September 24-25 marks the dates for the 2010 Accordance Bible Software Users' Conference. Set to be held at Centerpoint Church in Mesquite, this event is a must-attend for those interested in learning more about utilizing technology in Bible study, or simply in the field of biblical studies itself. Preregistration lasts through August 31, at a cost of $70 per person. Full-time students (in seminary or university) receive the $35 reduced rate. Those who register after the August deadline will pay full price for the conference--$100, or $50 for students.
David Lang, the vice president of development, agreed to an interview with the Evangelical Examiner (EE). His insight and conference details explain the who, what, and why of the conference.
EE: What is Accordance Bible Software?
DL: Accordance Bible Software is an integrated study environment which brings together a variety of Bible texts, translations, commentaries, reference works, electronic books, and other tools designed to deepen your understanding of the Bible. Accordance is unique among Bible study programs in that it has the power and sophistication needed by today's top Bible scholars, while also offering an ease of use which makes it accessible to everyone. This focus on offering unprecedented power in an easy-to-use interface is a natural outgrowth of having been designed explicitly for Macintosh computers.
EE: Why is it a product Christians should utilize?
DL: Christians should use Accordance because it overcomes the obstacles to in-depth Bible study that all of us face. Do we lack time? Accordance offers lightning-fast searching and navigation. Do we lack direction? Accordance offers reading plans and devotionals. Do we lack knowledge? Accordance offers a host of helpful resources and tools. Do we lack focus? Accordance lets you highlight, diagram, and make notes on the text. And I'm just mentioning the kind of Bible study all of us wish we were doing. Pastors, ministry professionals, and scholars need to do even more in-depth kinds of study. Accordance overcomes the more serious obstacles and challenges they're faced with.
EE: Why is a conference necessary to explain the usage?
DL: It's not. Most users can figure out the basics of Accordance on their own, and for those who need more instruction, we offer PDF documentation, online help, video tutorials, a podcast to which they can subscribe, and an active user forum where they can ask questions. While the sessions and workshops of our Users' Conference here in the Dallas area will instruct attendees how to get the most out of Accordance, the focus of the conference is really much broader than that.
First, we want to inspire those who attend to take their Bible study deeper than they might ever have thought possible. Second, we want to give our users the kind of personalized help which can't be gained from a video tutorial or even a traditional training seminar. Finally, we want to bring together a variety of our users, along with our own software developers and other personnel, stir the pot, give it time to simmer, and see what happens!
EE: What can attendees expect to gain from attending the conference?
DL: Because we want to inspire them, we've enlisted the aid of two cutting-edge Bible scholars who also happen to be gifted communicators (and Accordance users, of course). Even if you don't happen to use Accordance, the conference is worth attending just to hear them speak!
In addition to inspiring speakers, attendees can expect sessions and workshops designed to show them how to prepare a sermon, do inductive Bible study, or even engage in serious Greek or Hebrew research. In order to meet the needs of all those who attend, the conference will offer two tracks. The "Light" Track will be focused on Bible study basics and how to use Accordance to teach others, while the "Heavy" track will address the needs of power users and those engaged in serious study.
Whichever sessions they choose to attend, they can expect personalized instruction aimed at meeting their specific needs. For example, the Sermon Prep workshop won't just be a general lecture on how to prepare a sermon, but a chance for attendees to say, "Here's what I'm preaching on next week and here's the typical process I go through. Now show me where Accordance can help me."
Attendees can also expect to be among the first to see the latest developments with the software itself. We plan on unveiling a new version of our Mac software, along with a brand new Accordance app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. We're excited to show off the new stuff we've been working on, and we're confident the conference attendees will be excited to see it.
Finally, I said we want to see what can happen when we get a variety of users together with our own staff for a couple of days. Conference attendees can therefore expect a lot of free time to hang out, get to know one another, share meals together, compare notes, and give their feedback and feature requests directly to our programmers. Ultimately, I'd say they can expect to have a great time.
EE: Who are the main speakers?
DL: Our keynote speakers are Dr. Martin Abegg of Trinity Western University and Dr. Daniel Wallace of Dallas Theological Seminary.
Dr. Abegg is the Ben Zion Wacholder Professor of Dead Sea Scroll Studies at Trinity Western University. Although discovered in the 1940s, the Dead Sea Scrolls remained largely unpublished as late as the 1980s. A doctoral student at the time, Dr. Abegg was able to reconstruct the text of these unpublished scrolls from a concordance of words in the scrolls. The publication of his reconstructed texts helped open up scrolls research to a much wider body of scholars. In the 1990s, Dr. Abegg saw the potential for computerized study of the scrolls and partnered with Accordance to develop electronic texts of the various Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts. He will give a presentation on the relationship of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible, and will be present during the entire conference for anyone who would like to meet with him.
Dr. Wallace is Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and has written one of the standard textbooks on New Testament Greek: Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. As the Executive Director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, Dr. Wallace has led expeditions throughout Europe and the Middle East in search of New Testament manuscripts. He will give a presentation describing the Center’s work of discovering and photographing New Testament manuscripts in order to further New Testament textual criticism.
Both men are renowned scholars on the cutting edge of Biblical studies, and we're very excited to have them share their expertise with a wide range of Accordance users.
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