Fears for Reformed Conferences

Fears: Going to a Reformed seminary and working for a Reformed book publisher has opened my eyes and also made my mind often wonder about some of the many areas of interest in the many Reformed circles today. I plan on blogging a few of my wonders/thoughts on these issues in the next coming months and maybe you (the reader) can/could leave a little feed back on your thoughts?

Disclaimer: I am “Reformed” in American terms (I guess). Below is not a problem so-to-speak, but just an issue that I see may be or become an issue in the years to come in the “Reformed Circles”. This is ONLY and JUST my concerns I often wonder if Americans easily idolize.

Issue: Reformed Conferences!

Thoughts: I myself attend many conferences throughout the year. Desiring God, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, to church conferences and denomination conferences all around American. Nine times out of ten, I attend these for the purpose of selling books for Reformation Heritage Books. However no matter if I am there for work or personal reasons, there are always crowds of others too. Here of late the more conferences I see and hear about I am beginning to wonder, “Why another conference?” Do people go because the conference or because of Christ is being preached at the conference? Do we attend Desiring God, Ligonier, and T4G’s because of their popularity or because we want the Word taught to us? It seems as if many people today may attend the conferences in order to say, “hi” to their circles, friends, and make a name for themselves instead of going for the purpose alone that the conference may be addressing. I hope that in the years to come and even today that we the church do not attend conferences with the thought process of, “I want to see Piper preach and move all around in the pulpit!” but with the purpose of, “I want to Glorify God!”

How to keep Conferences Gospel-Centered: Make sure your reasons in attending a conference in a day and age that tends to nearly have one every week in American is for the purpose to learn, seek, and fall deeper in love with Christ. This will keep the focus of attending conferences become gospel-centered and man-centered in making yourself popular in a particular circle of Christendom.