I am very excited about this year’s 2008 Fall Conference. Not just because I love to attend conferences focused on the study of God’s word. But because one of my favorite authors and biblical scholars will be speaking this year. D.A. Carson has authored such great books as “The Gagging of God”, “How Long, O Lord?: Reflections on Suffering and Evil”, and “The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God” which we used in a previous bible study class. One of my favorite quotes from Carson is:
I would like to buy about three dollars worth of gospel, please. Not too much- just enough to make me happy, but not so much that I get addicted. I don’t want so much gospel that I learn to really hate covetousness and lust. I certainly don’t want so much that I start to love my enemies, cherish self-denial, and contemplate missionary service in some alien culture. I want ecstasy, not repentance; I want transcendence, not transformation. I would like to be cherished by some nice, forgiving, broad-minded people, but I myself don’t want to love those from different races- especially if they smell. I would like enough gospel to make my family secure and my children well behaved, but not so much that I find my ambitions redirected or my giving too greatly enlarged. I would like about three dollars worth of gospel, please.
-D.A. Carson, Basics For Believers: An Exposition of Philippians (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996/2005), pp. 12-13.
If you are in the Omaha area Saturday, October 4th, you should stop by and study God’s word with D.A. Carson and the rest of us attending the conference. You can register by clicking on the banner above and using the register link. For the time being please watch the video below as Carson answers the questions: What is sin? How is it different from Idolatry?
Upon This Rawk 
Amy
September 30, 2008 at 5:58 am
Barry — this sounds like a great Fall conference — is this out of your church? I like Carson’s quote on *$3 of gospel*. Many people think it’s OK to consistently do something wrong and then pray for *forgiveness* — no harm no foul. Paul writes about that in Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!” A little bit of gospel is fine, as long as I don’t have to change my life.
Hmm…
Leo
October 5, 2008 at 4:30 am
Barry,
I enjoy listening to Dr. Carson. I recall hearing him at a Bolton Conference back 12 years ago in Massachusetts. He was speaking with David Wells. Seems to me that Carson spoke on…(the internet is a great thing when I can open Firefox, search for 1996 Bolton Conf and have an answer in a few seconds) The Folly of God and the Message of the Cross; The Folly of Preaching and the Power of God; The Folly of Naturalism and the Work of the Spirit. The theme was Recovering the Gospel. I can still recall the very funny verbal darts that Carson and Wells shot back and forth at each other (all in love of course)
I enjoy reading his thoughts as well. A friend of mine gave me his critique on the Emergent Church. Great book!
Listening to your clip I was struck by his phrase the degodding of God. Quite an interesting way of describing sin.
Should be a great conference. I look forward to your thoughts.
barrydean
October 8, 2008 at 10:52 am
Thanks for your comments Leo. I will post something this week about the conference.