Reading the Bible as One Grand Story

Reading the Old Testament and the New Testament with a focus on how each taken together tell one grand story of redemption will be the focus of a conference coming up on November 20-21 at Calvin Theological Seminary.

The conference will emphasize the need for preachers, educators, and church members to read the Bible through the "lens" of being missional -- that is, how important it is for everyone to join God in his mission to bring his kingdom to all of creation.

“Mission is not simply a peripheral theme in the biblical story. Rather, it is a central thread in the biblical writings and central to the identity of the church. Thus, a missional hermeneutic is a way of reading Scripture in which mission is a central interpretive key that unlocks the whole narrative of Scripture,” says information about the conference story on the CTS website.

Titled  “A Missional Reading of Scripture,” the conference will explore what it might mean to the life of the church by reading, interpreting  and living out mission in this way.

Speakers will include a range of experts and authors:

• Christopher Wright, International Ministries Director of the Langham Partnership, a group of ministries that provide evangelical theological education to many countries.Wright will give a free lecture to the general public at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19 at Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids.
   
• Michael Goheen, Professor of Missional Theology, Newbigin House of Studies, San Francisco and Jake and Betsy Tuls Professor of Missiology, Calvin Theological Seminary.
   
• N.T. “Tom” Wright, Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at University of St. Andrews.
   
• Darrell Gude, Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Several workshops will be presented under the three topics:, including "A missional Hermeneutic and Preaching," "A Missional Hermeneutic and the Local Congregation," and "Theological Reflection on a Missional Hermeneutic."

General registration for the conference is $70 and $30 for students. The registration deadline is Tuesday, November 12.

Besides CTS, sponsors of the conference include the Institute for Global Church Planting and Renewal, Christian Reformed Home Missions, Newbigin House of Studies, The Gospel and Our Culture Network, and Logos Bible Software.