Calvin Conference and Confessional Calvinists

Over the weekend our church hosted a Calvin conference in honor of John Calvin's 500th birthday. Collin Hansen, author of Young, Restless, and Reformed, was our keynote speaker. I also spoke at the conference, as well as several local pastors. The conference audio should be online in the next day or two.

I will probably share more about the conference throughout the week, but let me just share one highlight and one bit of reflection.

One of the highlights was getting to spend time with Collin and his lovely wife Lauren. They are both intelligent, affable, and great lovers of sports (yes, both love sports!). My wife and I enjoyed their company. Collin has lots of great stories (he's interviewed so many fascinating people) and a very keen mind for analysis. Somewhat unrelated, I should add that Collin insisted, and apparently always insists, on using "Peach" as his driver in Mario Cart (because of the way she "oohs" he says). I, on the other hand, enjoy Wario for his intimidating countenance and no-holds barred attitude. Surely if the stereotypes mean anything, Wario is the Reformed driver, not Peach. But other than Collin's curious Nintendo choices, the weekend with he and his wife made for great company and conversation.

On to my one bit of reflection. As Collin spoke I was struck by the fact that the Reformed resurgence is due in large part (though certainly not entirely) to non-confessional (at least in the historic sense) Baptists (e.g., John Piper, C.J. Mahaney, Mark Dever, Al Mohler, Mark Driscoll). As a confessional Reformed paedobaptist, this caused me to reflect on what some of the influence-limiting dangers may be for people in my camp.

1. There is a danger that we get bored with the doctrines of grace. Many baptists stand out in their own circles because of their reformed theology and they often come to it later in life, whereas those in confessional Reformed/Presbyterian background gets Calvinism from day one and grow tired of it. It's no coincidence that the largest (only large?) emergenty church is in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Many people raised on reformed theology, if they don't see vitality and enthusiasm in their families and in their churches, grow tired of Calvinism and end up dabbling with something newer and cooler. This will be a challenge for those of us in the young, restless, reformed crowd as we try to pass on our passion to our children.

2. There is a danger that we call people to confessionalism instead of calling people to Christ. I love the doctrinal standards of my denomination. I wrote on the Heidelberg Catechism for an entire year. I've preached for months on the Belgic Confession. I've taught Sunday school classes on the Canons of Dort. I read all three Standards devotionally. I think young people are hungry for the meat of confessions and catechisms. But only if we use them to point people to Christ. We must not be heralds for Presbyterianism, but rather heralds for Christ, who love our historic documents because we see Christ in them.

3. There is a danger that we focus most on what makes us Reformed or Presbyterian instead of what makes us Evangelical. I am not advocating for a bland kind of evangelicalism, but rather a passionate Reformed confessionalism that centers on and glories in the gospel and the cross rather than on the nuances of Van Til's apologetics and the intricacies of the regulative principle.

4. There is a danger that we do not know how to be ourselves. Effective preaching is always truth through personality. This means letting our own humor, intensity, interests, and stories come through in our preaching, not so that we become the focus but so people see us as real people and not automatons for the Westminster assembly. We need to be ok in our own skin, not in B.B. Warfield's skin.

Thankfully, we in the confessional Reformed tradition are not without good models (e.g., R.C. Sproul, Ligon Duncan, Sinclair Ferguson, Tim Keller). So let all the confessional Calvinists give thanks for the Baptists, Charismatics, and Anglicans who love the doctrines of grace. And let us proclaim the doctrines of grace with all the gospel-centered, Christ-centered passion they deserve.