I've been kind of following the comments on The Gospel Coalition 2011 conference going on right now via Facebook and Twitter. I have to say, the conglomeration of what I'm reading is kind of troublesome. And the problem is neither that anyone is saying anything heretical, nor criticizing what is going on there.
I think that the thing that gets me is that most of the comments are rooted in the raw fact that these people are at the conference where the big name preachers are, theoretically moshing in the conference room chairs. Whether you're a fundamentalist or emergent or whatever, whenever a conference rolls around, the only thing a lot of people care about is that they are able to take part in something that popular preachers took part in. It's like the association makes them feel more important and trendy. Has the Gospel become a trend? I fear it has for many blog enthusiasts and new-release aficionados. The Gospel is bound up in the faith of Christ, not John Piper or Mark Dever. Why is it that we cannot speak of Christ apart from speaking of or quoting these men? Instead of the Book of Mormon, we have adopted the Book of Famous Prophets. I do not doubt that their influence is great, and that Christ is truly magnified by their work. The blame is not theirs. The blame is upon those who react to these men. Let us, rather react to Christ. Let us expose ourselves to Him, not just via second-hand exposure. Let us know Him first hand. Let us develope a personal relationship with Him. By all means we ought to take advantage of the resources that these famous preachers provide for the benefit of our spiritual walk. But let's not make the Gospel trendy. When it becomes trendy, it then becomes amiable and theoretical. One would do well to consciously guard himself from seeing the Gospel through the eyes of theory, and see it through the eyes of true, personal relationship. Christ is not an idea. He is a person. How are you getting to know Him?