Grace Bible Fellowship Church in Quakertown, PA will host its fifth annual conference as a partnered event with the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals on Nov. 9-10, 2012.

Alone. Standing without assistance.  Needing nothing else. The 16^th century Reformers swam against the tide of tradition, which they correctly understood was subverting what the Scriptures have always taught about the triune God and the means by which He saves sinners.  In response, they clearly taught that salvation was through Scripture alone, was in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, and for the glory of God alone.

What was troublesome then is equally troublesome today. As the Cambridge Declaration of 1996 states, “Today the light of the Reformation has been significantly dimmed. The consequence is that the word ‘evangelical’ has become so inclusive as to have lost its meaning.” The time has come to reassert fundamental biblical truth.

The 2012 Quakertown Regional Conference on Reformed Theology seeks to draw attention to the work of godly men of our past by returning to the five great solas of the Reformation. We are going to reexamine the Reformers’ commitment to these truths. Our desire is to see a return to what the Cambridge Declaration calls “the historic Christian faith” by drawing attention to what Scripture loudly, clearly and persistently proclaims about the Lord Jesus Christ, biblical sufficiency, salvation by grace through faith, and the glory of God.

Drs. Steven Lawson, Scott Oliphint, Derek Thomas and Carl Trueman will assist us by speaking on these five solas in the conference’s plenary sessions and three Saturday afternoon seminars.

Steven Lawson is the senior pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. The focus of Dr. Lawson’s ministry is the verse-by-verse exposition of God’s Word. He is the author of sixteen books, the most recent being Pillars of Grace, The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards, and The Expository Genius of John Calvin. Dr. Lawson is a Council member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and serves on the Alliance executive staff. He is a teaching fellow with Ligonier Ministries and a visiting professor at the Ligonier Academy, The Master’s Seminary, and Samara Center for Biblical Training  in Russia.

Scott Oliphint is professor of apologetics and systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He has served the seminary in this capacity for almost twenty years. Prior to coming to Westminster, Dr. Oliphint, an ordained pastor in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, was a pastor in Amarillo, TX, his hometown. He is the author of Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology and God with Us. In addition to these (and other) books, Dr. Oliphint has authored numerous scholarly articles. A sought-after conference speaker and lecturer, he has lectured around the world, from London to Jakarta to Hong Kong.

Derek Thomas is the minister for preaching and teaching at the historic First Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Columbia, SC and a professor of Systematic and Practical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and teaches in both Atlanta, GA and Jackson, MS. After pastoring in Ireland for 17 years, Dr. Thomas, a native of Wales, also served on the staff of First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS for 15 years. In addition to serving in the pastorate, Derek has served as editor of the Evangelical Presbyterian, a monthly denominational magazine. In 2004, Derek Thomas became editorial director for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and is the editor of its online magazine, reformation21.org. He has written or edited over 20 books, including Calvin’s Teaching on Job: Proclaiming the Incomprehensible God, Making the Most of Your Devotional Life based on the Ascent Psalms, and Praying the Savior’s Way, based on the Lord’s Prayer, and more recently, How the Gospel Brings You All the Way Home, an exposition of Romans 8. He has contributed commentaries to a variety of series, including Let’s Study Revelation and Let’s Study Galatians, God Delivers: Isaiah Simply Explained, The Storm Breaks: Job Simply Explained, and God Strengthens: Ezekiel Simply Explained. He also co-edited, Give Praise To God: A Vision for Reforming Worship.

Carl Trueman is Professor of Historical Theology and Church History and Academic Dean/Vice President for Academic Affairs at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He has an M.A. in Classics from the University of Cambridge and a Ph.D. in Church History from the University of Aberdeen. He is editor of the IFES journal, Themelios, and has taught on the faculties of theology at both the University of Nottingham and the University of Aberdeen. He has authored a number of books, including John Owen: Reformed Catholic, Renaissance Man, The Minority Report: Unpopular Thoughts on Everything from Ancient Christianity to Zen Calvinism, and most recently, Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative.

The Quakertown Regional Conference on Reformed Theology, which started in 2008, is a partnered event with the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.  The Alliance is a broad coalition of evangelical Christians from various denominations, including Baptist, Congregational (Independent), Anglican (Episcopal), Presbyterian, Reformed, and Lutheran.  The Purpose of the Alliance’s existence is to call and encourage the Church, amidst a dying culture, to repent of its worldliness, to recover and confess the truth of God’s Word as did the reformers, and to see that truth embodied in doctrine, worship, and life.  they are the sponsors of the popular Reformation 21 blog.

On Friday night, Dr. Steven Lawson will address the topic of Sola Scriptura and Dr. Derek Thomas will speak on Solus Christus. Saturday morning’s sessions will feature Dr. Carl Trueman’s address on Sola Gratia and Dr. Thomas’s message on Sola Fide.  Three Saturday afternoon seminars will be offered; Dr. Scott Oliphint will address the subject of “The Anatomy of Unbelief,” Dr. Trueman will speak on “We are Beggars: Luther’s Famous Last Words,” and Dr. John LaShell’s workshop topic will be “Sola Caritas, the Sixth Sola: Love Alone.”  Dr. Lawson will then conclude the conference by speaking on the topic of Soli Deo Gloria.

Friendly Bookstore in Quakertown will supply materials for the bookstore. Registration is available through The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals at 1-800-488-1888 or www.alliancenet.org.