November 2009

Dear Friend,

It was thirteen years ago that James Boice asked me to join the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. Dr. Boice had launched this bold initiative to lead a modern reformation, trusting God to honor His Word as it was lifted up among the Church. Looking back, I am excited both at how much has changed and how much hasn’t. Meanwhile, a sober assessment of our situation today will reveal both alarming trends and encouraging advances.

First, what has changed on the Christian landscape? Many of the trends that concerned Dr. Boice have only advanced in recent years. If anything, the evangelical situation in America is only more confused, worldly, and troubling than ever before. And convictions that were widely held a few years ago are openly challenged. These include the authority of Scripture, the doctrine of justification, and the atoning work of Jesus Christ.

While at the same time, we find that more people are paying attention to the call for biblical reformation. Especially among young Christians! We are experiencing movement in surprising places, including both traditionally liberal and fundamentalist circles. This is what we expect, since God always blesses His Word.

So, what hasn’t changed? Mainly, the Alliance! We have not swerved from a mission of promoting a biblical reformation in the Church. We remain at the very forefront of defending and teaching those precious truths. We are every bit as committed to the doctrines of the Reformation as we ever were.

Nor has the Alliance departed from its unwavering commitment to the power and truth of God’s Word. We believe that Christ’s Church stands on God’s Word through preaching, prayer, and biblical worship. We are just as determined to foster a renewal of faith and life of the Church through a modern reformation.

As a result of these convictions, we have remained committed to our joint ministry. Prominent among these is the broadcast ministry of the Alliance. Dr. Boice’s teaching on The Bible Study Hour continues to grow as our resources allow. Not as fast as we wished, but as fast as resources allow. The Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology just concluded on the topic of justification and we are releasing the book, Atonement, next year.

In short, the vision with which the Alliance was first launched is alive and well, and we are grateful to the Lord for our privilege of continuing in this vitally important ministry.

So what has changed for the Alliance? The obvious change has come in our leadership, as God called home his faithful servant Dr. Boice in 2000. But I know that he was excited about the young leadership the Lord provided to carry on the ministry.

Most of the changes take the form of new ways of carrying on the old work. Just as Dr. Boice was convinced that the exposition of Scripture should be our first priority, we have emphasized this with the old and the addition of new broadcast ministries. Thanks to the generous support of Friends of the Alliance, folks just like you, the teaching of Donald Barnhouse remains on the airwaves.

Dr. Barnhouse & the Bible has been a great success. We have more demand for this program than we have funds to fulfill. Dr. Barnhouse was the founder of our parent organization, Evangelical Ministries. He also was Dr. Boice’s boyhood inspiration, and he remains a tremendously effective teacher of God’s changeless Word.

To go along with the teaching of Drs. Boice and Barnhouse, we have Philip Ryken’s teaching on Every Last Word and my own teaching ministry on God’s Living Word. And XM satellite radio now broadcasts The Bible Study Hour. We believe there is nothing more important than Bible teaching, and we look to the Lord to increase our outreach through these programs in years to come.

Thank you for your wonderful partnership, whether it has been for many years or you have just begun to support our work. We consider it a great privilege to serve you and a sacred calling to hold fast God’s Word. We hope to enter several new radio markets with our Bible teaching programs, but this can only happen through your continued partnership.

We are honored to be carrying on the work of those who have gone before us. But the need is urgent today! We are about $233,000 behind in our giving this year. Won’t you consider how you can be a part of our ministry through your financial support? There are opportunities before us, as well as dangerous threats facing the Church. This we know: God will not fail us, and he calls us to labor together for the sake of His Gospel in our generation.

In Christ’s Love,

Richard Phillips
Bible Teacher, God’s Living Word, and
Chair, Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology

P. S. Won't you consider joining the Alliance today for the sake of the Gospel.