Reporting on "Chosen"

The Chosen by God conference at Twin Oaks this weekend were absolutely amazing! It was a once in a lifetime privilege not only to sit and hear Dr. R.C. Sproul teach, but also to get him to sign my well-worn copy of Chosen by God. As he once again showed this weekend, there is no one who has done a better job of preserving and dispensing the truths of Reformed theology, presenting them in a clear, easy to understand, yet deeply profound way for the average layman. Yet, as edifying as his sessions were, the sessions taught by Dr. Derek Thomas were perhaps even more engaging. Dr. Thomas imparted a vision of the grandeur of God and the election of Christ, which is the proper foundation for understanding the doctrine of election. He not only taught ideas correctly, communicated the heart of the doctrine. The scholarly precision of Dr. Sproul and the warm pastoral emphasis of Dr. Thomas provided an excellent balance.

And yet, as wonderful as the teaching sessions were, I must admit to being a little disillusioned by the whole experience. Ligonier Ministries is a great organization and I believe that they are providing an important service to the people of God by putting out some of the best material in Christian publishing. However, I became a little weary of being barraged with plugs for everything from the Reformation Study Bible to an Alaskan cruise with R.C., before, after, and inbetween each session. Running infomercials and stating (even in jest) that the audience can count themselves amongst the elect if they own a certain study Bible or subscribe to the tape of the month doesn't sit to well with me. Certainly, they need to sell their products to be able to continue providing the valuable resources that they produce, but surely there is a less crass way to do so. In addition, there was a polemic attitude that seemed to permeate much of what was said. By the end of the weekend I refused to laugh at one more joke simply because the punch-line was "an Arminian!" If the Doctrines of GRACE are going to be taught rightly, they must communicate a spirit of grace as well as precision of doctrine. There were moments at least were this spirit appeared to be sorely lacking.

Despite these slight concerns, the experience was truly wonderful. Here's a brief rundown of how it went: Friday night, Dr. Sproul held a question and answer session followed by a book signing. He opened the first session on Saturday morning by explaining the requirement that all biblical Christians have some doctrine of predestination and then expounded on the proper way to hold this view. Dr. Thomas took the next session and went through an exposition of Revelation 4:8-11, giving a picture of a majestic and mysterious God who shows us electing grace. After lunch he expounded on the bondage of the will and human inability. After taking some more questions and answers, Dr. Sproul finished with a session in which he responded to some the come objections to the doctrine of election. It was a truly inspiring and refreshing weekend.