| KEITH GETTY DISCUSSION AND LUNCH AT RTS/JACKSON | ![]() On Monday, Dec. 8, at 11:00 a.m., Keith Getty will host a discussion on congregational singing in Grace Chapel on the campus of RTS/Jackson. Getty, an Irish composer has co-written (with Stuart Townsend) widely-used contemporary hymns such as: "In Christ
Alone," "The Power of the Cross," and "Speak, O Lord." Pastors, ministers of music and others interested in thinking together about the corporate worship of God's people are encouraged to attend. The presentation is entitled, "Hymns, Worship, and the
Christian Life." There will also be a time of discussion and Q&A over lunch at Patterson's Porch. The event is free, but please RSVP for lunch here.
Later that evening at 7:00 p.m., First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, will host the Getty's Irish Christmas Concert. Admission is free, doors open at 6:30 p.m. The address is 1390 North State St., Jackson, MS. | | | | FACULTY FORUM AT RTS/CHARLOTTE | ![]() Dr. Mike Kruger, president of RTS/Charlotte is the speaker for the next faculty forum at RTS/Charlotte on Feb. 10. He will speak on "Is Inerrancy the Invention of American Fundamentalism? Why it Still Matters Today." It will be held in the RTS/Charlotte
Dining Room at noon. Lunch will be served. The public is welcome. RSVP to Tari at twilliamson@rts.edu. | | | | DEEP SOUTH FOUNDERS CONFERENCE | | The Deep South Founders Conference will be held at RTS/Jackson, Jan. 22-24. Dr. Tom Nettles, professor of historical theology at Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary, will be the main speaker this year on the subject of "Free Will," article 9 of the 1689 Confession of Faith. There will also be a debate on Thursday evening. | | | | TIM KELLER LECTURES NOW AVAILABLE | ![]() Dr. Tim Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, and chairman of Redeemer City to City, was the speaker for the John Reed Miller lectures at RTS/Jackson. He lectured on preaching and introduced and signed
his new book on prayer for a packed house at the Lemuria Bookstore. Click here to listen to the lectures.
There is also a link to a Q&A about his book on prayer. | | | | DR. JAMES ANDERSON REVIEWS BOOK | ![]() Christian Philosophy: A Systematic and Narrative Introduction (Baker Academic,
2013), written by Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen, was recently reviewed by Dr. James Anderson (upcoming in Expository Times). Dr. Anderson is an associate professor of theology and philosophy at RTS/Charlotte. He begins,
"Finding a reliable and engaging one-volume introduction to the history of philosophy from an orthodox Christian perspective is rather like finding an empty taxi on Hogmanay..." You can read the complete review on his blog here. | | | | 2014 MFTC CONFERENCE RECORDINGS NOW AVAILABLE | | Click here to listen to lectures at the Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling Conference by Dr. Bill Richardson, Dr. Jim Hurley
and Dr. Diane Langberg held at RTS/Jackson. | | | | PRESIDENT'S FORUM WITH D.A. CARSON IN JANUARY | | Dr. Don Sweeting will discuss Dr. Carson's book, The Intolerance of Tolerance at the next President's Forum at RTS/Orlando in the fellowship hall at noon on Jan. 6. The public is welcome. RSVP to ksutter@rts.edu. | | | | WOMEN TO WOMEN 2015 | | Sarah Ivill is the speaker for the upcoming conference for The Women of RTS March 6-7 on the RTS/Charlotte campus. Sarah will speak about "Thinking Biblically...Living Covenantally." She is the author of Hebrews: His Hope, An Anchor for our Souls; Revelation: Let the One Who is Thirsty Come:
and Judges & Ruth: There is a Redeemer. She has been leading, teaching and writing women's Bible studies since she was 18. She has served at the Howard G. Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership. She is presently a stay-at-home mom
and continues to write and teach Bible studies for women. The cost is $35. Email twilliamson@rts.edu for more information. The public is invited. | | | | RTS/WASHINGTON DC'S REFORUM 2014 | ![]()
On Thursday, Nov. 13, RTS/Washington DC held their third annual Reforum on "Confessing Christianity: Yesterday's Reformation for Today's Public Life." The lecture and also the discussion is available here. | | | | DR. KRUGER BLOGS ABOUT CONTROVERSIAL BOOK | "By now," Dr. Kruger notes, "most have probably heard the news splash about the forthcoming book by Simcha Jacobovici and Barrie Wilson, The Lost Gospel: Decoding the Sacred Text that Reveals Jesus’ Marriage to Mary Magdalene. If the number
of emails in my inbox on this topic is any indication, then apparently the news has traveled fast. "If the title of this new book sounds like The Da Vinci Code redivivus, then you would be right. Jacobovici and Wilson are not the first to claim Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. They stand in a long line of conspiracy theorists who have claimed
the same thing, including the recently debunked Gospel of Jesus’ Wife. "Although I have not yet read this book, it seems that a few comments are in order to help prepare people for what is coming:
Read the entire blog here. | | | | JARVIS WILLIAMS TO TEACH AT RTS/JACKSON IN JANUARY | ![]() "Hermeneutics for Contextualized Ministry" is designed to help prepare those who will be doing ministry in African American, multiethnic or urban contexts. Dr. Jarvis Williams serves as associate professor of New Testament Interpretation at
Southern Seminary and is the author of several books. The course will be held Jan. 19-23. Read more about the course here. | | | | DR. SCOTT REDD REVIEWS THE MOVIE INTERSTELLAR - SPOILER ALERT! | ![]() The movie Interstellar opened in November. Watch the trailer here. Dr. Scott Redd, president of RTS/Washington DC, reviewed the film on TheGospelCoalition.org.
