2014 Theological Symposium: Summary & Reflections

Posted By The Helwys Society on Nov 6, 2014 | 2 comments

The Commission for Theological Integrity annually sponsors a Theological Symposium. On October 27-28, denominational leaders, laypersons, and students gathered at Welch College for the event. Papers generally centered on the topic of evangelism in the post-Christian west. By all accounts, this was a highly successful event, with more than 130 attending.

In this post, we’re first going to summarize the presentations, and then offer some reflections. Please let us know what you thought of the event as well.

Summary

a. Monday Evening

Phillip Morgan (6:15-7:10pm): “Let them be heretikcs, Turcks, Jewes, or what soever”: Thomas Helwys’s Seminal Argument for Universal Religious Freedom in England”: In his paper, Morgan articulated the important place that Thomas Helwys, the namesake of our site, occupies in Baptist history, giving special attention to religious liberty. Through the course of his paper, Morgan locates Helwys in his historical context, discusses his influence on Roger Williams and other voices for religious liberties, and presents Helwys’ understanding of religious liberty—namely, that it extends to all, and not simply Christians. Morgan concludes by offering this sober reminder, “An accurate history of the development of these concepts will become increasingly important as the United States wrestles with religious freedoms anew in the twenty-first century.”

Greg Hollifield (7:40-8:35pm): “Danger Ahead: Preaching and Teaching the Warning Passages of Hebrews, or, When the Plain Meaning of the Texts Contradicts Your Own Personal Theology”: Monday night’s session concluded with Dr. Hollifield’s unique paper on Hebrews’ warning passages. The subtitle of his paper nicely embodies the distinct frame of Hollifield’s argument. Throughout, he demonstrates his understanding of the proper way to preach and teach the warning passages, and further challenges those Christians who allow theology to drive exegesis at the expense of careful attention to individual texts.

b. Tuesday Morning

Jeff Cockrell (9:10-10:05am): “Provoking to Jealously: Paul’s Missionary Strategy”: Veteran pastor Dr. Cockrell read a paper in which he presented a distinctly biblical and exegetical perspective of the types of New Covenant questions with which the apostle Paul contended. Drawing on his background in New Testament studies, Cockrell helped attendees to see how Paul’s missionary strategy might inform contemporary perspective on evangelism.

Jackson Watts (10:25-11:20am): “Hearing the Gospel: Reflections on the Hermeneutics of Evangelism”: Watts presented a reflection on the topic of evangelism, specifically on how Christians can most accurately interpret its effect in a given cultural context. He began by considering what implications the doctrines of creation and the fall have on evangelism. With this foundation in place, he then explored evangelism in the context of what he dubs cultural logic, cultural capital, and cultural meaning, and in so doing considered the topics of language, power, and personal peace, respectively. Throughout, Watts aimed to make practical application of his topic so that we might, in his words, “be better equipped for evangelism in the modern world.”

c. Tuesday Afternoon

Charles Cook (1:00-1:55pm): “Twentieth-Century Evangelism: Exploring the Legacies of Lesslie Newbigin and Billy Graham”: Pastor Charles Cook provided an intriguing comparison and contrast of these two giants in the larger Christianity community. According to Cook, Newbigin’s understanding of evangelism and Christian faith in general tended to focus on the communal aspects of things, whereas Graham’s emphases tended to be on the individual.

Aaron Baldridge (1:55-2:50pm): “A Renewed Ministry Model for New Priests: Implications of the Priesthood of Believers for the Ministry of Evangelism”: Dr. Baldridge began by reviewing the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, tracing it through the Old and New Testaments. He then noted the functions of the high priest and priests under the Old and New Covenants. Upon laying these foundations, Baldridge discussed implications of this doctrine for evangelism and missions, all the while making great aims to couch his discussion in a FWB context. By way of example, he wrote,

Christians, whether they serve Christ full-time as a pastor, missionary, or local church support staff, or whether they serve Christ full-time as public school teachers, accountants, lawyers, constructions workers, or cashiers, must understand and live as Christ’s hands and feet here on Earth.

