The ERLC National Conference, starting today (Monday, October 27), will address “The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage,” designed to equip Christians to apply the gospel on these issues with convictional kindness in their communities, their families and their churches.
They will address issues like:
- How do we effectively minister to those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender?
- How has the divorce culture impacted marriage in our communities and our churches?
- What does sexual faithfulness look like for a same-sex attracted Christian?
- Why did God create marriage and why did he design it for the common good?
- How should a pastor counsel a same-sex couple that wants to join his church?
- How can churches minister to those who are single, dating, divorced or celibate?
- How can Christians show the love of Christ to gay family members or neighbors?
The sessions will be livestreamed (free, but brief registration required) and liveblogged.
It begins today at 1:20 PM, Central Time.
The schedule of 20 talks and 5 panels—many of them relatively short in length—are listed below.
Monday
1:20-2:00 PM
Albert Mohler, “Aftermath: Ministering in a Post-Marriage Culture”
2:05-2:40 PM
Panel: Russell Moore, Albert Mohler, D. A. Horton, Robert Sloan (Phillip Bethancourt, moderator), “The State of Marriage in American Culture: Divorce, Cohabitation, Same-Sex Marriage, and Other Trends”
3:05-3:25 PM
Greg Smalley, “Building Healthy Marriages”
3:25-3:40 PM
Kristen Waggoner and Erik Stanley, “The Price of Citizenship: Can the State Compel the Church to Embrace Homosexual Relationships?”
3:55-4:10 PM
Glenn Stanton, “Loving My (LGBT) Neighbor”
4:15-5:00 PM
Panel: John Stonestreet, Trevin Wax, Lindsay Swartz, Eric Teetsel (Andrew Walker, moderator), “Millennials and Marriage: Evaluating the Young Generation’s Views on Sexuality and Marriage”
7:15-7:30 PM
Jennifer Marshall, “Now and Not Yet: Making Sense of Single Life in the Twenty-First Century”
7:35-8:00 PM
Danny Akin, “God on Sex: The Creator’s Ideas about Love, Intimacy, and Marriage”
8:10-8:40 PM
Sherif Girgis, “Better Together: Marriage and the Common Good”
8:45-9:30 PM
Panel: Kevin Ezell, Dennis Rainey, Carmen Fowler Laberge, and Heath Lambert (Daniel Darling, moderator)
Tuesday
8:50-9:30 AM
Russell Moore and Rosaria Butterfield, “Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert”
9:35-10:15 AM
Russell Moore, “Questions and Ethics Live”
10:40-10:55 AM
Christopher Yuan, “Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son’s Journey to God”
11:00-11:15 AM
Jackie Hill-Perry, “How Does the Gospel Equip Christians Who Struggle with Same-Sex Attraction?”
11:20 AM-12:00 PM
Panel: Christopher Yuan, Sam Allberry, Rosaria Butterfield, and Jackie Hill-Perry (Russell Moore, moderator), “Is It Okay to Be Gay? A Candid Conversation on Christians and Same-Sex Attraction”
2:30-3:15 PM
Denny Burk, “Is There Really a Slippery Slope? A Gospel-Centered Assessment of Gender Identity, Transgender, and Polygamy”
3:30-4:30 PM
Sam Allberry, “Is God Anti-Gay? Answering Tough Questions about Same-Sex Marriage”
6:50-7:30 PM
David Platt, “Marriage and Missions: How Singleness and Marriage Connect to the Great Commission”
7:35-7:45 PM
Lizette Beard, “Why I Love and Hate Being Single”
7:50-8:20 PM
Jim Daly, “Reconcilable Differences: Building Bridges with Those Who Disagree about Marriage”
8:45-9:25 PM
Russell Moore, “Slow-Motion Sexual Revolutionaries? Culture Wars, Christian Witness, and the Future of Marriage”
Wednesday
8:45-9:05 AM
Dennis Rainey, “Growing Great Commission Marriages”
9:10-9:50 AM
Panel: Steven Smith, Jason Allen, Thomas White, Randy Stinson (Phillip Bethancourt, moderator), “Preparing Next Generation Leaders for a Post-Marriage Culture”
9:55-10:10 AM
Ryan Anderson, “Marriage in Crisis: The Conflict between Sexual Freedom and Religious Liberty”
10:15-10:55 AM
J.D. Greear, “Preaching Like Jesus to the LGBT Community and Its Supporters”