The 17th Annual Council on Dispensational Hermeneutics will be held Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 18 and 19, at Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa. The theme for this year’s conference is “Answering the Myths About Dispensationalism.”
“CDH is an academic study group established in 2008 for traditional dispensationalists, where various issues are studied in regional settings in different parts of the United States,” explained Mike Stallard, vice president for international ministries with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry and executive director of CDH.
“All viewpoints are welcome to attend,” he said, “although all speakers must affirm traditional dispensationalism.”
Registration to attend either in person or online by livestream is available for $25 at dispensationalcouncil.org and will allow those who register to access all the content from speakers. The complete schedule and other details can also be found there.
Stallard sees a real opportunity with this year’s theme. “We are responding to the many myths propounded about dispensationalism by non-dispensationalists,” he stated.
Those presenting papers will include:
- Christopher Cone (Agathon University, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.)
- Jason Coke (Ph.D. student, Dallas Theological Seminary)
- Elliott Johnson (Dallas Theological Seminary, retired)
- Andres Reyes (First Baptist Church, Perry, IA)
- Ty Woznek (Heartland Church, Norfolk, NE)
- Jesse Randolph and Anthony Dreesen (Indian Hills Community Church, Lincoln, Neb.)
- Paul Miles (International Society for Biblical Hermeneutics)
- George Gunn (Shasta Bible College and Graduate School, Redding, Calif.)
- Gage Terrell (Shepherds Theological Seminary, Cary, N.C.)
- James Fazio and Cory Marsh (Southern California Seminary, El Cajon, Calif.)
There will be three panel discussions, including one with Faith professors on Wednesday evening and a pastors’ panel on Thursday evening.
Stallard will deliver two messages. The Friends of Israel will be well represented, as I will also have the privilege of presenting a paper titled: “Does Dispensationalism Teach Two Ways of Salvation?”
I remember learning about the first CDH conference back in September of 2008. I would have given almost anything to be there but simply could not attend. The speakers that year included Stallard, Dr. Thomas Ice, Dr. Rodney Decker, and Dr. Robert Thomas. It is certainly an honor to join the company of such men and of all who have spoken at CDH in previous years.
I have participated in the conference once by video, but this will be my very first time to attend in person. What a joy it is that it will be held at my seminary alma mater!
Another exciting development is that CDH will no longer be producing content just two days a year. In light of the closing of Baptist Bible Seminary, CDH has announced that it will take over the publishing of The Journal of Ministry and Theology, which was previously produced by BBS. The specifics of this endeavor are still forthcoming.
Most of the papers from previous years’ conferences are available on the CDH website, and many videos of presentations are also included from the years since 2021.
Previous conferences have been held in places such as Baptist Bible Seminary (Clarks Summit, Pa.), Calvary University (Kansas City, Mo.), Shepherds Theological Seminary (Cary, N.C.), Southern California Seminary (El Cajon, Calif.) and Sugar Land Bible Church (Sugar Land, Texas).
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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 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.