Pepperdine Bible Lectures 2018

Teachers: Jacob Parnell, Bryan Schackmann Q: What do you get when you cross a Church of Christ preacher and a stand-up comic? A: Better punchlines than this one! Give your brain a break and come enjoy some all ages stand-up comedy. You'll learn absolutely nothing but you will laugh! (Notice: Laughs not guaranteed.)

Teacher: John Barton John will discuss his new book, Better Religion, and explore the following questions: How should Christians interact with followers of other religions? How would Jesus have us do interfaith work? Where are the lines between faithfulness and compromise?

Teacher: Chais DeMaggio A look into the research on religious trauma, and pathways to creating healthy and safe religious communities. After demystifying the subject of religious trauma this class proposes a transparent and inclusive approach to building religious community.

Teachers: Leonard Allen, Lauren White The Authority of Scripture in a Different Key: Incarnation and Sanctification The doctrine of Scripture’s authority and inspiration has tended to be distorted in two directions, the fundamentalist and the modernist. We propose an older view that is neither: that the Holy Spirit has sanctified or made holy the processes of Scripture’s incarnational production and preservation, setting these texts apart for the Trinity’s service.

Teachers: Leonard Allen, Lauren White Signs of the Times: Modernist and Postmodernist Readings of the Bible  Modern critical studies of the Bible tended to fragment its unity and question its historical accuracy. Postmodern approaches tend to deny the text any stable meaning and depend on the reader to create it—so now we commonly hear of “queering the Bible.”

Teacher: Esau McCaulley This session will examine New Testament passages that might inform how the police force ought to engage the populous. In the course of our time together we will analyze Romans 13, the ministry of John the Baptist, and the arrest and trial of Jesus, all of which have encounters with agents of the state.

Teacher: Rubel Shelly The church bears significant responsibility for hounding and humiliating gay people – thus leading them not only to be skeptical of Christians but to avoid and despise the church. We have been disrespectful in too many settings. Told too many denigrating jokes. Perpetuated ugly stereotypes. Can we reopen dialogue with the LGBTQ+ community?

Teacher: Andy Wall In every generation, God’s people must wrestle their way through a variety of faith tensions: pursuing justice versus practicing forgiveness; caring for personal needs versus caring for communal needs; prophetically challenging shortcomings versus pastorally tending hurts; enjoying God-given freedoms versus foregoing freedoms for the greater good; honoring time-honored traditions versus pursuing healthy innovations. Join us as we reflect on the wisdom Scripture offers as we navigate faith tensions, learning to hold a firm center and soft edges as we wrestle through challenging issues together.

Teacher: Mike Cope Mike Cope will tell stories that help understand who Churches of Christ are. Mike is Pepperdine's Director of Ministry Outreach. In addition to being the Director of the Harbor Lectures, he directs three Lilly-funded initiatives for Pepperdine focusing on: ministers, congregational leadership, and preaching. He was a senior minister for thirty years, and taught freshman classes of 300 for Abilene Christian University for fifteen years.

Teacher: Ron Clark Panelists: Carlos Isaziga, Daniel Jarchow, Addison Weaver, Brendin Williamson In Luke 10 Jesus encourages his disciples to pray for the Lord to ‘kick out’ workers into a field where the fruit is ripe; so ripe that the harvest is urgent. This panel discussion will explore stories from the ‘field’ as church and campus planters discuss the urgency of mission, evangelism, and outreach for Jesus.

Teacher: Monte Cox In a culture steeped in pluralism and the relativism it brings, what are some "points of contact" with our non-Christian neighbors? Can we still claim that the Gospel is unique?

Teacher: Bobby Valentine  

Teacher: Josh Graves Jesus' understanding and commitment to love is what separates him from many of the great teachers in human history. This session will explore Jesus' passion for love--including the rejection of lame expressions of love-- and what it means for us today as local churches seek to embody love in a culture bent towards shame, deceit, competition, division, and hostility.

Teachers: Scott Lambert, Jim Martin Spiritual leaders need encouragement to keep pressing forward in challenging Kingdom work. Approaches and tactics to wrestle with burnout, stress and anxiety will be accompanied by words of blessings, courage and prayers over each person in attendance. Both nights will offer practical insights as well as the feeding of each leader's soul. End the Harbor day with a time of encouragement to stay courageous in serving God and His people.

Teacher: Bobby Valentine

Teacher: Doug Peters  

Teacher: Zac Luben What might ministers learn from the ways poets view the world? This class will explore that question by looking at the work of Charles Taylor, Hartmut Rosa, and Andrew Root.

Teachers: Luke Norsworthy, Suzanne Stabile We haven't met anyone who doesn't want to belong or have meaning. Yet many of us seem to miss out on both. Drawing upon on timeless wisdom from the Living Word, Enneagram Master teacher Suzanne Stabile and Luke Norsworthy will discuss how to find both.

Teacher: Jeff Walling  

Teacher: Taylor Walling Restoration churches have always claimed to model themselves after the New Testament church. The church that started on Pentecost. The church that prayed and walls shook. The church that added to their number daily. Among the many characteristics of the Spirit-filled early church, future generations have to reclaim a counter-cultural unity, unceasing prayer, and a living witness to the world. We must disciple tomorrow's church in daily dependence on and communion with God's very Spirit, for the sake of all generations to come.