The schedule for the Building Bridges Conference has been finalized. This historic gathering next month promises to be a wonderful time of fellowship, instruction, worship and encouragement. Here is what you get for $104.00:

• 2 evenings of worship
• 3 days
• 5 meals
• 7 sessions
• 19 speakers

One of the great hopes of the organizers of this conference is that those who gather will experience the joy and encouragement that come from having open, honest dialogue on important theological issues. God has entrusted His Word to us. The church is the pillar and ground of the truth. Too often, we have been guilty of either ignoring controversial points of doctrine or of using the Bible as a club against others in an effort to establish our own points of view.

Our Lord calls us to speak the truth in love. Christian brothers and sisters not only violate this admonition but also miss out on rich blessings when they refuse to speak for the sake of love and when they fail to love in the name of truth. Some people do not believe that Southern Baptists can discuss an issue like Calvinism without falling into one of those two errors. By God’s grace, this conference will demonstrate otherwise.

If you have not signed up yet, there is still time to register. Whether you are able to attend or not, please join me in praying that the Lord will cause this meeting to be characterized by grace and humility.

All sessions to be held in The ARC — Auditorium Recreation Center

Monday, November 26

3:00 – 3:45 p.m. Introduction — The ARC

Greetings from LifeWay Research
Brad Waggoner – Vice President, Research and Ministry Development
Ed Stetzer – Director, LifeWay Research and resident missiologist

Building Bridges Theme
Thom S. Rainer – President and CEO, LifeWay Christian Resources

3:45 – 5:30 p.m. Session 1 — The Historical Record

David Dockery – President, Union University
Tom Nettles – Professor of Historical Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

5:45 – 7:15 p.m. Dinner — Rhododendron Dining Hall

7:30 p.m. Worship

James Merritt – Pastor, Cross Pointe, The Church at Gwinnett Center, Atlanta, GA
R. Albert Mohler, Jr. – President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Tuesday, November 27

7:00 – 8:00 a.m. Breakfast — Rhododendron Dining Hall

8:00 – 8:30 a.m. Prayer Time — The ARC

8:30 – 10:15 a.m. Session 2 — Calvinism: A Cause for Rejoicing, A Cause for Concern

Malcolm Yarnell – Assistant Dean, Theological Studies; Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Jeff Noblit – Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Muscle Shoals, AL

10:15 – 11:00 a.m. Break

11:00 – 12:30 p.m. Session 3 — The Atonement: Its Design, Nature, and Extent

David Nelson – Senior Vice President, Academic Administration; Professor of Theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Sam Waldron – Academic Dean; Professor of Theology, Midwest Center for Theological Studies, Owensboro, KY

12:30 – 1:45 p.m. Lunch — Rhododendron Dining Hall

2:00 – 3:45 p.m. Session 4 — Theological Stereotypes: Let’s Be Fair and Honest with Each Other

Charles Lawless – Dean, Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Nathan Finn — Instructor of Church History, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

3:45 – 5:30 p.m. Session 5 — Election and Calling: A Biblical/Theological Study

Ken Keathley – Senior Associate Dean; Professor of Theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Greg Welty – Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

5:45 – 7:15 p.m. Dinner — Rhododendron Dining Hall

7:30 p.m. Worship

J.D. Greear – Pastor, Summit Church, Durham, N.C.
Voddie Baucham – Church planter and Pastor of Preaching, Grace Family Baptist Church, Spring, TX

Wednesday, November 28

7:00 — 8:00 a.m. Breakfast — Rhododendron Dining Hall

8:15 — 9:45 a.m. Session 6 — Panel Discussion

10:00 — 11:30 a.m. Session 7 — Working Together to Make Christ Known

Daniel Akin – President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Tom Ascol – Senior Pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Cape Coral, FL; Executive Director, Founders Ministries