The Bible Tells Me So

How is Scripture Inspired? In What Way is it Trustworthy? Is the Bible Inerrant? How Might We Interpret Scripture Rightly? Does Postmodernism Challenge the Bible?  

"The Scriptures are a complete rule of faith and practice; and they are clear in all necessary points." – John Wesley

The Bible plays a central role in the lives of Christians. Christians believe that God loves them, for instance, because “the Bible tells [them] so.” 

Christians differ, however, in how they understand and interpret the Bible. The Wesleyan tradition charts a distinct path by affirming of the supremacy of the Bible as God uses it to reveal what is necessary for salvation. With John Wesley, most Christians in the Wesleyan tradition think the Bible is “clear in all necessary points.”

Northwest Nazarene University's 2011 Wesley Center conference explores the importance of the Bible. The questions in the conference subtitle indicate directions the discussions will move. 

Conference participants investigate the ways Christians talk about biblical inspiration, concentrating on how Wesleyans view the matter. Questions of biblical inerrancy will be asked and answered from a Wesleyan perspective.  Participants ponder interpretation and the interpretation and authority of the Bible in a postmodern world.

The Bible Tells Me So features about 40 professional scholars of the Bible and theologians in the Wesleyan tradition. The wealth of knowledge and insight descending upon Nampa, Idaho for this event is astounding! 

The conference keynote speaker is Randy Maddox, considered by many to be the world’s leading authority on John Wesley’s theology and how Wesley regarded the Bible. Biblical scholars scheduled to attend include Kevin Anderson, Wendell Bowes, Laurie Braaten, Robert Branson, Dennis Bratcher, Randy Bynum, Frank Carver, Hal Cauthron, Joseph Coleson, C.S. Cowles, Jim Edlin, George Lyons, Marty Michelson, Mitchel Modine, Terence Paige, Tom Phillips, Dan Powers, Carol Rotz, Jeanne Serrao, Dan Spross, Jeff Stackert, Brent Strawn, Richard Thompson, Alex Varughese, Rob Wall, Rick Williamson, Karen Winslow, John Wright, and others.

Biblical scholars will offer conference workshops and plenary panels on a variety of themes. Some will explore theological insights in various books of the Bible. Many who will lead these workshops are currently writing commentaries. Others will talk about how to use the Bible when preaching, teaching, and in worship. Other biblical scholars explain recent trends and insights in biblical scholarship. Still others will address the tough questions that Christians ask when encountering difficult issues in biblical study.

A number of other matters highlight the 2011 conference, including

• The publication of the new Wesley Study Bible
• Recently published volumes in the New Beacon Bible Commentary series
• The 400-year celebration of the publication of the King James Bible
• The recent proposal to change article 4 on the Bible in the Church of the Nazarene Manual

The 2011 Wesley Center conference is February 10-12, 2011 at College Church of the Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho. The church sits adjacent the campus of Northwest Nazarene University. Conference check-in begins Thursday evening at 6:00p; the conference concludes at noon on Saturday. 

Those who register for the conference by September 30, 2010 pay $69 and receive a complimentary copy of either (1) Reading the Bible in Wesleyan Ways, edited by Richard Thompson and Barry Callen, or (2) All Things Necessary to Our Salvation, by Michael Lodahl, or (3) The Nature of Love: A Theology, by Thomas Jay Oord. Those who register between October 1 and December 31 pay $69 but do not receive a free book. January 2011 registrants pay $79. Those who register in February 2011 by mail, online, or onsite pay $99. Unfortunately, NNU cannot refund canceled registrations after January 31.

The Bible Tells Me So registration fee includes conference materials, a formal Friday night banquet, and morning refreshments on Friday and Saturday. Pastors may also register in advance with the university for complimentary continuing education units (CEUs). The university has also arranged discounted conference rates for accommodations at area hotels.