No, he is not running for political office, but Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr. is doing something so important, that if he is successful, the entire nation will change for the better — he’s “running” to be a faithful daddy and husband. And he is exhorting and training others to do the same. When he is not busy being a father, R.C. is about the business of writing, teaching, shepherding a congregation, and leading the Highlands Study Center, a ministry founded to help families lead “simple, seperate, and deliberate” lives for Jesus Christ.

What makes the mission and message of R.C. Sproul, Jr. so remarkable, is that he perceives everything he is doing as an extension and amplification of the priorities and teachings bequeathed to him by his accomplished father. My heart beats to the same drum. This is why I found the opportunity to co-labor with this dear brother at the 2004 National Conference for Uniting Church and Family to be refreshing and delightful.

R.C. understands honor. He understands priorities. Throughout his messages, R.C. emphasized respect for jurisdictions. It is no wonder, therefore, that the more than six hundred in attendance for the 2004 Uniting Church and Family Conference this last week were treated to many blessed strings of Christ-honoring, uplifting, and polished pearls from the lips of one of America’s great defenders of Christ-centered family life.

After his evening keynote, R.C. visits with conference participants. Here he shakes hands with long-time Phillips family friend Mark Weaver, who delivered to R.C. gifts of a honeycomb and honey from his family’s apiary.

R.C. addresses the general session and warns against the dangers of syncretism (mixing truth and untruth, holiness with worldlines, etc.).

Throughout the conference, there were many delightfully humorous moments. The consensus from those who spoke to me after the conference was that the fifteen-minute general session dialogue between R.C. and myself on the issue of paedo vs. credo baptism was the biggest belly-slapping hoot of the conference. Wow! What can I tell you?! If you were not there, you missed a little history in the making! You need to hear this one! (Tapes available later this month.)

Ten-year-old Darby Sproul gets an A+. When I turned to her during dinner and asked: “Well Darby, what have you been reading lately?” she replied: “I read Elsie Dinsmore, Mr. Phillips. Elsie is one of my favorites.” To which her daddy quietly said: “Good answer, Honey.”