Warning: This review contains spoilers. Stop reading now if you don't want to know what happens in the film.
Dr. Redd begins, "Interstellar, the new film directed by Christopher Nolan, attempts to say something profound about human relationships and meaning, a goal that by itself is worth celebrating. What the film tries to say is a little more ambiguous." Read
the full review here. | | | | READ NEW REVIEW OF DR. ANDERSON'S BOOK | ![]() Gabriel Fluhrer, senior minister of Shiloh Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC, and a Ph.D. candidate at Westminster Theological Seminary recently reviewed Dr. James Anderson's book titled What's Your Worldview on Reformation21.org.
Dr. Anderson is an associate professor of theology and philosophy at RTS/Charlotte. Read the review here. | | | | WOMEN'S MINISTRY LEADERSHIP TRAINING CONFERENCE | ![]() The Committee Discipleship Ministry (CDM), formerly the CE&P of the Presbyterian Church in America, will hold its annual training conference for women leading other women on Feb. 19-21, 2015 at the Sheraton Atlanta Airport in Atlanta, GA. Speakers
include Melissa Kruger, a keynote speaker (wife of Mike Kruger, president of RTS/Charlotte), Tara Barthel, RTS/Global student, Sherry Lanier, wife of RTS alumnus Steve Lanier (MAMFT '88), Donna Dobbs (MCE '81), and many more. This year's theme is
"Vitally Connected to Christ, His Word, His Church." Click here for details. http://www.pcacep.org/LT-2015/ | | | | RTS FACULTY MAKE PRESENTATIONS AT ETS NATIONAL MEETING | | The Evangelical Theological Society's annual meeting was held in San Diego, Calif., Nov. 19 - 21. Chancellor Ligon Duncan presented "Confessional Calvinism: Embracive of Evangelicalism," see outline here. He also participated in a panel discussion. Dr. Reggie Kidd presented "A Biblical Studies Response" and participated in a panel discussion. Dr. Don Fortson presented "Old New Calvinism: The New School Presbyterian Spirit."
Dr. Peter Lee presented "Psalm 110 Reconsidered: A Canonical Analysis in support of a New Testament Hermeneutic." Dr. Chad Van Dixhoorn presented "The Contest for a Presbyterian Polity in an Ecclesiological Century." | | | | STAFF PROFILE: JOANN LEWIS | ![]() Joanne has been the administrative assistant for RTS/Memphis for 4 1/2 years and her husband, Brian, is the executive director of this campus. They have been on staff with Campus Outreach for 25 years and have 3 children. Joann grew up in
Mobile, Alabama, and graduated from the University of Montevallo with a bachelor's degree in marketing. Currently, Joanne is pursuing her Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies and enjoys teaching a mentor training she developed for the church and
speaking for women’s retreats. She has no idea what she would do with free time on her hands, but would love to find out one day. She has traveled to almost all of the seven continents, with Antarctica last on the list. |
| | Alyson Averitt (MABS '05) | | Alyson is the women's ministry coordinator for Providence Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas. She was recently featured for Dr. Mike Kruger's
'Where Are They Now?' series on his blog. Read the interview here. | | | | Rice Broocks (MATS '94) | ![]() Rice is the author of God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty and is senior minister at Bethel World Outreach Church in Nashville where he provides oversight for this multi-ethnic, multisite church, meeting in locations in Middle
Tennessee, Texas, and Arizona. He also holds a doctorate in missiology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. He lives in Franklin, Tenn, with his wife Jody and their five children. | | | | Victor Cruz (M.Div. '97) | | Victor, an RTS D.Min. student, planted Redeemer/Mexico City (El Redentor) in Mexico. Their first daughter church will be
planted next year in Iztapalapa. Recently they hosted a meeting for several organizations fighting human trafficking. They also help the Street Children Ministry and will celebrate Christmas at their church with a group of 30 kids. They are also
working together with church members to raise funds for a prosthetic leg for a young lady who has been waiting for it for over a year in a children's home. Victor and his wife Teresa ask for prayer "for the social distress that we are facing
in Mexico," and "that the church of Christ will be a light in the midst of darkness." | | | | Josh Grover (MAC '07) | | Josh is the director of counseling services at Beacon College in Leesburg, Fla. He also has a private practice in Maitland called Abundant Life Counseling. | | | | Curt Heffelfinger (D.Min. '98) | ![]()
Curt is the pastor of Orlando Grace Church in Orlando, Fla. His wife Nancy is a wellness consultant. He recently spoke in chapel at RTS/Orlando on “The All-Sufficiency of Christ in the
Midst of Trials.” He mentioned his trials of cancer and the loss of his first born son, and referenced 2 Corinthians 12. In November, The Joshua Place Playground was completed (pictured above at the opening) with the help of church members. The playground
