Today, I am heading to Denver for the 70th meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. ETS is one of the world’s largest gatherings of evangelical scholars. This year’s theme is “the Holy Spirit.”
As some of you may know, this year I am serving as the president-elect of the society (next year I am president) and thus I had the privilege of inviting all the plenary speakers. And we have a great lineup ahead.
Given the potential breadth of this year’s theme, the meeting has been designed to explore the Holy Spirit from multiple angles. Most naturally, of course, this theme will be studied from a theological perspective. But, it will also be studied from a historical/ecclesiastical perspective, as well as from an exegetical/biblical one.
The plenary speakers have been chosen to reflect each of these perspectives on the theme. Addressing the Holy Spirit theologically is Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary in California, and author of numerous theological works including Rediscovering the Holy Spirit (2017).
Addressing the Holy Spirit historically is Michael Haykin, Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and author of numerous works in church history including Empire of the Holy Spirit (2010).
Addressing the Holy Spirit exegetically is Craig Keener, the F.M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary, and author of numerous commentaries including the massive four-volume series on Acts with Baker Academic (2012-2015).
In addition to the plenaries, I chair (along with Stan Porter) the ETS program unit entitled, NT Canon, Textual Criticism, and Apocryphal Literature. We have a great line up this year, both for our open session and invited session:
2018 Invited Session (Thursday, 1-4:10 PM)
Theme: “The Holy Spirit and NT Canon, Textual Criticism, and Apocryphal Literature”
Moderator: Michael J. Kruger, Reformed Theological Seminary
Carlton Wynne (Westminster Theological Seminary): Spirit and Word: A ‘Pentecostal’ Case for the Closed Canon of Scripture
Maurice Robinson (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary): Absent from the Handbooks? The Role of the Holy Spirit in New Testament Textual Criticism
Craig Blomberg (Denver Theological Seminary): The Lack of Canon Consciousness and Spirit-Inspiration in the New Testament Apocrypha
Chris Thomas (Pentecostal Theological Seminary): Diverse Voices in One Accord: Toward a Pentecostal Theology of Canon
2018 Open Session (Wed 3-6:10PM)
Moderator: Stanley E. Porter, McMaster Divinity College
Brian Shelton (Toccoa Falls College): Apostle Stories after the New Testament: Discerning the Legitimacy of the Apocryphal Acts
Peter J. Gurry (Phoenix Seminary): A Book ‘Worth Publishing’: The Making of Westcott and Hort’s Monumental Edition of the Greek NT
Elijah Hixson (Tyndale House, Cambridge): How the Bible Was Copied in the Sixth Century and Why Singular Readings Don’t Tell Us That
Jonathan C. Borland (New Orleans Baptist): Inspired Editing or Scribal Corruption: Problems in Determining the Final Form of the NT Cano
If you are coming to ETS, I hope to see you there!