General Session 07 - Shepherds' Conference 2009 (Phil Johnson)

Every self respecting Calvinist is a 6 Day Creationist

John MacArthur notes that two years ago, he opened the conference by talking about how self-respecting Calvinists should be premillennialists; and last year regarding how they should reject church-growth strategies. This year he will focus on how self-respecting evangelicals should affirm literal six-day creationism.

I am watching and listening on iTunes John MacArthur from the Shepherd's Conferences 2009.

Photos from the conferences are provided by:

John MacArthur has a long standing tradition of opening the annual Shepherd's Conference with a bit of a bombshell. This year was no different. His basic premise was, "Every self-respecting Calvinist or Christian must be a 6 Day Creationist".

Using Genesis 1 through 2:3 as his text, he reasoned that God, having designed creation was in the best position to understand it. As such, what He tells us about it should be logical, reasonable and accurate. Creation Science attempts to explain creation in a scientific perspective instead of a supernatural, miraculous perspective.

He used three words to frame his contention:

1. Fidelity - You can accept or reject Scripture but you cannot alter it. It says what it says and no science ever developed can trump it. As a matter of fact, Creation Science is not even a valid science according to the definition of how a science operates. Any science is based on three elements; observation, verification and repetition. Since no one was present, other than God, there was no observation. There has been no verification of Creation Science premises, nor evolution premises. and...no one has ever been able to repeat the process.
2. Simplicity - Scripture makes simple statements about Scripture. God did it, it took 6 days, it was a massive miracle. Psalm 104 and Psalm 148 support this and lend support to the idea that when you deny creation, you deny praise to God.
   
3. Priority - God has a divine purpose for creation. He designs things from the end back (Isaiah 46:10). His divine purpose controls all things to achieve God's plan. God's purpose is redemption (Eph 3:8) and the glory of His grace revealed in that redemption,

Finally, Dr. MacArthur drew the analogy between creation and our own salvation with God catalyzing both, bringing light from the darkness in both, breathing life into both and causing both to happen in an instantaneous transformation.

He then proceeded to dismantle the notion of the Christian Environmental movement using 2 Peter 3:10 to prove that man is not able to save or destroy the planet, only God can do that and only in his timing. MacArthur went further to say that man is supposed to subdue the environment, not the other way around.

MacArthur then maintained that the concept of Global Warming is contrary to Scripture that clearly states that God will not end mankind by drowning in the melted polar ice caps. God gave us the rainbow as a promise that that would never happen again.

John MacArthur has an amazing propensity to make astounding statements that cause a lot of controversy. What his detractors fail to realize, as they focus on the statements, is that MacArthur always goes on to defend his statements in a Scripturally compelling manner making it very hard to argue with Him if we are going to embrace an inerrant Word of God.

PHOTO OF THE SHEPHERD'S CONFERENCE 2009

from The View From My Chair by John Kuvakas

Some great photos of the Shepherd's Conference 2009.

The wonderful experence that I had on three occasion to be in Grace Community Church and several other times hearing John MacArthur

and the other men at the church .

Shepherd's Conference 2009 The best ever/

I remember standing right next to John MacArthur, several times at Grace Community. I held his bible and saw his notes. Thank of that. Goodness.