was constructed in memory of his son Josh and also refers to Joshua 1:9. Curt and Nancy also have a son Joel. Follow Curt's blog here. | | | | Mike Kuhn (M.Div. '00) | ![]()
Mike and Stephanie have been in Knoxville since late August enjoying the fall season, and have been at work on joining World Outreach and packing their house to sell. They are on schedule to return to Beirut in January 2015. They ask for prayers for
travel, for peace in Beirut and Lebanon, completion of the LEARN curriculum (an online ministry training in Arabic) and for the quick completion of the sale of their house (currently under contract). | | | | Tom Nelson (M.Div. '12) | | Tom is serving as interim pastor at Lucaya Presbyterian Church in Freeport, The Bahamas. He said, "Less than 15 months ago I was laying in a hospital bed, unable to move my
right side, I knew that the stroke could have meant that I would never have the opportunity to serve as a pastor, although I was brushing this aside to do things like re-learn how to tie my shoes and walk and write and use silverware. Rehab is no fun
but it's what you have to do when you're a stroke survivor...and you soon figure out that rehab is something you'll be doing the rest of your life, so you better get used to it. As rehab progressed, I began again to pursue a call at a church. And now
God has answered our prayer." The interim period will last six months. Please keep Tom and his wife Nancy in prayer for God to make known his will for their lives as they look beyond the next six months. | | | | Brad Ost (MATS '03) | | Brad is the theology, philosophy and religion librarian at the Robert Woodruff Library and has given generously of his time to assist the students of RTS/Atlanta. He wants
RTS students to be aware of the many online research guides that he has developed. The available guides are Biblical Studies, Exegetical Papers, Citation and Writing Style, Annotated Bibliography,Literature Review, Eastern Religions, Islam, Psychology of Religion, and Religious Studies. | | | | Jon D. Payne (MATS '98, D.Min. '04) | ![]() Jon launched Christ Church Presbyterian in Charleston, SC, on June 9, 2013. Their morning worship service attendance is now 170-180 and evening worship is 60-80. He is leading a men's Bible study using J.I. Packer's Knowing God and also
recently began a six-month men's leadership training course. The women meet monthly studying Ephesians ("Let's Study Ephesians" by Sinclair Ferguson) and weekly studying Jonah. A fellowship for young moms will start next month and a group
from a nearby university gather to study Paul's letter to the Galatians. Their second annual Charleston Christmas Conference on Reformed Theology will be held Dec. 5-7. The director of music is organizing and leading seasonal choirs and musical ensembles,
and his wife, a world-class violinist, regularly plays the violin in their services. Jon asks for prayer that God would raise up godly elders and deacons for their congregation and pray for resources to secure a strategic permanent location for them. | | | | Dale Robertson (M.Div. '09) | | We reported Dale being in a serious car accident several weeks ago where a 10-year-old passed away in the other car and now a 34-year-old in
the other car has also passed away. We asked for your prayers and wanted to let you know at last report, Dale was up and awake and planning to go home from the hospital. | | | | Dan Sartor (MAC '97) | | Dan recently taught a training seminar intended to help first responders understand pornography and sexual addiction. It was held at First United Methodist Church in Lawrenceville, Ga. The training is non-denominational and helps pastors, youth
ministers, church staff, volunteers, lay leaders and school teachers know what to say, what not to say, what to do and when and how to refer. The seminar was put together by The True Intimacy Project and Richmont Graduate University. Dan is the
director of counseling services at The Cooper Counseling Center at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Ill, and is the associate professor of psychology there also. | | | | David Wayne (M.Div. '95) | | David is the pastor emeritus of Gracepoint Presbyterian Church in Severn, Md. He was diagnosed with cancer in December of 2008. You may remember his blog, Jollyblogger,
which he ended in 2011. He is now home on hospice care. Please keep him, his family, as well as his church in your prayers. Listen to one of his sermons from Easter 2014 when he preached on "Our Resurrection Hope." |
|
On Monday, Dec. 8, at 11:00 a.m., Keith Getty will host a discussion on congregational singing in Grace Chapel on the campus of RTS/Jackson. Getty, an Irish composer has co-written (with Stuart Townsend) widely-used contemporary hymns such as: "In Christ
