I do hope you have noticed the theme and date of our coming Grace Agenda conference. You haven’t? Well, let me draw your attention to it now. The details are filling out nicely.
This conference will be happening September 14-15 in Moscow, up in the chimney of Idaho. The theme of the Grace Agenda conference this year is Makers. This theme, Makers, centers around the inescapable fact that, because we are made in the image of our Maker, we are makers ourselves. Our making cannot be stopped. We make music and books and movies and cities. We make trouble. We make love. We make deals, decisions, and excuses. We lesser creators, labor in faith by grace from the One who first Made, or thoughtlessly and on impulse like dogs on a sidewalk.
If your first reaction to that last line was eewwww, then we think this conference would be of great benefit to you, and would allow us to explain ourselves. We have invited several speakers to expound on the different expressions of our making:
N.D. Wilson will be speaking on Trouble-Makers. Nate is the author of Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl, and the 100 Cupboards trilogy.
Toby Sumpter will be speaking on Peace-Makers. Toby is the pastor of preaching and pastoral care at Trinity Reformed Church in Moscow.
Justin Holcomb will be speaking on Love-Makers. Justin is the executive director of the Resurgence.
Ben Merkle will be speaking on Man-Makers. Ben is the executive minister of Christ Church in Moscow.
Douglas Wilson will be speaking on Future-Makers. Douglas is senior pastor of Christ Church. He is also the man behind the caricature in the upper right hand corner of this blog.
The festivities will kick off with a debate in conjunction with the conference on Thursday night, September 13, between Pastor Doug Wilson and R. Clarke Cooper. Cooper is the Executive Director of the Log Cabin Republicans, who advocate for the freedom and equality of gay and lesbian Americans. Issues such as conservative values, politics, and homosexuality will be batted around. The debate, sponsored by the student organization Collegiate Reformed Fellowship (CRF), will be held on the University of Idaho’s campus and promises something interesting for everyone.
Before the main conference launches on Friday evening, three pre-conference seminars will be held during the day. These include “Sex and the Pulpit,” A Men’s Seminar for Church Leaders led by Pastor Doug, and “Glory Makers,” A Women’s Seminar with the Femina Girls (http://www.feminagirls.com/about/), and “Culture Making 101,” A Seminar for Students hosted by New Saint Andrews.
In addition, for families that have students between 6-16 years old, New Saint Andrews College is offering several camps on Saturday that are sure to keep the kids engaged and entertained. The first is an art camp for children 6-12 years old and the second is a speech camp for students 12-16 years old.
In addition to the debate and student camps, Christ Church’s music director, Dr. David Erb, will conduct a choir concert on Saturday evening following the conference’s conclusion. You can expect an evening of glorious singing, skillful musicians, and Christian fellowship—all applications of the conference theme, Makers.
The deadline for early registration has been shoved back to August 17. We have lowered the conference price from last year to just $69 for the early registration and $89 for regular registration. As a thank you for your early registration, we would like to give you a free audio download of Douglas Wilson’s talk, “Pomo-Sexuality,” from last year’s Grace Agenda Conference.
Please see the Grace Agenda website for further conference information: www.graceagenda.com
Given the fact of our createdness (and our fallenness), we really only have two options. We can be Makers . . . or Fakers. If we are not being deliberate in our pursuit of growing in our understanding of what it means to make, we will be drifting toward the fakery option. And we already have too much of that.