Journey

Presenters:  Ellen Davis and Telford Work
 

This conference, co-sponsored by Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, seeks to address important questions like, “How should Christians read the Bible as Scripture?” “How can the Church avoid misusing the Bible?” and “What does it mean for congregations to faithfully interpret the Bible?” These topics and questions will apply to pastors and congregational members alike. A reformed and faithful method of interpreting God’s Word is important to all of us as God’s Church.

For conference information, click on the links below:

• Conference Speakers
• Conference Schedule
• Conference Seminars and Workshops
• Conference Registration Information
• Download PDF of Brochure

Conference Speakers

Ellen F. Davis is the Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School. She is a native Californian, and her theological imagination has been shaped by the places she has lived and studied, especially the San Francisco Bay Area, Jerusalem, and Oxfordshire. Her degrees are from the University of California, the Graduate Theological Union, Oxford University, and Yale University.

A lay Episcopalian, Dr. Davis teaches and preaches on topics relating to the church’s use of Scripture. Her most recent book, Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible (forthcoming Cambridge, 2008), integrates biblical studies with a critique of industrial agriculture and food production. She has long been involved in inter-religious dialogue and has recently begun work to develop theological education for the church in Southern Sudan.

Telford Work is associate professor of theology in the Department of  Religious Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA.  His Ph.D. in religion (theology and ethics) is from Duke University, where he minored in New Testament and Islamics and distinguished himself by failing to attend even one basketball game.  He holds an M.A. in theologicla and bibilciat studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and a B.A. in political science from Stanford University.

Telford is the author of the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible:  Deuteronomy (forthcoming Brazos, 2009), Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Living through the Lord's Prayer, and Living and Active: Scripture in the Economy of Salvation.  His articles have appeared in numerous books, theology journals, and scholarly publications.

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Conference Schedule

Thursday, November 6

Friday, November 7 

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Seminars and Workshops

SEMINARS:  There will be five (5) seminars offered during the conference.  They will be offered at two different times.  The Seminars are:

The Neon Bible:  Journeying with Youth through the Bible - Rev. Gretchen Schoon Tanis, Adjunct Professor of Youth Ministry at Hope College

How can we read the Bible with youth and teach it to them?  We will delve into the ways the Bible can speak into the lives of young people today.

The Homiletic Imagination Reads the Bible - Rev. Tryge Johnson, Chaplain, Campus Ministries, Hope College

What essential role does the imagination play in reading the Bible while preaching to today’s church?  This seminar gives specific examples of preaching to a post-modern ear on a college campus.  We will explore ways in which understanding the culture of the hearer helps the preacher trust the imagination when reading the Bible.

Singing Scripturally or Scripture-really:  The Bible in Popular Worship Music - Rev. Ron Rienstra, Adjunct Professor of Preaching, Western Theological Seminary

How is Scripture used as a source in worship for sung praise, lament, prayer, and proclamation?  This seminar focuses on the musical repertoire emerging from major publishing houses as well as comparison to other publishers.  What is gained (and lost) when Scripture is sung rather than said?  What parts of Scripture are prominent (and absent)?  How does the Word not only reveal God to us but shape our response to God with it?

Scripture and Sacraments:  The Gifts of God for the People of God - Dr. Leanne Van Dyk, Professor of Reformed Theology, Western Theological Seminary

In the Reformed theological tradition, both Scripture and the sacraments have been affirmed as forms of the word of God. This session will first affirm that basic Reformed insight and will then investigate how these two forms of God’s word are mutually supportive. Scripture supports the sacraments and the sacraments support Scripture. The pastoral and theological implications of these deep connections will be explored.

Why Bother with a Theological Hermeneutic of Scripture? - Dr. J. Todd Billings, Asst. Professor of Reformed Theology, Western Theological Seminary

People use the Bible to do all sorts of things -- to find a new diet plan, predict future political events, and about everything in between.  What does it mean, concretely, to read the Bible in order to grow in our knowledge of God?  This seminar explores why we should bother to reflect theologically on what we bring to scripture and how we enter into God’s work in interpreting the Bible.

WORKSHOPS:  There will be two (2) workshops offered during the conference.  There will only be one (1) workshop time, so you will need to choose!

The Lively Sermon:  Refining Skills for Embodying the Word - Dr. Todd Farley  
Associate Professor, Communication Arts & Sciences, Calvin College

Scripture as Drama:  A Transforming Interpretive Model - Dr. Tom Boogaart  
Professor of Old Testament, Western Theological Seminary

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Registration Information

The workshop is $95 if you register before October 16 deadline and $110 after October 16th.

College and Seminary students pay $20 for the conference.

Friday's lunch is included along with two dessert receptions in the evening.

For lodging information, go to the Holland Chamber of Commerce.

If you are unable to register online, you may call 1-616-392-8555 x 167 or Fax your form to 616-392-7717.

Register online

Cancellation fee is $40 if you cancel 10 prior to the event.