Conference 2011 was held from 24th to 26th January on the theme Grace and Truth: "Turning the world upside down"
(Members can access MP3s of talks on Members' Arena)
Long-time FPE Member, Steve Hollinghurst, whose 'day' job is Researcher in Evangelism to Post-Christian Culture, was our main speaker
The gathered company were 'blown away' as he expounded on the first evening on:
Knowing Jesus in grace and truth - The heart of the gospel and the heartbeat of the evangelist John 1:1-18: ‘The law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ …. who is close to the Father’s heart.’
Much of Steve's thinking was based on Dietrich Bonhoeffer's writings: ‘Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate’
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer – the Cost of Discipleship).
Proclaiming Jesus in grace and truth - The gospel in a post-Christendom, post-modern pluralist age
John 14:1-17: ‘I am the way the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me’
‘what is bothering me … is the question what Christianity really is, … who Jesus really is for us today. The time when people could be told everything in words … is over … religion is over. … How can Christ become the Lord of the religionless as well? What is a religionless Christianity?’
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Letters and Papers from Prison)
The final session in Communion on the last morning:
The hope of Christ in grace and truth - The gospel and a vision for society and creation after Christendom
Ephesians 1:3-23: ‘In him we have redemption …. according to the riches of his grace. …. In him you also when you heard the word of truth … were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit: that is the pledge of our inheritance’ ‘I should like to speak of God not on the boundaries but at the centre, not in weakness but in strength; and therefore not in death and guilt but in man’s life and goodness.
….. In what way are we the ecclesia, those who are called forth, not regarding ourselves from a religious point of view as specially favoured, but rather as belonging wholly to the world? In that case Christ is no longer an object of religion, but something quite different, really the Lord of the world.’
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Letters and Papers from Prison)
What Conference thought:
Great! Tools for the job
Excellent speaker, informative, educational, thorough introduction – challenging – need to listen again
Really liked and challenged by this
Loved this deep reflection of God’s word
Excellent session – encouraging – found new thoughts and ideas – challenging, inspiring, excited about the future
Excellent – at last, some theological food in a reasonably barren few months
A lovely atmosphere
Excellent, in ‘anticipation’!
Brilliant
Best yet
Answered some questions and thoughts that I had. Encouraging. We can in grace and truth turn the world upside down. Alleluia.