T4TG (PT 2)

I had the privilege to represent my home church (www.fbccarmel.com) at the recent Together for the Gospel conference (T4TG). The event took place in Louisville about 10 minutes away from Southern Seminary. T4TG was hosted by Al Mohler, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, and CJ Mahaney. They invited three of their heros (MacArthur, Sproul, and Piper) to join them for this conference. These leaders have an accurate understanding of the evangelical landscape. They know the gospel is constantly under attack from those outside the church and by some within the church as well.
John MacArthur encouraged these leaders to write an official statement affirming what they believe concerning the fundamentals of the faith. I’ve included the opening prologue below:

We are brothers in Christ united in one great cause - to stand together for the Gospel. We are convinced that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been misrepresented, misunderstood, and marginalized in many churches and among many who claim the name of Christ. Compromise of the Gospel has led to the preaching of false gospels, the seduction of many minds and movements, and the weakening of the church's Gospel witness.
As in previous moments of theological and spiritual crisis in the church, we believe that the answer to this confusion and compromise lies in a comprehensive recovery and reaffirmation of the Gospel - and in Christians banding together in Gospel churches that display God's glory in this fallen world.
We are also brothers united in deep concern for the church and the Gospel. This concern is specifically addressed to certain trends within the church today. We are concerned about the tendency of so many churches to substitute technique for truth, therapy for theology, and management for ministry.
We are also concerned that God's glorious purpose for Christ's church is often eclipsed in concern by so many other issues, programs, technologies, and priorities. Furthermore, confusion over crucial questions concerning the authority of the Bible, the meaning of the Gospel, and the nature of truth itself have gravely weakened the church in terms of its witness, its work, and its identity.
We stand together for the Gospel - and for a full and gladdening recovery of the Gospel in the church. We are convinced that such a recovery will be evident in the form of faithful Gospel churches, each bearing faithful witness to the glory of God and the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

2800 pastors and lay leaders joined together in this common affirmation of Christian unity. Of course their are many ungodly ecumenical movements that seek to downplay truth for the sake of so-called peace/unity; this is NOT one of those movements. Nate Busenitz posted some great thoughts on this very issue at http://faithandpractice.blogspot.com/ (see 4/25/06 post). It’s great to see Christians come together with a common faith and a common mission. Despite our disagreements over issues like tongues, believers baptism, eschatology, infant salvation, etc. we do stand together for the gospel.