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I generally try to read or listen to everything I can by D.A. Carson (except the real technical stuff) and I’m always wanting to think ecclesiologically with Mark Dever as a conversation partner (through audio files, books, and articles primarily).

D.A. Carson and Mark Dever answer questions (left click, or go to this page at The Gospel Coalition) covering the topics of church discipline, baptism, church membership, elders issues, preaching law and gospel, and other stuff. It’s really edifying and if you want to listen to a particular question, then after you download it you can find the particular question (listed below) by checking what time in the audio file the question is answered.

1. (0:00) – How do you love unconditionally those who commit crimes against you?
2. (1:03) – Is a Christian a saved sinner, a struggling saint, or both?
3. (1:12) – Comment in some detail on putting a date to your conversion
4. (2:07, 2:52) – Is there a place for a “biker’s church”?
5. (2:20) – How do Christians respond to lawlessness in the culture?
6. (3:30) – D.A. Carson’s motorbike story
7. (4:42) – Is the idea of “limited atonement” a helpful way of speaking about the atonement?
8. (8:23) – Should children be allowed to the Lord’s Table?
9. (8:49) – The New Testament practice of church membership
10. (10:00, 12:01) – Why is there more emphasis on membership than baptism if the NT seems to put the emphasis on the latter?
11. (10:57) – How do you respond to someone who wants to get involved in the church but doesn’t want to become a member?
12. (18:10) – 5 Things necessary for gaining consensus/agreement from people of different backgrounds; The issue of the age of baptism (about 22:00); also the infant-Baptist/believer-Baptist debate.
13. (29:49) – Do you allow Christians to be a member of your church when they have a conviction for infant baptism?
14. (30:49) – What’s the solution to the problem of the baptism debate?
15. (31:16) – At what point do you discipline a member who is not attending? What if they try to resign first?
16. (32:35) – Isn’t a church covenant pagan?
17. (33:20) – How would you do a new members’ class when your church is small? How long is your new members’ class? Is it available online?
18. (33:59) – Is it required that a member of a church should tithe?
19. (35:29) – Who should be allowed to preach? Who should be allowed to teach?
20. (38:25) – Ministry of women to the church.
21. (39:45) – Are elders to teach? Is there a category of “ruling elders?”
22. (41:35) – If you inherit an eldership that doesn’t conform to biblical standards? What does one do?
23. (43:16) – Mark Dever’s response to house churches and Barna’s book Revolution.
24. (44:27) – Sounding prophetic from the margins vs. from the center (i.e. McLaren, Barna, etc.).
25. (46:36) – What’s your view on the Puritan’s preaching the Law first and then the Gospel?
26. (53:55) – Is it a church if there are no elders? What is the bare minimum of what you can call a church?
27. (56:29) – The parable of the weeds and church discipline and the relationship between the kingdom and the church.
28. (59:24) – How do you treat the one under church discipline?
29. (1:00:00) – How do we understand progressive sanctification with little sins and church discipline? What about church leaders with certain sins they constantly struggle with?
30. (1:12:23) – How do you reconcile winning an idle person, excommunication, and having nothing to do with them?
31. (1:13:11) – How should church discipline exercised by the congregation as a whole?
32. (1:13:37) – How should we respond to couples living together attending church regularly? Applying for membership? Apply to get married in the church?
33. (1:14:47) – What communication is had with a disciplined ex-member to discern when to take him back into the church?
34. (1:15:42) – What do you do to help untangle a brother who is tangled in a particular sin?
35. (1:16:00) – Could you tell us what 3 books have most influenced your theological and pastoral understanding?
36. (1:17:50) – Where can you get D.A. Carson’s poems?

This is a cross-post from PJ Tibayan’s blog, God is Better than All.

Advertisement: Support this site by visiting Westminster Books. Even just clicking and visiting helps! It’s an excellent site for good Christian books.