Folks, we apologize for the lack of live blogging. There have been problems with the wifi at General Assembly. Still, tomorrow is a fairly important day and we will try and post comments or a running narrative of things when we can. It may not be via the live blogging mechanism, or it may.

At any rate, Tim Keller and Ligon Duncan gave a great panel talk about the PCA and why it is a good denomination. Here is a link to a paper from which Dr. Keller based his talk. (http://www.pcaac.org/2010GeneralAssembly/WhyILikePCA-Tim%20Keller.pdf) Dr. Duncan affirmed and added his own comments to Keller’s, which made for a healthy discussion on why the PCA is a good denomination, filled with people who love God, love Scripture, love the Church, love the confession, yet differ in minor areas, but need one another.

A few gems from Dr. Duncan:

I love the PCA because of its biblical instincts and emphases.

PCA has managed to keep the truth, telling and living of the Gospel at the heart of our life together. The Gospel is not something for the beginning of the xian life, but the entirety of the xian life.

We are doctrinal. It is vitally important for discipleship.

Without confessional being a loaded term, the PCA has not been afraid to embrace confessionalism in the best sense of the world. The PCA has always known that the best way to talk together in mission is to walk together in the message of the mission. The best to walk together in the message of the mission is to walk together with shared theological commitments.

I love the PCA because of its covenantal commitments. Infant baptism is rooted in a larger understanding of how God works through generations and works through families.  There are very few places where that can be celebrated today.

The PCA has been unafraid of being experiential.

One thing, from which many of us can learn from Keller and Duncan’s interaction at the past two General Assemblies, is that godly people can celebrate agreement. These two men are not only in agreement with one another on the vitals of Christian religion, but the overwhelming majority of the tenants of the reformed faith. In comparison to their commitments, their disagreements are slight. They both acknowledged this, but maintained respect and love for one another, while celebrating agreement. Dr. Duncan made it a point that, many times, we treat people outside the PCA better than people within the PCA. He used his own friendships with Piper, Grudem and Dever as an example.

I think we, who are committed to the PCA could take away a good lesson from their interactions as we seek to work together to fulfill the mission of God’s church together.