I just returned from attending the Annual Meeting of two groups: the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion. Each organization holds its annual meeting jointly in the same place. This year it was held on November 22-25 at the Convention Center in San Diego. It was such a delight to be there. Many of the most famous theologians and biblical exegetes in the world attend this convention every year. Because of it, I have the privilege of knowing many of them. The Society of Biblical Literature is the oldest organization of its kind in the world, being about 130 years old. Bible professors from all over the world are members of SBL, and many attend its Annual Meeting. I think the average attendance of SBL members to the Annual Meeting each year is about 6,000 to 8,000.
In the year 2000, my professor friend Scot McKnight, now at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL, persuaded me to join the Society of Biblical Literature. This prestigious group consists of nearly 10,000 members. Most have PhDs and are professors. When Scot first broached the idea to me, I was still playing full time of the Champions Tour but nearing retirement. I objected by saying, “that’s only for you scholars.” Scot said membership wasn’t limited to professional educators or people with PhDs. He also said I was deserving of joining because of my three theological books I had written and had been published. So, I did join and roomed with him and Dr. James D.G. Dunn at the 2000 Annual Meeting. Jimmy had been Scot’s PhD supervisor at the University of Durham. And Dunn was the first speaker at the Kermit Zarley Lectures at North Park University in Chicago that year.
I have attended this Annual Meeting of SBL every year since 2000, except I missed one. It is held in a different, large, North American city each year due to the need for a large convention center. And every year it proves to be my highlight of the year. What exactly is it? This Annual Meeting of SBL and AAR consists mostly of three things. First, many hundreds of speaking sessions are held that usually last 2.5 hours in which a panel of about four to six scholars deliver papers they have written and then critique each other’s work and usually have Q&A from the audience that consists of SBL and/or AAR members. Second, religious publishers offer their books at discount prices in a large Book Exhibit Hall. Third, members fraternize, network, and authors discuss with publishers about the acquisition of their next books they are writing.
This week I will be blogging about my experience at SBL’s Annual Meeting these past days. One of the speakers who attended and I heard was former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
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