a conference for
graduate students,
faculty, and
professionals

The followers of Jesus are rightly described as "people of the Book." In this non-disciplinary track at Following Christ 2002, we will examine the meaning of this inheritance by unraveling three related strands:

• What has been the place of the Bible historically in the life of believers and their cultures? What can we learn about our own attitudes toward the Word by considering how the Jewish and Christian community has read and used the Bible over the centuries?

• What are the stakes involved in current debate about methods of textual study and interpretation? What hermeneutical techniques for individual and group Bible study might be freshly effective for us? Does Jesus the Teacher have a word for us in these days of both biblical controversy and apathy?

• What roles can the Bible play in our spiritual formation? What spiritual disciplines involving Scripture will deepen our relationship with God, our self-understanding, and our practice of discipleship in the pursuit of our calling?

It's not rare for one of these strands to be covered by a Christian retreat or conference, but rarely are all three brought together. In the People of the Book track at Following Christ, we will devote attention to all three approaches to Bible study — historical, methodological, and spiritual-formational — to see what light each sheds on the others and on our journey of faith.