A crowd of roughly 40 Biblical and theological educators met at Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, Wis., from Monday through Wednesday, July 29 to 31, for this year’s edition of the annual Bible Faculty Summit.

Those in attendance represented the following colleges and seminaries:

– Bob Jones University

– Central Baptist Theological Seminary

– Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary

– Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary

– Foundation Baptist College

– God’s Bible School & College

– Maranatha Baptist University

– National Theological College & Graduate School

– Southern California Seminary

I attended in my role as a representative of The Friends of Israel, but I was not the only one who was not directly tied to an educational institution. There were several men who came on behalf of Baptist Mid-Missions/Bibles International. Additionally, Mark Ward, the current president of the steering committee, is employed by Crossway.

“The Bible Faculty Summit this year had particularly good papers, good discussion, and Christ-honoring fellowship,” Ward stated. “I’m grateful to the Lord for this important but quiet institution.”

Through the reading of the papers and the discussion that ensued, it was apparent that there was a spectrum of opinion—within the basic realm of Biblical fundamentalism—inside the room. As the conference dealt with questions literally ranging from Genesis to Revelation, however, much of the teaching truly resonated with me. I was drawn in by the emphasis on the sufficiency of Scripture and the care with which the Biblical text was handled, and I found the presentations stimulating and challenging.

They also got my mind running back on the track of theological academic research and writing—which is not my everyday focus, yet certainly an arena in which I aim to stay sharp. I was challenged greatly by interacting with everyone at the conference on a personal level and by observing their dedication to Biblical truth and ministry.

Here, in order, are this year’s speakers and the titles of their papers:

• Cory Marsh (SCS) – “Urgency in the Mundane: Present Living in Light of the Parousia Texts in 1 and 2 Thessalonians”
• Phil Brown (God’s Bible School) – “Integrity, Sin, and Saints: What does it mean to be a person of integrity who is both holy and confesses sin?”
• Mark Ward (Crossway) – “The Relationship of Sinaiticus to the Critical Text of John”
• Andrew Goodwill (MBU) – “The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Prophets: the implications of Deuteronomy 18:15–22 and the Transfiguration accounts to a positive interpretation of 1 Kings 19”
• Brian Collins (BJU Press) – “Premillennial New-Creation Millennialism: A Response to Thomas Schreiner”
• Neal Cushman (BJU) – “Isaiah’s 2-Stage Restoration of Israel”
• Joseph Jo (Ph.D. student, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) – “Romans 9:30–10:4: An Extended Proclamation of Paul’s Soteriological Justification”
• Leroy Hill (SCS) – “Science Over Scripture? The Implications of William Lane Craig’s Approach to Adam’s Historical and Theological Identity”
• Mark Snoeberger (DBTS) – “The New Creation Model and the Believer’s Eternal Expectation”
• Glenn Kerr (Bibles International) – “The Clean Animal Count in Genesis 7:2: A Cultural, not Primarily Exegetical, Question”
• Joel Arnold (Foundation) – “1 Timothy 2:9–15: A Hermeneutical Case Study in Reshaping Texts through Cultural Background”
• Troy Manning (Bibles International) – “Overly Contextualized Bible Translations: The Products of Faulty Understandings of Linguistics, Translation Methodology, Exegesis, and Theology”
• Matt Shrader (CBTS) – “‘A Ministry of Enlarged Culture’: The First American Baptist Seminaries, 1811–1850”
• Bruce Meyer (BJU) – “Shattered by Betrayal: Using Psalm 35 as a Paradigm for Counseling a Survivor of Abuse”
• David Potter (MBU) – “Mihaly Kornya: Peasant Prophet, Transylvanian Baptist Hero”

Marsh, a member of the steering committee, offered the following analysis:

The level of scholarship emerging from the Bible Faculty Summit, especially over the last few years, has been both impressive and encouraging. This is a group of credentialed professor-scholars, many of whom also pastor churches, who take the Scriptures to be the unalterable Word of God. In a day when too many scholars feel tempted to compromise their core convictions, BFS remains unashamedly committed to the fundamentals of the Christian faith.

I have reached the point in life where I was familiar with nearly half of the men in this group going into the conference. Still, it was a bit surreal seeing them all in one place! But what struck me most during the time I spent with them is the depth of their scholarship and the range of their abilities. Many of them are proficient in Biblical languages and highly skilled as theological educators. They have given serious attention to their craft, and their examples both motivate and encourage me.

