Robert Hefner

Husband. Dad. Sr. Pastor @pgbc_nc.

[Matt Smethurst @MattSmethurst]

What good news.

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

[Matt Capps @MattCapps]

A few thoughts regarding social media related to the upcoming #SBC26.

1. Not everything you read on the internet is true. Some of it is. However, all of it has a slant or motivation behind it. Let the reader understand.

2. Some people post with a genuine desire to contribute and steward the conversation. Some people post to draw attention to themselves. If possible, know the difference. Also, acknowledge that both cases are probable. See C.S. Lewis’ poem, “As The Ruin Falls.”

3. If you use an anonymous source, verify it with multiple sources. If the information you share is obtained from an external source that is not directly involved in the primary relationship or entity concerned, verify the information. If you need discernment for either, reference the Code of Conduct for Associated Press.

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

@ErikReed So sad to see all the deconstruction from artists I grew up listening to as a teen.

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

@PastorCroft Yes. And, it takes intentional, structured shifts in planning and commitment to reverse it.

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

@amuse @NancyRPearcey Unconscionable

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

@aaronpswain @BlueCrossNC

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

@ErikReed @EricTeetsel Great episode as always.

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

@Brooke_Medina_ I’ll bet I could guess which reporter

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

@jaredcornutt Keep the ESV, consult the NIV, cut NASB

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

@palmbeachd Been ugly this year too many times

[Sola Media @solamediaorg]

“There's this big crossbar over the entrance to the cemetery, and it just says in all capital letters, AND THE DEAD SHALL BE RAISED.”

— @BenSasse

[XX-XY Athletics @xx_xyathletics]

We can’t outspend the ACLU.

But we can out-share them.

Women’s sports are worth it.

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

@lukedsimmons So good.

[Shane Pruitt @shane_pruitt78]

I know we’re not supposed to think reasonably. But, if your organs don’t determine your gender, then how does removing them change your gender?

[Cats Coverage @Cats_Coverage]

Retweet if you also just got a technical foul called on you.

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

@ErikReed Wow. Fascinating. Frightening. Infuriating. May God guide us to the way out.

[Andrew T. Walker @AndrewTWalker]

What Genesis 1 affirms and Romans 1 condemns,
is not for the Supreme Court to weigh or bend.

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

[Dana Dill @DanaGDill]

It seems @RebeccMcLaugh stirred things up recently by suggesting that preachers should use more illustrations. Those who commended it, like @lukedsimmons, took fire too.

Critiques are fine, but, sadly, many of them were laced with condescension unbecoming of believers.

A common objection (especially from Reformed or theologically serious corners) was that illustrating every five minutes turns a sermon into a TED Talk and demonstrates worldliness.

I'd like to offer three reasons to reconsider that assumption:

1. It misunderstands what an illustration is.

Many critics assumed “illustration” means “long story.” It doesn’t. An illustration is simply a device (e.g. analogy, example, or story) that makes meaning clearer. They can take 5 seconds or 5 minutes. Like flashlights, they differ in size, not purpose: to shed light.

2. It confuses abuse with disuse.

Yes, illustrations get abused. Some are cheesy, manipulative, or overcooked. But abusus non tollit usum (i.e. abuse doesn’t negate proper use). Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. The fact that illustrations can be done poorly doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be done at all.

3. It forgets our own tradition.

Ironically, some Reformed-leaning criticism comes from people whose own heritage is rich with illustration. Spurgeon dedicated an entire lecture to it in "Lectures to My Students." Calvin’s Institutes are full of them. And Thomas Watson can barely go five sentences, let alone five minutes, without one. (See page one of his Body of Divinity.)

In short: when done in service of the text, illustrations aren’t signs of compromise. They’re good tools the best of our Protestant tradition embraced because they help people see what the Scriptures say. Preaching without illustrations is like handing someone a map in the dark. The truth is there, but a little light doesn't hurt.

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

@lukedsimmons @ronniep @ErikReed Two great guys!

[Robert Hefner @RobertHefner]

@lukedsimmons @rdhasler