. (you mean Philly, 10th Pres, right?) We got tickets for the overflow downstairs for 25 bucks each instead of 95 each, I think it was, and we enjoyed that more than being crowded up in the main room. The overflow is in the library with big TV screens, and the bathrooms and water fountain are down there too.

The speakers were generally awesome. Sproul and Ligon Duncan I thought were the best. 2 guys in the AM, 2 workshops in the PM, evening speakers too.

We spent too much money on books! They had some neat kids material and music also.

You can almost feel burned out. A pastors wife we know skipped an afternoon session to go for a walk for an hour and just think. Some speakers do make you want to spend time thinking and praying, but there isn't always time, you go right on to the next speaker. It can be a lot to absorb.

Have fun! We are so blessed in this country with good teaching!!!

I am looking forward to it very much. I think one of the reasons my wife is insisting that she come along is the dangerous and irresistible lure of the books. She knows my weaknesses when it comes to flashy book displays. And you are right on about the good teachers we are blessed with in this country.

Chris Connally
Romans 8:28

 

[Jen]

I went to the one in Sacramento last year, and I'm going to the one in Sacramento this year (it's next weekend) -- yay for class schedules that allow me to go home for the weekend! I'm really glad they come out here -- most events in (really broadly defined) Reformed(ish) circles go on back east, so it's good to have something in Cali, and so close to home, too! (OK, two sentences ending in exclamation points is at least one too many for me...)

I'm just mildly perturbed that Dr. Horton isn't going to the Sacramento one... The same for Ligon Duncan, actually, as he's to give the church history seminar on justification in the ancient church, and that's one that I'd really love to hear (one of the local pastors is giving that seminar, but on justification and the emergent church).

It can be tiring since they pack so much into one day (I'm talking about Saturday), plus, since we're local we don't actually spend the night in Sacramento, so the Friday session usually goes late and then we have to get up early for the next morning (it's not a long drive -- only about 30-40 minutes, but it starts early given the commute involved).

 

[DMcFadden]

Given what is going on in the church at large, this was a GREAT theme to select for this year. I'm sorry that my schedule prevents me from attending. Grrrr.

 

[greenbaggins]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Don't go near those Presbyterians! They will kidnap you and force you be be baptized by sprinkling . . . with what they CLAIM to be water. I don't know though. If it is really water, why are they afraid to put your head underneath it like a regular baptism??? Then they will thorougly catechize you (I don't know exactly what that means either but some elderly men in our old folks home had to wear bags on their legs when the doctor said they needed catechizing). Then they will tell you about how important the munis triplex is (I'm pretty sure they took mine out when the doc removed my tonsils???).

If you stay long enough, they will ask you if you are a preterist or if you are related to some guy named Amil. They didn't take too kindly to my saying that I was not a Preterist-erian, my religion is Babptist. And, I don't remember knowing any Amil, because we don't have middle eastern people in our church (but we ain't prejudiced, just small).

If you make it through this harrowing experience, someone is sure to ask you about your views on the lapsarian controversy. What nerve! It is none of their business. If my lap is a little bit wet, it's just because my Depends leaks and they don't have to get all high and mighty and call it a "controvsery" neither.

Anyway, Chris, stay away from them Presbyterians. They are one weird group!

(BTW, the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology in Greenville on April 17-19 looks GREAT this year! What a super topic: The Doctrine of Justification! And, listening to Derek Thomas is always a pleasure.)

 

[cih1355]

Are the lectures or sermons going to be recorded?

 

[Jen]

Are the lectures or sermons going to be recorded?

Yes, you can purchase them from the Alliance at some point after all four conferences have ended.

 

[A5pointer]

I have attended a few in Phil. You will be so glad you went.

 

[SueS]

We're getting together a group from our church to go to Philadelphia - so far there are 11-13 adults interested and 6-9 children as well (of course, they will be in the child care room). This will be the third year for dh and me - the last two years we drove up to Philly on Thursday and spent all day Friday exploring the city. Last year we were all so whipped that we pretty much sat in a daze Friday evening and Saturday as well. This year we're going up on Friday with the intention of arriving early enough in the afternoon so that we can get rested up before that evening's session.

We always go to the early service on Sunday so that we can get an early start back to Ohio - we usually get home early in the evening. It makes for a wonderful weekend!