For the first time ever, a friend and I attended the National Conference on Preaching held in Washington, D.C. area. The theme this year was "Preaching And The Public Square: Where Do Pulpit and Culture Meet?" That is a big question. The varied roster of speakers and seminar leaders each had their individual takes on the question.
Charles Colson, Rick Warren, James McDonald, James Emery White, Barry Black, chaplain of the U.S. Senate, as well as others spoke the
re. We heard some good preaching.
As I reflect on the week, a few thoughts emerge:
1. It is important to understand the current culture in order to effectively preach the gospel. The apostle Paul did this on Mars Hill.
2. There is a young emerging generation that are percentage wise more outside the Christian faith than any previous American generation.
3. Each preacher has a unique personality and giftedness in proclaiming the gospel. And each did so very effectively.
4. Social justice is a theme I must make more a part of my preaching.
5. We are blessed to be Americans. The tour we made of Arlington Cemetery was very reverent and awe inspiring.
You should have told me that you were going to D.C. My friend Michael could have shown you around the U.S. Capitol (Senate Sergeant at Arms). Glad your back, you need to catch up on your blog...come see us...wkg
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