If you’ve known conflict in any relationship and you believe the Bible, Peacemaker Ministries is a ministry worth knowing about. Ken Sande, the organization’s founder, has written several helpful books, including, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, Peacemaking for Families, and The Peacemaker, Student Edition: Handling Conflict without Fighting Back or Running Away. These have become first go-to books for conflict resolution in the world of Christian publishing. In addition to publishing, Peacemaker Ministries helps churches mediate conflict and settle disputes that might otherwise go to the courts.

Peacemaker Ministries also has a number of fine conference speakers that speak around the country. Two of them will be with us in the next several weeks.

Women’s Seminar: “Fear Not: Finding God’s Comfort For My Fearful Soul,” February 25

Tara Barthel, author of Peacemaking Women: Biblical Hope for Resolving Conflict, will speak at the Women’s Seminar this Saturday at DSC, hosted by The Orthodox Presbyterian Church of Rio Rancho. The event is $25 and will go from 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM.

Tara Klena Barthel formerly worked as an attorney and director at Peacemaker Ministries. Currently, Tara serves her family as a homemaker while regularly mediating and teaching on biblical peacemaking. To learn more about her speaking and conciliating services, friend her on Facebook or visit her blog at tarabarthel.com.

Here’s a description of the topic of this seminar:

Peace and rest are great concepts in the abstract—biblical, Christ-centered, even pleasant and healthy. But if we are honest, most Christian women do not experience much peace in their day-to-day lives. What hope is there for us to find true comfort in the midst of our worries? Join us and see how common your fears are—you are not alone! Be encouraged by biblical and practical ways to experience God’s rest even in the busyness of your life.

Visit the Women’s Seminar page to learn more about this conference and how to register.

Clarus Saturday Special Session: “Resolving Everyday Conflict,” March 10

Rick Friesen will be with us for a special Saturday afternoon session at Clarus, from 1:30 – 3:00 PM.

Rick serves Peacemaker Ministries as Director of Ministry Relations. He works with non-profit and denominational leaders around the country, assisting them in developing a culture of peace within their respective areas. He also does consulting and assists individuals and churches in conflict. Rick is passionate about helping people live out the gospel in their everyday lives and learn to treat others as God treats them.

Here’s a description of this session:

Are you weary of the conflicts and “difficult people” in your life? Every day is filled with conflict because ours is a fallen world. But through Christ, God has made peace with us and He’s making a people who know how to make peace. In this session, we will learn how to apply the Bible’s teaching to the challenges of everyday situations and so reflect the glory of our redemptive God. 

Visit the Clarus page for more information or to register for this year’s conference.

This is the first of two posts introducing you to this year’s speakers for Clarus. Register for Clarus here. 

Many of you are familiar with Dr. Carson, as this will be his second speaking visit to DSC. Dr. Carson was with us for Clarus in 2008 to speak on “Galatians and the Problem of Self Justification.” On the Sunday morning of that conference weekend, Carson delivered a sermon titled, “The Ironies of The Cross,” which is now a chapter in Carson’s excellent book, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus.

In this video, Ryan introduces Dr. Carson, along with Dr. Zaspel:

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There’s much to say about Dr. Carson, with his lifetime of writing, preaching, and encouraging the church in various ways, but here’s a short biography with links to several of his writings:

Dr. Carson (Ph.D., Cambridge University) is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He has been at Trinity since 1978.

Dr. Carson came to Trinity from the faculty of Northwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has also previously served in pastoral and itinerate ministry. Today he is an active guest lecturer in academic and church settings around the world.

Dr. Carson is co-founder along with Tim Keller of The Gospel Coalition, a network of church leaders and churches for the advancement of the gospel through the church. Dr. Carson has written or edited over sixty books, both academic and popular level. Several of his more accessible books include,The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story, A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers, and Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus. Resources by Dr. Carson, including sermons, articles, books, and video interviews, are available at The Gospel Coalition website.

Dr. Carson and his wife, Joy, reside in Libertyville, Illinois and have two children. In his spare time, Dr. Carson enjoys reading, hiking, and woodworking.

Click here to browse Dr. Carson’s many books and here to browse a library of audio files from sermons and lectures on a myriad of subjects.

Clarus is a Regional Conference of The Gospel Coalition taking place March 9-11 with speakers D.A. Carson and Fred G. Zaspel. Visit the Clarus page for more information or to register for this year’s conference.

In the weeks ahead of Clarus we will share a bit from each of four books that conference attendees will receive for free. One of our books, The Cross and Christian Ministry: Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians,  is authored by one of our speakers, D.A. Carson. It should be said, though, that this book is not a book written even primarily for vocational ministers but for all of God’s people.

In his review of Carson’s book, Bob Kauflin pulled together a number of memorable quotes under several helpful headings:

Replacing The Primary with the Secondary

“It is at least possible that we are the generation of believers who will destroy much of historic Christianity from within – not, in the first instance, by rancid unbelief, but by raising relatively peripheral questions to the place where, functionally, they displace what is central.”

Are we Drawing Crowds or Converts?

“If the church is being built with large portions of charm, personality, easy oratory, positive thinking, managerial skills, powerful and emotional experiences, and people smarts, but without the repeated, passionate, Spirit-anointed proclamation of “Jesus Christ and him crucified,” we may be winning more adherents than converts.”

Broadening our Musical Palate

“Must we have fights over church music? We should have the best, the most God-centered, the most truthful, the most edifying. But must it all be in one style? Is there nothing to be gained from wide exposure to the company of saints in many parts of the world who have expressed their adoration of the Savior with richness of hymnody we can never exhaust, but which we ignore to our detriment?”

Leaving the Gospel Behind

“Do not think that you can adopt the philosophies and values of the world as if such choices do not have a profoundly detrimental impact on the church. Do not think you can get away with it. Do not kid yourself that you are with it, and avant-garde Christian, when in fact you are leaving the gospel behind and doing damage to God’s church.”

The Inconsistency of Admiring the World

“It is idiotic – that is not too strong a word – to extol the world’s perspective and secretly lust after its limited vision. That is what the Corinthians were apparently doing; that is what we are in danger of doing every time we adopt our world’s shibboleths, dote on its heroes, admire its transient stars, seek its admiration, and play to its applause.”

Strategic Planning or the Cross?

“All of us need to understand the people to whom we minister, and all of us can benefit from small doses of such literature. But massive doses sooner or later dilute the gospel. Ever so subtly, we start to think that success more critically depends on thoughtful sociological analysis than on the gospel; Barna becomes more important than the Bible. We depend on plans, programs, vision statements – but somewhere along the way we have succumbed to the temptation to displace the foolishness of the cross with the wisdom of strategic planning.”

Clarus is a Regional Conference of The Gospel Coalition taking place March 9-11 with speakers D.A. Carson and Fred G. Zaspel. Visit the Clarus page for more information or to register for this year’s conference.

This year’s Clarus conference will take place on March 9-11. Our theme is, “The Cross-Shaped Christian Life,” and our speakers are D.A. Carson and Fred Zaspel.

Clarus is DSC’s annual theology conference weekend and is a Regional Conference of The Gospel Coalition. For a eight years now, DSC has invited out a speaker or two for a weekend of teaching to help us get our minds and hearts around an important theological truth so to better know God. This year’s theme focuses us on the question of the nature and shape of the Christian life.

In this video, Ryan explains this year’s theme, “The Cross-Shaped Christian Life”:

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Go to the Clarus page to learn more about Clarus and to register for this year’s conference.