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Bible Conference Wrap-Up

The Bible Tells Me So conference was a powerful step forward in articulating a Wesley approach to the Bible. Here’s a conference wrap-up essay. It includes the consensus statement and links to photos, DVDs, and more info.

Opening Comments

The conference began on the right foot. Northwest Nazarene University president, David Alexander, talked about Bibles he has owned over the years and their impact in his life. The worship team led participants in praise, and Bob Luhn led in our celebration of the Eucharist. Uniting around praise and the Lord’s Table set the tone for the conference.

In my own opening comments, I talked about the importance of our gathering and how we should conduct ourselves. I thanked scholars and pastor leaders who agreed to play leadership roles in our gathering. I talked about searching for harmony among diverse views of the Scripture.

I also shared a personal testimony. While hiking in the Owyhee Mountains in December, I was praying about the conference and feeling the burden of its gravity. Suddenly, I sensed God telling me to relax. I felt reassured that God would be ever present, ever working, ever convincing participants of truth. I felt comforted by this experience, and I felt God’s presence throughout The Bible Tells Me So conference.

Conference Elements

The conference included excellent plenary panel discussions. The opening night, Dick Thompson, Steve Green, and Karen Winslow worked through the conference five big questions. (I’ll write more about those questions in a moment.)  Brent Strawn, Marty Michelson, and David Kendall explored biblical preaching and teaching. George Lyons, Bob Branson, and Jeff Stackert fielded “tough questions about the Bible” on their plenary panel.  (Here’s a link to the post-conference press release.)

Among the conference highlights were the Friday afternoon workshops. Most were led by biblical scholars either working on or having recently completed a Bible book commentary. Other workshops explored the Bible as it relates to spiritual formation, the academy and church relationships, worship, preaching, and more. More than 50 scholars attended!

Randy Maddox’s banquet address was masterful. He talked about John Wesley’s understanding and use of Scripture. The crowd was captivated. (To get a DVD of Randy’s presentation, see this link.) Rob Staples responded to Randy, and he focused on the Church of the Nazarene’s current discussion about changing its article on Scripture. Rob was against changing the article, in part because its current form does not affirm absolute biblical inerrancy.

Some of my favorite parts of the conference were the small group discussions. On Friday and Saturday mornings, pastors led groups discussing biblical inspiration, interpretation, inerrancy, trustworthiness, and the Bible’s relation to postmodernism. The discussions were lively and productive! I enjoyed eavesdropping as I took photos. (Here’s a link to photos.)

Consensus Statement

Each small group – and there were about 30 – crafted short statements on the five big questions. (You can read each group statement at this link.) Randy Craker, Dick Thompson, and I took these statements and quickly crafted a general consensus statement. We attempted to capture the dominant sentiments from the groups…

Statement one:  "The Bible has its origin in the heart of God. God inspired the authors and inspires readers of Scripture across the ages. God uses the Bible to call us to faithful response."

Statement two:  "The Bible consistently witnesses to, reveals, and teaches the truth regarding God's purpose of salvation and holy life. It is consistently confirmed by the Christian community, empowered by the Holy Spirit."

Statement three: "The Bible is inerrant in what it does: the Spirit is at work revealing through human words the character and purposes of God to redeem, in Christ, all creation."

Statement four: "We interpret the Bible in a dynamic process. This requires that Christians interpret in community, in prayerful humility, and relying upon the Holy Spirit. Good interpretation is informed by the tradition, anchored by essential Christian beliefs, and informed by the best contributions of saints and scholars today."

Statement five: "Christians have always engaged and interacted with the cultures in which they live. Yet the essential message of the Bible remains consistent. Christians in humility endeavor to engage the postmodern world by listening to, speaking with, living among, and embodying Christ-like love to this generation."

These statements reflect a Wesleyan emphasis upon the centrality and reliability of the Bible to be used by God to offer salvation. They emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit to inspire original authors and present-day readers. They avoid affirming absolute inerrancy, while affirming a principal place for the Bible.

Very Positive Outcomes

The overwhelming number of comments after the conference was positive. Almost everyone seemed pleased with the event, although there is obviously always room to improve.

In a month or so, ten DVD recordings of conference plenary sessions and a few workshops will be available for purchase. These DVDs showcase some conference highlights (Here’s a link to an order form to get those DVDs.)

Dick Thompson and I are editing a book with the conference title, The Bible Tells Me So. The book has about 30 chapters dealing with books of the Bible, inspiration, inerrancy, Randy Maddox’s text on Wesley and the Bible, postmodernism, interpretation, and many other topics. It should be a GREAT book, and it will become available this summer.

Thanks!

I toyed with concluding this report with a huge list of people who deserve thanks for their contribution to the conference. Such a list would be incredibly long. So let me just mention a few. I appreciated working with Fred Fullerton and Michelle Kuykendall of the Wesley Center, Mark Maddix and my colleagues in NNU’s School of Theology and Christian Ministries, Dick Thompson and other conference committee members, the scholars and pastors who led workshops and group discussions, Randy Maddox and other plenary speakers, Daryl Johnson and College Church of the Nazarene, and many others.

For such a meaningful conference of reflection and inspiration, I say, “Thanks be to God!”

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Posted in 2011 under John Wesley, Holiness, and the Church of the Nazarene

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