“This creation in its maintenance and government proclaim the majesty of the divine nature.” –John of Damascus
Schedule & Program
As a “working” conference, the format of this event is designed to forthrightly and honestly present both the weight and division in the current discussion and the need for clarity, humility, and the parameters of mere orthodoxy, A “working” conference cultivating clarity, humility, and mere orthodoxyall of which are important for developing innovative future research projects and in providing public guidance to the church.
The full schedule of each conference will include: (1) Two full days, each consisting of 4 papers. Papers will circulated before the conference with the expectation that all participants will have read and reflected on them. Our time together can thus be invested in a short time of formal setup and response (30-40 minutes) followed by an extended time of discussion and interaction with the audience (50-60 minutes). (2) Each evening will conclude with an evening banquet and keynote address. (3) The conference will end with round-table disciplinary discussions, considering potential research and curricular ideas and implications. Throughout the conference, our aim is not only to catalyze the doctrine of creation within the Evangelical community, but also lay the foundation for an Evangelical Confession on the doctrine of creation.
Program Overview
Below is a list of the titles, speakers, and respondents, as well as the sequence of the conference. For complete abstracts and papers, visit the Dabar Papers page (locked for conference participants only).
WEDNESDAY
Evening Banquet, Greg Waybright
“Reading Genesis in Church: Some Pastoral Reflections along the Way”
THURSDAY
Session 1: “The Importance of the Ancient Near Eastern Context
for Biblical Exegesis and Its Methodological Issues”
Paper: K. Lawson Younger
Respondents: John Walton, Daniel Treier
Session 2: Understanding the Evidence: Interpreting Genesis in Ancient Near Eastern Context
Paper: Dick Averbeck
Respondents: John Hilber, Marc Cortez
Session 3: “Genesis 1 — 3: Not Maximalist, Not Minimalist, but Seminal”
Paper: D. A. Carson
Respondents: Phil Long, Hans Madueme
Session 4: “Reading Genesis 1 — 11 in Social and Biblical Context”
Paper: C. John Collins
Respondents: Tremper Longman, J. Richard Middleton
Evening Banquet, Kevin Vanhoozer
“Matter Matters; Scripture Matters More; Creation By, Through, and For Christ Matters Most”
FRIDAY
Session 5: “What I Wish I’d Asked Dr. Henry: What Scientists Wish
Theologians Knew…and Why Scientists Need Theology”
Presentation: Jeff Hardin
Respondents: Robert Barrett, Richard Lints
Session 6: “’Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My’:
Evolution’s Purported Challenges to Theism”
Presentation: Jeff Schloss
Respondent: Paul Copan
Session 7: “Facts and Theories in Science and Theology —
Implications for the Knowledge of Human Origins”
Paper: Lydia Jaeger
Respondents: John Bloom, Jim Stump
Session 8: “Genesis, Science, and Scriptural Authority at Old Princeton”
Paper: Bradley Gundlach
Respondents: Kirsten Birkett, Steve Lemke
Evening Banquet, Michael Murray
“Bookkeeping: Reconciling God’s Words and Works”