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Dialogue on Evangelical Issues

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T4G 2012: Dinner and Dialogue Panel from Southern Seminary on Vimeo.

A few weeks ago, a conference, Together for the Gospel, met here in Louisville taking up the theme of “The Underestimated Gospel.” In conjunction with that, some colleagues and I taught a class on the issues under discussion. Part of that was the opportunity to have some friends, old and new, that I admire and enjoy join me for a conversation.

In this video, I’m joined by J.D. Greear, pastor of the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC; Joshua Harris, pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD; Carl Trueman, professor of historical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia; Matt Pinson, president of the Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville; and Jefferson Bethke, poet-artist whose video on “Jesus vs. Religion” rocked the world last year.

In this conversation, we talk about some broad themes of what the challenges are facing evangelical Christianity, and what the future looks like.

We discuss, for instance, why Matt Pinson, as an Arminian theologian, finds both promise and peril in the “Young, Restless, Reformed” movement, and what he wishes Calvinists knew about real Arminianism (instead of the semi-Pelagian caricature). Carl and J.D. go at it over whether the NT allows for multi-site churches. Jefferson Bethke explains what he learned about ministry from being castigated by some evangelical leaders he admired (and being gently discipled by others).

I hope you enjoy hearing these brothers talk from the heart. I love and respect each one of them and am glad to co-labor with them for the kingdom.

Only when we see how lost we are, we can find our way again. Only when we bury what’s dead can we experience life again. Only when we lose our religion can we be amazed by grace again.

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About Russell Moore

Russell Moore is Editor in Chief of Christianity Today and is the author of the forthcoming book Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America (Penguin Random House).

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