TGC Podcast

Sam Chan delivered a message during a breakout session at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference titled “How to Tell Your Friends About Jesus Without Becoming That Guy.” He taught that many of the things that we believe will help to convince others of the truth of the gospel—sovereignty of God aside—such as facts, evidence, and data, are actually the least powerful factors in doing so. Far more powerful are community and experiences, which means that the most effective methodologies for helping others to hear and understand the gospel include experiences that offer a merging of Christian and non-Christian friends and the opportunity to listen and learn from one another. From these things, fueled by prayer, opportunities for gospel conversations will inevitably arise.

"Change is not the absence of temptations but the raw spiritual ability to be holy even in the midst of temptations."Christopher Yuan delivered a message during a breakout session at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference titled “Holy Sexuality: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God’s Grand Story.” Yuan taught that sexual identity has become an idol within our culture, and sexual freedom has become the religion of the land as a result of our hearts being set in defiance against God’s perfect design. Though sanctification is critical activity for every believer, he taught, the Christian life constitutes far more than the avoidance of sinful behavior. It begins with answering our ontological questions in terms of the Imago Dei and developing a “theological anthropology”—recognizing that our identity is not defined by our sin, but by Christ.

Karen Swallow Prior spoke at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference in a breakout session called, “Why, How, and What to Read.” The relationship between God and his people, she posited, has always focused on the centrality of the Word with a specific emphasis on written words. In fact, it may be said that reading is a supernatural gift from God—one that can be accepted, rejected, or lost. It is therefore incumbent upon all believers to cultivate the ability to read the right things, in the right ways, in order to steward the wonderful gift of reading that both enriches our lives and deepens our relationship with the Word who took on flesh and dwelt among us.

Harold Kim delivered a message in a breakout session titled “Bittersweet Sovereignty in Joseph’s Story and Ours” at The Gospel Coalition’s 2018 West Coast Conference. From Genesis chapters 37 and 50, Kim addressed three repeating themes in the life of Joseph: sins, sovereignty, and salvation. Driven by sinful, generational family dysfunction, Joseph’s life spiraled into chaos, yet God was sovereign over and working through it all. In the same way, we find hope in the promise that God causes all things—even the horrendous, atrocious dysfunction that often befalls us because of our own sin—to work together for our good.

Trip Lee led a breakout session at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana titled "Incredibly Normal: The Shocking Truth About Who You Really Are." He addressed the identity of believers and what it means to be a Christian on a planet filled with more than seven billion other humans. The reality is that God made us in his image for his own purposes, knows each of us intimately, and loves us in a way that only he can, making us unique in the world. We are also incredibly normal—unexceptional—when compared to the greatness and glory of God. Therefore, our identity must be rooted in Christ, not in ourselves, lest we fall to either side and either become entitled or feel inferior. Both are distortions and keep us from focusing on who God made us to be.      

Todd Goranson and Steve Rooks spoke during a breakout session titled “Evangelism in the Arts” at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. In this message, they addressed the efficacy of arts as a tool for evangelism, arguing that art has its own way of conveying and portraying the beauty and the complexity of God's creation. It also provides a means for reaching communities and individuals who might not be inclined to walk into a church on Sunday morning or actively seek knowledge or relationship with Christ with the message of the gospel. The arts are a vehicle through which the gospel can effectively impact the culture for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Kyle Strobel led a breakout session at The Gospel Coalition’s 2018 West Coast Conference in Fullerton, California, titled Jonathan Edwards, Love, and the Formation of the Christian. He discussed Edward’s understanding of love, Christian formation, theology, and spirituality, arguing that we need to develop a robust spiritual theology to help the church navigate lived existence—actual lived life with God in the Spirit. As did Jonathan Edwards, Strobel worked to inextricably tie theology and praxis and discourage the approach that makes the two disparate disciplines. The practice of contemplation about God, then, becomes the beatific motivator for sharing in the life of God.   

“No one can thwart God's good plans for us. No one can ultimately turn God's good plans for us against us.”Trillia Newbell delivered a message in a breakout session as part of The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, entitled If God Is for Us. From Romans 8:31-39, Newbell encouraged attendees to trust that the verdict has been determined for believers in Christ, and it is in our favor! By reiterating a series of rhetorical questions Paul laid out in Romans 8, Newbell emphasized the rightful conclusion that if God is for us, no one can ever prevail against us, no matter the circumstance.“More than conquerors” is not a silly slogan to get you through your morning workout; it is a world-changing truth that he who loved us has given us the victory and nothing will ever thwart it! That is news too amazing to ignore or to keep to ourselves. This episode of The Gospel Coalition podcast is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of Need to Know, a book by Gary Millar. This practical book will give new Christians the essentials—what you really need to know if you’re going to follow Jesus. To learn more, visit thegoodbook.com

Sandra McCracken and Russ Ramsey led a breakout session as part of The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, entitled Reading Scripture with an Engaged Imagination. The songwriter and author, respectively, discussed the role the imagination plays in reading, understanding, and conveying the content of Scripture. Even for individuals with a high view of Scripture, who believe the Bible is authoritative and reliable, Ramsey and McCracken argue that reading it well requires a fully engaged imagination—not because it is lacking in any way, but because that’s what our humanity demands. They discussed how, in prose and songwriting, they mine the detail of Scripture and use their imaginations to faithfully flesh out its context and significance. In doing so, they encourage others to engage Scripture in the same manner no matter their specific vocations. This episode of The Gospel Coalition podcast is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of 'Need to Know', a book by Gary Millar. This practical book will give new Christians the essentials—what you really need to know if you’re going to follow Jesus. To learn more, visit thegoodbook.com

As part of The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, Kevin DeYoung led a breakout session entitled Grace Defined and Defended: The Continuing Relevance of the Canons of Dort 400 Years Later. In this session, DeYoung argued for theological precision—the wise measurement of the words used to describe God’s interaction with his people—via a close look at why and how the Canons of Dort came to be. When it comes to the doctrines of our faith, we ought to hunger for the specifics because they matter deeply.