Every year we host four seminars at SBL/AAR/IBR, as well as our Annual Meal. And every year proves to be a time of rich dialogue, relationship building, and collegial celebration. The seminars and meal for 2023 – not to mention the countless conversations had over coffee and between events – were no exception.
“My highlight was the creative dialogue that happened in the seminars, and then spilled out into the hallways, and then kept continuing into the coffee areas, and kept popping up all through the KLC dinner. When what you are doing thousands of miles away matters to other scholars, and sharpens their scholarship, and vice versa, and involves both academic and personal revelation, you know it has been true gift.“
– Dr Julie Canlis –
The weekend began and ended with the four Scripture Collective Seminars, and we are deeply grateful to all presenters and attendees at each seminar – the papers given were rigorous and stimulating, and the attendance at all four seminars was engaged and encouraging. On the first day of the conference we began with The Scripture and Doctrine Seminar, which explored the theme of Figural Christology and the Doctrine of the Atonement, followed by The Scripture and Church Seminar with their theme of The Discipleship of the Ecclesiastical Calendar: The Nexus between Scripture, Time, and Anthropology. And on the final day The Scripture and University Seminar presented A Critical Engagement with Christopher Watkin’s work Biblical Critical Theory, and culminated in The Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar’s Scripture, Memory and Formation.
Thank you to the committees and chairs for four truly excellent seminars. As a research centre wanting to do scholarship in community, rooted in Christian spirituality, we would also like to thank our chaplain, Rev Dr Susan Bubbers, for leading us in a liturgy during each seminar. For further details on all papers, as well as the liturgy we followed, download the full programme by clicking below.
“It was definitely a healing and inspiring experience for me. Being surrounded by such an amazing group of people was incredibly uplifting, and it inspired me to dive deeper into academic theology and biblical studies to explore God’s word and world even more.”
– Brandon Giella –
On the Saturday night we hosted our Annual Meal at the lovely Ruth’s Chris restaurant on the San Antonio River Walk. About 120 people gathered to connect over good food and conversation. A highlight of the evening was the recognition of various achievements and milestones as a number of attendees got up to share and receive gifts in celebration of recent books published, degrees completed, and jobs started. Dennis Greeson of BibleMesh presented their annual Trusted Theological Scholarship award to Dr Dana M. Harris for her outstanding contributions to the field.
“Gathering together for the Scripture Collective and the annual meal was a time of much-needed encouragement. The opportunities for conversation, following a paper or over dinner, helped recenter my perspective on the deep sense of community that is the heart of KLC. I am already looking forward to next year!“
– Dr Shawn M. Langley –
As 2023 comes to a close, it marks many things for me. Another year is finished in our lives, and we deeply need Christ’s return now as much as ever. We move into this Advent season to celebrate Christ’s first coming, and yet the world is still groaning for his second coming. In the Scripture Collective, we just completed another round of four wonderful seminars at SBL/AAR/IBR that were full of fascinating presentations. Also we have the second volume in the Scripture Collective Series now available in print. But new work will soon begin in 2024, just as the Annual Meal which was served in San Antonio, now is being planned for our KLC family in 2024.
Amidst these joys of our meal and our seminars, I am also well aware of the pain of many around us, locally and globally. This is the context of our work with the World Evangelical Alliance, as we help them respond to the question, what is evangelicalism? As our joint collaboration with the WEA presses down on us all to answer “what is evangelicalism?,” we do so amidst the turmoil of upcoming elections and ongoing wars, aiming to offer our own contributions toward Lausanne 2024 in Seoul. Therefore, for me, this final newsletter is an occasion for me to express the bittersweetness of this life … and may Christ come back soon.
Throughout the weekend attendees browsed, mingled and conversed in the Exhibitors Hall, and it was a delight to see many books from members of the KLC community on sale. One of the ways the work of the Scripture Collective and its seminars is produced is via the new Scripture Collective Series with Zondervan Academic. You’ll see the latest volume in the series, Divine Action in Hebrews and the Ongoing Priesthood of Jesus, on the publishers table in the image above.
The Series as a whole is an exciting opportunity, and we are very proud of the first two volumes. Please consider grabbing copies of Volume 1 (USA and UK), and of Volume 2 (USA and UK) – particularly if you have not yet got your own copies, or are wanting to give copies to friends, colleagues, and loved ones this Christmas. We greatly appreciate all of your support in this endeavour.
Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you in 2024!
To all of you who were able to join us for the Scripture Collective Seminars and the Annual Meal last month, we thank you, and we look forward to seeing you again in November 2024, this time in San Diego!
The Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge. Charity registered in England and Wales. Charity Number: 1191741
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