The tagline of the summit is “Educators Promoting Scholarship in Service of the Church.” Next year’s gathering will be held Tuesday to Thursday, July 29 to 31, at Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C.

***

Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, based in Columbus, WI, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email pscharf@foi.org.

I awakened this morning and got a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, opened my laptop, being careful not to drop any milk on the keyboard. The opening page said – Israel surrounded by a ring of fire. Then it disappeared, and I never saw it again. But then again, my computer always does strange things.

However, I was reminded in that brief moment what Jesus said in Luke 21:20-24

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

I know – I knoooow that this has already happened during the times of Babylon, as some would say, BUT why couldn’t it happen again just before the rapture? In fact – it just seems logical with all the other signs swirling around us. But alas, we can all justify our inconsistencies, or should I say interpretations. (I’m just a simple man without a degree from a cemetery.) Pun intended.

This probably means that our presidential election may be put on hold after Joe Biden declares a national emergency. It’s the perfect situation for doing so. But this could bring about civil war. (The cunning old rascal is a coward of the first order.)

If I were you, I’d get all my affairs in order, repent, and head for the hills, literally.

From here on, most of us will be on pins and needles – especially non-believers (Nones). We who are believers may recognize this as the beginning war of Gog and Magog, and I, for one, am with you. However, we must be careful to not panic or to cause panic.

The church has been downgrading the coming storm by not mentioning the implications of faulty governance. “We can’t mix politics with religion,” they say. Why do we even have people in high places who profess to hate our country, even want to destroy it, and aren’t afraid to say so? How incredible. If I had the money, I would pay for a one-way ticket to a third-world country of their liking.

In any case, I forged ahead, determined to find a place to set up my baptismal tent, but first went to Wal-Mart, where I knew they had pop-up tents for a reasonable price. Next, I would continue to scout beach locations to set up. In doing so, I also handed out little red Bibles and urged strangers to repent tactfully and without hesitation while there. I got what I came for and stopped next to get a Slurpy at a nearby gas station. There, I met a little family of four. They were clean-cut people, and I was led to say something to the man. “Pardon me, sir, are you aware of the impending war in the Middle East?”

“Yes, I am; in fact, it is raging right now.”

“Well, I’m out here urging people to repent and seek God’s face while there is still time.”

“I talk to Him all the time.”

“I’m glad to hear it; are you a Christian?”

“No, I’m a Jew.”

Then we parted ways. I never expected that, but that’s what it’s like in talking to strangers.

Another stranger was a long-bearded older man who looked like a motorcycle rider. As he ambled toward me wearing raggedy clothes, I asked, “Are you a Christian?

“Yes, I am.”

I noticed he was wearing a necklace that at first looked like a cross, but on further inspection, it was a skull and crossbones. I gave him my spiel and wished him well. People can be strange – but hopefully he will be convicted by the verses inside the little book.

Continuing, I decided to film the little journey on the tram to the open restaurant on the beach. Because of the upcoming storm, there weren’t many people on the ride, so I rode with the driver alone up front and was able to get some good footage.

The driver was a clean-cut young man in his early twenties who was very personable as well. Naturally, I told him what I was doing and why I was there. He seemed very interested in what I had to say.

“Are you a Christian?” I asked.

“I used to be,” He replied.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, my dad was Catholic, and my mom didn’t believe in anything. I went to a Protestant church when I was a kid – to summer camp, actually. But it all faded away as I grew older.”

This all sounded very familiar, and I dug deeper. “Were you ever baptized?”

“I don’t think I ever was.”

Knowing we would soon be parting ways, I handed him a little Bible and said, “Here, read this and tell me what you think?” Then I continued probing, “You seem to be a clean-cut guy with great potential.”

Griff said, “Well, I’m on a self-improvement quest…” Instantly, I knew why I encountered this young man. God had set it up in what I call a divine appointment!

I told him of my transformation and how, upon receiving Christ, He changed my life for the better. No smoking, no drinking, no drugs (which I never did anyway). Jesus is truly the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

I told him he could be my first to be baptized. Halleluia!

YBIC

Jim Towers

You can write me at jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com or visit me atwww.dropzonedelta.com My book Visions, Miracles, Peace, and Power can be ordered on Amazon Books and Kindle. You can also find me on my newly restructured website, www.propheticsignsandwonders.com, which now features videos of worldwide events taking place in the present time, as well as proof of God’s existence and the reality of Biblical places, and Moses himself.