The First Baptist Church of Durham hosted a conference last week entitled The Politics of Jesus. Here is an excerpt describing the questions addressed by the conference:
The modern church finds itself riddled with internal contradictions between the teaching of Jesus and politics. The demands of caring for the poor, the elderly, and children fiercely interact with the issues of war, economics, abortion, and homosexuality. Christians of all denominational associations struggle to construct a comprehensive and biblical view of the state without compromising the content of the gospel. Does the Bible offer any help when dealing with issues of politics? Did Jesus speak directly to matters of government? Can theological conservatives be socially active without compromising evangelism? What can Christian history teach the modern church about the political future?
Speakers and Topics:
David Nelson – Adorning Our Savior’s Teaching: How the Gospel Matters for Public Life
Andy Davis – Babylon: An Ancient Assessment of a Present Reality
C. Ben Mitchell – Remaking the Future: The Looming Challenge of Resurgent Islam and Evolving Transhumanism
Greg Thornbury – Marriage: If Not Sacred – What?
Ken Fentress – The Ancient Church of Antioch and the Future Southern Baptist Convention
Nathan Finn – The Pulpit and the Public Square: Some Observations from the Ministry of Charles Haddon Spurgeon
This is a timely conference, check out the website and Owen Strachan’s live-blogging of the event. The audio is available via podcast through the website.