Celebrity Pastor: Indecent Exposure? (Panel VI)

In our western culture, the church community needs to be careful as to how it raises up particular pastors who are influential beyond their local congregation. The church needs to give notoriety to those whose goal and focus is bringing fame and honor to God and not themselves. However, we need to be warned not to invest peculiar power and authority on certain pastors.


Speakers

C.J. Mahaney

C.J. Mahaney serves as the Senior Pastor for Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville and is the author of several books, including Living the Cross Centered Life, Humility: True Greatness, Don’t Waste Your Sports, and Sex, Romance and the Glory of God. C.J. and his wife, Carolyn, have three married daughters, one son, and twelve grandchildren. They reside in Louisville, Kentucky but C.J. cheers for his hometown teams the Washington Redskins, Nationals, Wizards, and University of Maryland basketball.

Carl Trueman

Dr. Carl R. Trueman is Paul Woolley Professor of Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is author of The Real Scandal of the Evangelical Mind and The Creedal Imperative.

David Platt

David Platt serves as pastor at McLean Bible Church in Washington, D.C. He is the founder and chairman of Radical (Inc.), a global missions organization that serves the church for the cause of Christ—to glorify God by making disciples and multiplying churches among all the nations. Resources from David Platt and Radical can be found at radical.net. Books by David Platt include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, and Something Needs to Change, as well as the following volumes in the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series: Exalting Jesus in Matthew, Exalting Jesus in James, Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, and Exalting Jesus in Galatians. David Platt received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Along with his wife and four children, he lives in the Washington D.C. metro area.

Ligon Duncan

Ligon Duncan is Chancellor/CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary, and John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology. Born in Greenville, South Carolina, and reared in a Christian home, he did his studies at Furman University, Greenville, SC (BA); Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis (MDiv & MA); and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland (PhD). Ligon and his wife, Anne, have two children. Ligon has edited, written, and contributed to numerous books, most recently including: The Gospel As Center, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Preaching the Cross, Fear Not: Death and the Afterlife from a Christian Perspective, In My Place Condemned He Stood, and Does Grace Grow Best in Winter?.

Matt Chandler

Matt Chandler serves as lead pastor for teaching at The Village Church in Dallas, Texas. He assumed this role in August 2002 after several years of serving on a local church staff and as an itinerant preacher. Matt is involved in church planting around Dallas and across the world through The Village Church and other partnerships such as Acts 29, at which he serves as president. He is the author of The Mingling of Souls, The Explicit Gospel, and Creature of the Word. He and his wife, Lauren, live with their three children in Highland Village, Texas.

Thabiti Anyabwile

Thabiti Anyabwile is the pastor of Anacostia River Church in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, Thabiti served as the pastor of First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman for seven years. He is a native of Lexington, North Carolina. Thabiti holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in psychology from North Carolina State University. He is the author of Captivated: Beholding the Mystery of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, The Gospel for Muslims: An Encouragement to Share Christ with Confidence, The Decline of African-American Theology, The Life of God in the soul of the Church, Finding Faithful Elders & Deacons, and What is a Healthy Church Member?. He is the happy husband of Kristie and the adoring father of three children. A former high school basketball coach and bookstore owner, he enjoys preaching, reading, sports, and watching sci-fi films.