Dever - Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology (Contributors

There is a yearning today for a faith that is real, deep, and authentic. It wants to keep marketing at arms length and to escape from cultural compromises because both are pathways into superficiality and emptiness. This book addresses that yearning with clarity and conviction and, along the way, connects its readers with what Christians in their best moments have always believed.

DAVID WELLS, Distinguished Research Professor,
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

PROCLAIMING
A CROSS-CENTERED THEOLOGY

Other books by
Together for the Gospel:

Preaching the Cross (2007)

Proclaiming a Cross-centered Theology

Copyright 2009 by Together for the Gospel

Published by Crossway Books
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Cover design: Cindy Kiple

Cover illustration: iStock

First printing 2009

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, EnglishStandard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from The New American Standard Bible .Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture references marked NIV are from The Holy Bible: New International Version .Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

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Scripture references marked NKJV are from The New King James Version. Copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

All emphases in Scripture have been added by the authors.

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4335-0206-4

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-1251-3

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-1252-0

ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-2218-5

Library of CongressCataloging-in-Publication Data
Proclaiming a cross-centered theology / Mark Dever... [et al.].
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4335-0206-4 (hc)
1. Preaching. 2. Theology of the cross. I. Dever, Mark. I. Title.
BV4211.3.P76 2009
251dc22 2009012177

LB 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To the rising generation of
theologians of the cross

CONTENTS

J. Ligon Duncan III

Thabiti Anyabwile

John MacArthur

Mark Dever

Greg Gilbert

R. C. Sproul

R. Albert Mohler Jr.

John Piper

C. J. Mahaney

The great English preacher C. H. Spurgeon recounted one of the more unusual experiences of his highly unusual life. He was headed to Haverhill in Suffolk and, due to rail delays, was running late for a preaching engagement. Ill let him pick up the story here:

So it happened that I reached the appointed place considerably behind time. Like sensible people, they had begun their worship, and had proceeded as far as the sermon. As I neared the chapel, I perceived that someone was in the pulpit preaching, and who should the preacher be but my dear and venerable grandfather! He saw me as I came in at the front door, and made my way up the aisle, and at once he said, Here comes my grandson! He may preach the gospel better than I can, but he cannot preach a better gospel; can you, Charles? As I pressed through the throng, I answered, You can preach better than I can. Pray go on. But he would not agree to that. I must take the sermon, and so I did, going on with the subject there and then, just where he left off.

That great gospel is the subject of this volume (and the Together for the Gospel Conference at which a spoken version of these chapters was first presented). This volume is prepared with the assumption that there is widespread agreement about the gospel across denominational lines, but also with the conviction that the gospel is widely under attack. Some of those assaults are deliberate and intended; others are not. Some are subtle; others are obvious frontal assaults. It is with a love primarily for the gospel that these messages were given. And it is with this same love that they are now brought together and presented to you.

The participants were given a free hand to choose and frame their own messages. We have all been a part of conversations and discussions about these issues, many with one another. We have all felt the need to contend for these matters. The tone of this conference was defensive, in the sense that pastoral work is partly defensivedefending the sheep against wolves in sheeps clothing. Building the church has always involved the sword along with the trowel. Contention and contradiction is a necessary part of preaching, as all faithful pastors know. While some may love such fights, we intend to love the gospel. It is because of that lovenot a mere love of fighting and contending itselfthat we are willing to contend for these matters.

When Erasmus wrote his quasi-irenic treatise On the Freedomof the Will, he wrote, I take no delight in assertions. Luther responded in Lutherly fashion:

It is not the mark of a Christian mind to take no delight in assertions; on the contrary, a man must delight in assertions or he will be no Christian. And by assertion ... I mean a constant adhering, affirming, confessing, maintaining, and an invincible persevering....Nothing is better known or more common among Christians than assertion. Take away assertions and you take away Christianity. Why, the Holy Spirit is given them from heaven, that a Christian may glorify Christ and confess him even unto deathunless it is not asserting when one dies for ones confession and assertion.

It is in a Luther-like sense of confessing that the preachers contributing to this volume offer these assertions.

Ligon Duncan begins this volume as he began that conference. He entered the lists asserting that systematic theology is a worthwhile task. Indeed, in days when the narrative form of biblical theology is attracting great (and deserved) attention, it is too often being pitted against systematic theology. Ligon defends the usefulness and necessity of systematic theology with clarity and vigor. A pastor must remember the truths in this chapter or risk losing the gospel itself.

Next up is Thabiti Anyabwile. Thabiti was new to the Together for the Gospel (T4G) conference as a speaker. He has been a friend of most of ours for years, being a member and elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church and now the pastor of First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman. We have shared conferences and weekends with him and have been instructed by his teaching and edified by the testimony of Gods amazing grace in his life. (Before his conversion, Thabiti was a nationally recognized college speaker on African-American studies. He had also been a practicing Muslim.) In his address at Together for the Gospel, Thabiti challenged us to recognize that the category of race is irredeemable. It brings far more confusion than light, more contention than understanding, more prejudice than impartial judgment. As you turn to that chapterperhaps the most explosive of the conferenceopen your mind and get ready to think.