Eddie Moody (3:10-4:05pm): “Preparing Congregants to Survive, Thrive in, and Influence a Post-Christian Culture”: Finishing off the Tuesday afternoon session, Dr. Moody gave a compelling presentation on how Christians can live in a post-Christian culture. In so doing he (a) laid an historical foundation; (b) reminded attendees that retreat is not an option; (c) encouraged attendees to develop symbolic, personal, and community capital; and (d) spoke of the importance of becoming culturally competent. “[T]here are few recognized Christians,” he lamented, “in fields like journalism and the arts, or that work at major research universities where the influence upon the culture originates.” Throughout his presentation, he gave examples from Scripture and from everyday life, and he made application for how this might look in the context of influencing our respective cultures and sub-cultures.

d. Tuesday Evening

Mark Coppenger (6:30-7:25pm): “Evangelism in a Post-Christian World: Ten Lessons I Think I’ve Learned”: This year’s Symposium featured guest speaker Dr. Coppenger, president of Southern Seminary’s Nashville campus. In his presentation, Coppenger drew on his years of ministry experience, as well as his expertise in apologetics and evangelism, and offered attendees specific, practical insights in the form of “lessons” that he had learned over the years. Such lessons were designed to help Symposium attendees come to terms with what evangelism might look like in the post-Christian West.

Panel Discussion (7:45-8:40pm): For the first time in its history, the Commission sponsored a panel discussion at this year’s symposium. It included panelists Mark Coppenger (Southern Seminary), Rodney Holloman (Commission Member), Clint Morgan (FWB International Missions), and Barry Raper (Welch College). Panelists fielded questions on everything from culture to evangelism to apologetics to much more, speaking from their respective vocational and ministry experiences. Jackson Watts served as moderator. After asking several pre-prepared questions, Watts invited the audience to ask questions. For many, this was a highlight of the symposium.

Reflections & Conclusion

Commission members, consisting of J. Matthew Pinson (chairman), Kevin Hester (secretary), Randy Corn, W. Jackson Watts, and Rodney Holloman, spoke highly of the event:

• Pinson: “This year’s symposium was excellent. We had some good papers this year and were really delighted with our guest speaker Mark Coppenger.”

• Hester: “This year’s symposium featured a variety of high-quality papers ranging from preaching, exegesis, philosophy, psychology, and missions, all reflecting on the theme of evangelism in a ‘post-Christian’ environment. The papers were intellectually stimulating and spiritually challenging in a way that left the participants encouraged about the prospects for growth as Free Will Baptists move into the 21st century.”

• Corn: “In a day when many evangelical leaders are exerting great effort to ‘dumb things down,’ I was very glad to attend a meeting where real scholarship was on display. The theme of the Theological Symposium was evangelism in the post Christian west. Collectively, the speakers made the case first for evangelistic effort and secondarily for how today’s culture has to be taken into account. The crown of the conference was a paper by Dr. Mark Coppenger, which drew upon his experience as a successful church planter, as informed by his background in philosophy and apologetics. It was well worth attending.”

• Watts: “It was my pleasure to oversee our 2014 Symposium for the first time. The presentations addressed a range of significant and interesting topics, and this was no surprise, given the caliber of persons participating. I think those who attended were able to take away a lot of practical, theologically-faithful insights that will fuel them in their service to Christ’s Church.”

• Holloman: “This year’s Theological Symposium was unique in that it was not only my first time attending, but also that I was attending as a Commission for Theological Integrity member. I appreciated the men who presented their research for the depth of their work, but also for the emphasis on the effect they sought in our minds and behavior. Warm-hearted, high-level scholarship focusing on the glory of Christ and the necessity of rightly dividing His truth is always needed in today’s world. I am thankful this kind of scholarship was so well represented at this year’s symposium.”

In sum, this year’s Symposium offered a thoughtful balance of exegetical rigor, theological reflection, and practical relevance on the subject of evangelism. Perhaps as much as any Symposium in recent memory, the 2014 program left attendees and participants challenged with the conceptual issues surrounding evangelism, as well as the pressing call of evangelism in the Christian life and ministry of the church.

Readers are encouraged to follow the Commission for Theological Integrity’s work at www.fwbtheology.com. Next year’s Symposium will be held on the campus of Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College in Moore, Oklahoma. The event dates and theme will be announced in the coming weeks.

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