Heading to Sea: Quick Report

Well, we are starting to get re-packed as we head out early in the morning for the drive to Vancouver, from whence we will head to sea Monday evening for the apologetics cruise to Alaska. Keep especially Tuesday at “high noon” in prayer, as that will be the four-man debate on the Resurrection. Pray as well for my son Joshua, who will be doing the audio and video taping of the debate. There are always unforeseen challenges, and we really want the taping to go well.
   
A quick report on the weekend. We packed out Emmanuel Baptist Church on Friday night as we kicked off the conference. Dr. Jim Renihan, head of the Institute for Reformed Baptist Studies, started us off with a tremendous presentation of the authority and inspiration of God’s Word. I then spoke on the Da Vinci Code, and then Steve Camp led in worship. It was a tremendous time! The next morning I spoke on the canon of Scripture, and then we had a round table discussion. In the afternoon Dr. Renihan and Dr. Ascol continued the emphasis upon the authority and sufficiency of God’s Word.
   
Then, of course, came the debate. Here you see a picture of myself and Dr. Crossan chatting before the debate began. John Dominic Crossan was a tremendously amiable participant in the debate, and as a result, the debate was exactly what we desired: respectful, clear, to the point, and hence very useful. I focused upon the presuppositions that Dr. Crossan (and many in the Jesus Seminar in general) bring to the text. This led to some excellent exchanges, especially during the cross-examination period. I truly believe the recording of this debate will fill a hole in the existing material relevant to this topic, for I have surely not heard anyone approach the topic from this perspective before.
   
Lots of people worked very, very hard to make this weekend happen. Most especially, Rich Pierce, Mike O’Fallon and all the folks at Sovereign Christian Cruises, Larry Vondra, and my own son, Josh. My wife snapped this picture of Josh and I, and I thought it turned out rather well, especially in perspective. I was very proud of my son as he worked alongside everyone else in setting up, operating cameras, etc. It was truly a wonderful weekend all around.
   
Finally, some of our regulars in our chat channel have been forced to evacuate New Orleans in the face of hurricane Katrina. This is the “big one” the folks in New Orleans have talked about for years, but have dodged for the past four decades. Please pray for them and for all who are suffering at this time.