“Dispensationalism and Literal Interpretation” will be the topic of discussion at Grace Theological Seminary this week as the school hosts the annual meeting of the Council on Dispensational Hermeneutics. Beginning Wednesday, sessions will be held in Room 147 of the William Male Center for Seminary and Graduate Counseling (999 College Avenue) and Westminster Hall (105 9th Street) on the campus of Grace College and Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind. (See schedule below for specific locations.)
In addition to Grace Seminary faculty who participate, Grace Brethren pastors Keith Shearer (Myerstown, Pa.) and Bruce Barlow (Winona Lake, Ind.) are part of the Thursday evening Pastor’s Panel.
Wednesday, September 14
All sessions today prior to the 7:00 pm session are held in the William Male Center for Seminary and Graduate Counseling, Room 147.
8:30 am Opening Session
- Welcome from Grace Seminary
- Introduction of the Steering Committee
- Opening statement and review of schedule – Mike Stallard
- Opening Prayer
9:00 am
- Mark McGinniss, Baptist Bible Seminary, “Is ‘Literal’ Literally the Best Term for Dispensationalists Going Forward?”
- Thomas Baurain, Calvary University, “How Literal is Literal?”
10:00 am Break
10:15 am
- Mike Stallard, Friends of Israel, “Émile Guers and Charles Ryrie: A Case Study of Continuity in the History of Dispensationalism Concerning Literal Interpretation”
10:45 am Panel Discussion (McGinniss, Baurain, Stallard)
12:00 noon Lunch
2:00 pm
- David Mappes, Baptist Bible Seminary, “An Overview of Contemporary Challenges in Sustaining a Model of Literal Interpretation”
3:15 pm Break
3:30 pm
- Joel Williamson, Calvary University, “You Don’t Say: Interpreting Author-intended Inferences”
5:00 pm Dinner
The final 7:00 pm session today is held in Westminster Hall.
7:00 pm
- Thomas Baurain, Calvary University, “Charles Ryrie: The Influence of a Quiet Scholar”
Thursday, September 15
All sessions today are held at Westminster Hall.
8:30 am
- Elliott Johnson, Dallas Theological Seminary, “E. D. Hirsch and Literal Interpretation”
9:45 am Break
10:00 am
- James Fazio, Southern California Seminary, “Does Following a Normal-Grammatical-Historical Interpretive Methodology Demand a Gap Between the 69th and 70th Week of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy?”
11:30 noon
- Mike Stallard, Friends of Israel, “The Literalness of Numbers in the Book of Revelation”
12:30 Lunch
2:00 pm
- Bruce Baker, Washington County Bible Church, “A Case Against Political Action from Traditional Dispensationalism (Darby to Ryrie)”
3:30 pm Break
3:45 pm
- Cory Marsh, Southern California Seminary, “Kingdom Hermeneutics and the Apocalypse: A Promotion of Consistent Literal Methodology”
- Christopher Cone, Calvary University, “The Parallelism of Foreshadowing and Fulfillment: Affirming the New Testament Use of Old Testament Prophecy as Uncompromisingly Literal”
4:45 pm Panel Discussion (Marsh, Cone)
5:15 pm Dinner
7:15 pm
- Pastor’s Panel, “Literal interpretation and the Local Church”
8:30 pm Closing Prayer