This conference is a response to the alarm that has been sounded by many Christian scholars over the past few years that the Old Testament has become “a discredited, and therefore disused book.” Today, even Christians that want to affirm the Old Testament often struggle to know what to do with it. But things have not always been this way. Beginning with the example of Jesus on the Emmaus road, the Apostles and their descendants in the Early Church taught the Old Testament as the substance of the Christian faith, a teaching which continued to enliven the Church well into the modern age. What difference did this make in their theology and in their lives? The Old Testament is, as the early Church rightly saw, a treasure-trove. And that which is hidden within it is, as they equally maintained, Christ himself. Wherever we find ourselves, and whatever our ministry, teaching the Old Testament as Christian Scripture is an indispensable part of testifying to the Christ who gave himself freely to the world. How might we go about teaching the Christian faith from the Old Testament today?
The conference, which includes breakfasts and lunches, will take place at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania from June 8-10, and costs only 150 dollars (100 for students and alumni). Note that if you are coming from out of town we will work with you to help you find accommodation.