Kevin De Young, Restless, and Reformed
I couldn’t suppress a suilline squeal of delight when I heard that my favorite young, restless, Reformed author, Kevin de Young is coming to South Africa in April 2013. He is accompanying a cadre of Reformed heavyweights known as the T4G crew (Together for the Gospel). This entourage of engaging preachers includes the inimitable CJ “I preach til I sweat and cry” Mahaney, the indomitable Mark “Nine Marks is my middle name” Dever, and the ingenious Ligon “Why baptize when you can sprinkle” Duncan.
We have the Rezalution Conference (the SA spin off of California’s Resolved Conference; and who brought us John Piper last year) to thank for showcasing this fantastic foursome. The Rez ’13 conference is going to be an event of note, so block out 15-20 April and join the seminoid groupies in Joburg (all 4), Durban (2 undisclosed names), and Cape Town (the leftover 2).
I’m doing my darndest to get Kevin “I write therefore I am” de Young to preach at Hillcrest Baptist on the Sunday evening after the Joburg leg. Nuts, I just let slip one of the undisclosed names for the Durban leg.
Kevin’s blog is aptly titles, De Young, Restless, Reformed and is hosted by the Gospel Coalition. He has written some of my favorite recent books: “Why We Love the Church,” which is truly inspiring, “Just Do Something” which debunks wacko decision making techniques like putting out fleeces and feeling at peace; and “Why We’re Not Emergent by Two Guys Who Should Be.”Here’s a snippet I thought seminoids might like…
Preacher, Be Yourself
God uses men to proclaim his gospel because he gets glory by unveiling treasures from jars of clay. But the fact that God has chosen to use such an array of fallible, diverse preachers to communicate his truth also suggests that he has an interest in the skill and personality of the preacher. God could have deployed proclamation drones to drop apostolic leaflets in Times New Roman font, but instead has called men to be his mouthpiece. Just as he does in art or academics or architecture, God uses the skills, gifts, and abilities of the preacher to accomplish his purposes. Which means two things: God would have us learn to improve our abilities as preachers, and he would have us learn to be ourselves. Look to your favorite preachers for inspiration, not for imitation. It’s okay to have a little personality in the pulpit, as long as it’s your own.
Thanks Kev. See you in Durban.
