Although I have lived most of my life in the state of Wisconsin—and have lived less than 30 miles from the Wisconsin State Capitol for nearly 25 years—I had never visited Madison’s most iconic building.
That changed on Feb. 4, when, as an individual member of IFCA International, I participated in an event sponsored by the Wisconsin Family Council’s Church Ambassador Network. It was the IFCA Pastors’ Day at the Capitol.
I recently made the decision to join the IFCA International as an individual, vocational member. It was not a commitment that I entered into lightly. And, quite frankly, I was not really looking for an organization to join! Yet I became convinced over time that this was simply the right and wisest thing to do.
For the fourth year in a row, it was my privilege to oversee The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry’s exhibit at the IFCA International Annual Convention. This year’s gathering of pastors, ministry leaders and spouses took place in Springdale, Ark., at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center, from June 24 to 28.
The 95th edition of the IFCA Convention drew roughly 370 in attendance. It began with a general session on Monday night and concluded with three final choices in breakout seminars on Friday morning.
A total of 525 people, many of them pastors and wives, registered for this week’s 94th Annual IFCA International Convention. My wife and I were among those who gathered at the Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter and the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Ky., as we oversaw the exhibit for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.
The theme for the conference was “Fight the Good Fight: Reclaiming Biblical Fundamentalism.”
There is a statement that I often heard from my mentor, Dr. John C. Whitcomb. It was humorous, but also profound—usually offered as a title for a photo he had just taken.
“The name of the picture,” he would famously say, “is, ‘There’s still hope!’”
Of course, our hope in life and death is ultimately found in Christ alone (Rom. 8:38-39). Many have come to appreciate the need for such hope in a more profound way over the past two years. “Christ Our Hope in Life & Death” was our theme this week as we gathered in Albuquerque, NM, for the annual convention of IFCA International.
Another topic that received almost as much attention as the main theme at this year’s IFCA International Annual Convention, which was held in Lincoln, Neb., from June 28 to July 2, was social justice as well as the related subjects of critical race theory, intersectionality and wokeness.
In this final installment of a series about the convention, I will attempt to sum up a great deal of discussion that occurred on this topic.
In the previous installment, I began to share a report on this year’s IFCA International Annual Convention, which was held from June 28 to July 2, in Lincoln, Neb.
The convention theme was “The Soon & Coming King—Biblical Eschatology.” Convention attendees ratified a resolution that complemented that theme, titled, “Resolution on Dispensational Premillennialism.”1
During the week of June 28 to July 2, I attended the annual convention of the IFCA International, where I oversaw the exhibit for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.
From Voice magazine, July/August 2016. Used by permission.
The members and churches of the IFCA International maintain their historical commitment to God’s Word, the Bible as the final and supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice. Morality is a matter of biblical definition, not subject to any cultural, social or political redefinition. Morality, when left to popular opinion, will drift from generation to generation, but biblical truth remains constant and absolute.
The Biblical teaching on issues of human sexuality and marriage is the final word regardless of what any human individual or human institutions, organizations or groups might contend. There is no authority that can supersede, countermand or preclude the teaching of the Word of God.