Alone," "The Power of the Cross," and "Speak, O Lord." Pastors, ministers of music and others interested in thinking together about the corporate worship of God's people are encouraged to attend. The presentation is entitled, "Hymns, Worship, and the
Christian Life." There will also be a time of discussion and Q&A over lunch at Patterson's Porch. The event is free, but please RSVP for lunch 
Dr. Mike Kruger, president of RTS/Charlotte is the speaker for the next faculty forum at RTS/Charlotte on Feb. 10. He will speak on "Is Inerrancy the Invention of American Fundamentalism? Why it Still Matters Today." It will be held in the RTS/Charlotte
Dining Room at noon. Lunch will be served. The public is welcome. RSVP to Tari at 
Dr. Tim Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, and chairman of Redeemer City to City, was the speaker for the John Reed Miller lectures at RTS/Jackson. He lectured on preaching and introduced and signed
his new book on prayer for a packed house at the Lemuria Bookstore. Click 
Christian Philosophy: A Systematic and Narrative Introduction (Baker Academic,
2013), written by Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen, was recently reviewed by Dr. James Anderson (upcoming in Expository Times). Dr. Anderson is an associate professor of theology and philosophy at RTS/Charlotte. He begins,
"Finding a reliable and engaging one-volume introduction to the history of philosophy from an orthodox Christian perspective is rather like finding an empty taxi on Hogmanay..." You can read the complete review on his blog 
"Hermeneutics for Contextualized Ministry" is designed to help prepare those who will be doing ministry in African American, multiethnic or urban contexts. Dr. Jarvis Williams serves as associate professor of New Testament Interpretation at
Southern Seminary and is the author of several books. The course will be held Jan. 19-23. Read more about the course 
The movie Interstellar opened in November. Watch the trailer .jpg)
Gabriel Fluhrer, senior minister of Shiloh Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC, and a Ph.D. candidate at Westminster Theological Seminary recently reviewed Dr. James Anderson's book titled What's Your Worldview on Reformation21.org.
Dr. Anderson is an associate professor of theology and philosophy at RTS/Charlotte. Read the review 
The Committee Discipleship Ministry (CDM), formerly the CE&P of the Presbyterian Church in America, will hold its annual training conference for women leading other women on Feb. 19-21, 2015 at the Sheraton Atlanta Airport in Atlanta, GA. Speakers
include Melissa Kruger, a keynote speaker (wife of Mike Kruger, president of RTS/Charlotte), Tara Barthel, RTS/Global student, Sherry Lanier, wife of RTS alumnus Steve Lanier (MAMFT '88), Donna Dobbs (MCE '81), and many more. This year's theme is
"Vitally Connected to Christ, His Word, His Church." Click here for details. 
Joanne has been the administrative assistant for RTS/Memphis for 4 1/2 years and her husband, Brian, is the executive director of this campus. They have been on staff with Campus Outreach for 25 years and have 3 children. Joann grew up in
Mobile, Alabama, and graduated from the University of Montevallo with a bachelor's degree in marketing. Currently, Joanne is pursuing her Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies and enjoys teaching a mentor training she developed for the church and
speaking for women’s retreats. She has no idea what she would do with free time on her hands, but would love to find out one day. She has traveled to almost all of the seven continents, with Antarctica last on the list.
Rice is the author of God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty and is senior minister at Bethel World Outreach Church in Nashville where he provides oversight for this multi-ethnic, multisite church, meeting in locations in Middle
Tennessee, Texas, and Arizona. He also holds a doctorate in missiology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. He lives in Franklin, Tenn, with his wife Jody and their five children. 
Jon launched Christ Church Presbyterian in Charleston, SC, on June 9, 2013. Their morning worship service attendance is now 170-180 and evening worship is 60-80. He is leading a men's Bible study using J.I. Packer's Knowing God and also
recently began a six-month men's leadership training course. The women meet monthly studying Ephesians ("Let's Study Ephesians" by Sinclair Ferguson) and weekly studying Jonah. A fellowship for young moms will start next month and a group
from a nearby university gather to study Paul's letter to the Galatians. Their second annual Charleston Christmas Conference on Reformed Theology will be held Dec. 5-7. The director of music is organizing and leading seasonal choirs and musical ensembles,
and his wife, a world-class violinist, regularly plays the violin in their services. Jon asks for prayer that God would raise up godly elders and deacons for their congregation and pray for resources to secure a strategic permanent location for them.