It is most telling to see the kind of men which early Southern Baptists chose to lead them during the first 50 years of their existence. As Pastor Ascol demonstrated, these men were evangelical Calvinists whose views shaped the early life of the convention. The conference welcomed back after ten years Mark Dever. Both subjects were presented in an engaging style that was full of application. Though all of the messages were of a consistently high caliber, two others deserve special mention.
Today is the day for evangelism.
Drawing on Acts 17, Dr. Nettles, chairman of the history department at Trinity Divinity School in Deerfield, IL, exploded all doubts about the need to preach the gospel to all people. Never has a more powerful sermon been preached on this subject at the conference. Other speakers include Drs. Timothy George, Walter Johnson, Fred Malone and Tom Ascol. Over 270 registered-including over half who attended for the first time.