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The 18th Annual Council on Dispensational Hermeneutics was hosted by Southern California Seminary on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 17 and 18, on the campus of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif. The theme for this year’s conference was “Counterpoint: Comparative Views on Key Biblical Passages.”
Mike Stallard, vice president for international ministries with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, also serves as the executive director of CDH. He explained that CDH is an academic study group, established in 2008, to promote theological discussion among traditional dispensationalist theologians, pastors, and students.
“The goal this year was to examine particular passages exegetically to show that dispensationalists do quality exegetical work and do not force a theology onto the text of Scripture,” Stallard stated.
“Several scholars interacted robustly on interpretations of new covenant passages in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, and day of the Lord passages throughout the Bible,” he added. Other texts covered included Joshua 21, Isa. 11:11; Hos. 6:7; Rom. 4:13; 10:4; Hebrews 11-12; and Revelation 12.
Those presenting papers this year were (in alphabetical order):
- Jason Coke (Ph.D. student, Dallas Theological Seminary)
- Christopher Cone (Agathon University, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.)
- James Fazio, Cory Marsh, and Jeremiah Mutie (Southern California Seminary, El Cajon, Calif.)
- Elliott Johnson (Dallas Theological Seminary, retired)
- Paul Scharf and Mike Stallard (The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry)
- Christopher Watson (First Baptist Church, Morris, MN)
- Ty Woznek (Heartland Church, Norfolk, NE)
There was also a pastors’ panel on Thursday afternoon, including Ryan Day, Matt Smith, Pete Vik, and Steve Whitten.
All of the papers presented will be available freely to the public at dispensationalcouncil.org, beginning roughly a month from now.
Stallard actually delivered two messages (one on Rev. 12, and another examining Hos. 6:7 as the proposed basis for the idea of a covenant of works), so The Friends of Israel was, once again, well represented. I also had the privilege of presenting a paper titled: “What is the Meaning of ‘All Nations, Tribes, Peoples, and Tongues’ in Revelation 7:9?”
The council welcomes all who wish to partake and learn—whether pastors, students, or laypeople—to attend these meetings in person or join them via livestream.
This is a group that I have watched with great interest since its first meeting in September of 2008. Having observed it live by video one time previously, it has been a great privilege to participate in person each of the last two years.
Since the closing of Baptist Bible Seminary, CDH has taken over the publishing of The Journal of Ministry and Theology, which was previously produced by BBS. It is currently being published online only and will include papers delivered at the annual CDH conference. JMAT can be found on the CDH website at dispensationalcouncil.org.
Papers from previous years’ conferences, going back to 2019, are also available on the CDH website, and many videos of presentations are also included from the years since 2021.
Previous conferences have been held at Baptist Bible Seminary (Clarks Summit, Pa.), Calvary University (Kansas City, Mo.), Faith Baptist Bible College & Theological Seminary (Ankeny, Iowa), Shepherds Theological Seminary (Cary, N.C.), and Sugar Land Bible Church (Sugar Land, Texas).
Next year’s event is scheduled for Sept. 16 and 17, 2026, on the campus of The Friends of Israel in Westville, N.J. The theme will be “Israel, War, and Antisemitism.”
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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 Wisconsin, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email [email protected].
The post CDH Examines ‘Counterpoints’ :: By Paul J. Scharf appeared first on Rapture Ready.
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