Westminster Seminary California Conference Will Teach a Biblical View of Spiritual Warfare

Westminster Seminary California will hold its 2027 Annual Conference, “Spiritual Warfare: Strong in the Lord,” on January 22–23 at the seminary campus, 1725 Bear Valley Parkway in Escondido, California. The seminary’s published announcement frames spiritual warfare as a real but frequently misunderstood dimension of Christian life and states that the conference will address it through biblical and confessional teaching. The announced center is not speculative fascination with evil or sensational claims about unseen powers. Instead, the program emphasizes Christ’s decisive victory, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the believer’s call to stand firm in the Lord. Westminster lists four faculty speakers: A. Craig Troxel, Michael S. Horton, Bradley J. Bitner, and Joel E. Kim. The fuller program identifies their subjects in complementary terms. Troxel will address the weapons of the enemy; Horton will consider the armies of the Lord and the comfort God gives his people; Bitner will teach on the armor of the Lord from Isaiah 59 and Ephesians 6; and Kim will examine the flock of the Lord as the church awaits the Chief Shepherd. Registration materials set the event from Friday evening through Saturday afternoon, with pricing that changes after December 1 and again after January 1 if space remains. The conference is therefore a clearly defined, in-person Christian education event rather than a generic spirituality gathering. Its location at a confessional seminary and its announced focus on Scripture, Christ, the Spirit, and the church make it appropriate for pastors, elders, ministry leaders, theological students, and other adult Christians willing to travel from across the United States. Prospective attendees should use the seminary’s registration page for the current schedule, rates, availability, and any final program updates before booking transportation or lodging.

The practical value of the conference lies in replacing vague fear with a disciplined Christian framework. Churches often encounter language about spiritual warfare in pastoral counseling, prayer, preaching, and discipleship, yet the subject can drift toward extremes when it is detached from the whole counsel of Scripture. Westminster’s stated themes direct attention back to what God has accomplished in Christ and how believers are equipped to live faithfully. A pastor can use the sessions to refine the way a congregation speaks about temptation, suffering, perseverance, and the activity of the church without exaggerating what Scripture does not say. A ministry leader or seminary student can compare the four lectures, note how Old and New Testament passages relate, and identify resources for future teaching. An adult Christian can attend without treating the gathering as professional training only; the questions of standing firm, trusting God’s protection, resisting sin, and waiting for Christ belong to ordinary discipleship. Participants may benefit from reading Ephesians 6:10–20, Isaiah 59, and 1 Peter 5 before traveling and from writing down a few pastoral or personal questions to test against the teaching. The recommended companion book, Iain M. Duguid’s paperback “The Whole Armor of God: How Christ’s Victory Strengthens Us for Spiritual Warfare,” closely matches the event because it explains each element of Paul’s armor imagery while grounding Christian resistance in Christ’s finished victory rather than self-reliance. Its study questions also make it usable after the conference in a small group or leadership team. The reason to attend, then, is neither novelty nor anxiety. It is the opportunity to hear several teachers build a coherent, Christ-centered account of spiritual conflict and to return home with categories that can support sober prayer, clearer preaching, and steadier confidence in the Lord.