What does the Bible say about America's future?

Does it foretell of an apocalyptic vision, where political problems will be solved by war?

Or does the Bible offer a more peaceful vision, one of a cooperative coexistence with adversaries?

The answers - or at least differing perspectives about those issues - will be discussed and debated by the nation's top biblical scholars at a Lincoln conference this fall. (See list below).

The conference, "The Bible and the American Future: A National Theological Conference," will feature diverging views from people who have never before shared a stage - and most likely would never share a platform at any theological school in the United States, said the Rev. Wayne Alloway, pastor of St. Mark's United Methodist Church.

St. Mark's will host the groundbreaking event Oct. 18-20 in its new 2,000-seat sanctuary.

"Nothing like this has been done before in the U.S.," he said.

The conference will bring in world-acclaimed biblical scholars from the Catholic, Protestant mainline and evangelical faiths - scholars who fundamentally disagree on interpretations of the Old and New Testaments.

Not only is the diversity of lecturers unprecedented, but so is the format of the conference, Alloway said.

Each lecturer has 45 to 50 minutes to present his or her biblically based perspective on America's future. Then a preselected speaker will give a 10- to 15-minute counterpoint. Afterward, another 30 minutes will be devoted to questions and discussions about the topic with the speakers.

In addition, all the lectures will be prepublished in a book for participants, which will allow them to follow along and raise questions.

It's a daring undertaking for the church and the presenters, Alloway said.

And he credits St. Mark's theologian-in-residence, Robert Jewett, a renowned New Testament scholar and prolific author, with making it happen.

"They all trust him," Alloway said. "That says a lot about who the man (Jewett) is."

The fact that the conference invitation came from Jewett "made it OK" for many of these speakers to accept, Alloway said.

A Nebraska native, Jewett recently retired from his post at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Currently, he divides his time between Lincoln and Germany, where his wife still resides.

For Jewett, this conference and future biblical conferences on cultural and social issues is a dream come true. He said he believes an open, honest and nonthreatening dialogue between conservative, traditional and liberal Christians not only offers hope for improving the world situation, but will revitalize Christianity in America.

Although this year's conference is more than three months away, he is already hard at work inviting speakers to the 2010 national theological conference at St. Mark's: "The Shame Factor in Religion, Culture and Psychology." The conference will take a sociological and biblical look at social shame evoked by status, adversity and prejudice, Jewett said.

As for the upcoming conference, Jewett said two different versions of the American and global future have surfaced over the past three decades: an apocalyptic vision, where wars against "the wicked" will solve political problems; and a cooperative vision that seeks co-existence with adversaries.

"Although both visions have biblical foundations, it is the apocalyptic alternative that has dominated public discussion in the past 30 years," he said. "Most people are not even aware that another side derives from the same Bible, and that it transcends the usual definitions of liberal or conservative politics."

According to Jewett, a case can be made that the global economic crisis "was caused in part by the illusions that greed would benefit everyone and that the financial system would take care of itself without regulation so long as leaders were committed to crusading goals."

"Torah and prophets Jesus and Paul and other biblical writings provide foundations for a more responsible public ethic and a more realistic vision for the future," Jewett said.

"But this has been shunted aside in recent years by doctrines of military violence that would allegedly eliminate adversity and usher in the reign of God," he said.

The goal of the conference is "to move past politics as usual and to consider the relevance of some overlooked resources in Scripture.

"We need wisdom," Jewett said. "This is no time to beat them (other side) down."

And he is confident that regardless of people's religious perspectives, participants will "hear all sides without prejudice."

Bringing all the voices together allows people to share a vision of what Christianity is going to look like in America's future, Alloway said.

"The question is relevant: What does Christ have to say about all of this - if anything at all?"

Reach Erin Andersen at 473-7217 or eandersen@journalstar.com.

Conference speakers

Listed are speakers for "The Bible and the American Future: A National Theological Conference"at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in October.

* Darrell Bock, member of Trinity Fellowship Church, professor of New Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary. He serves as corresponding editor-at- large for Christianity Today.

* Walter Brueggemann, member of United Church of Christ, professor of Old Testament, emeritus, at Columbia Theological Seminary. His studies have focused on Old Testament theology, the origins and history of Christian doctrine and the dynamics of Jewish-Christian interactions. He has written 58 books.

* John Dominic Crossan, member of the Roman Catholic Church, professor of New Testament, emeritus, DePaul University. He has written more than 18 books over the last 30 years. "The Birth of Christianity" was a Publishers Weekly 1998 "best book of the year." His four recent books, "The Historical Jesus," "Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography," "Who Killed Jesus," and "The Birth of Christianity," were national bestsellers for a combined total of 22 months.

* Terence Fretheim, member of the American Lutheran Church, professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary. He has published numerous books, the most recent, "Abraham: Journeys of Family and Faith." Fretheim's presentation will be videotaped because he will be in Beijing, China. However, he will answer questions via a phone conference following his presentation.

* Richard Horsley, member of United Church of Christ, professor of religion emeritus at University of Massachusetts-Boston. Among his books are: "The Message and the Kingdom," (2002 with Neil Asher Siberman), "Jesus and the Spiral of Violence" (1992), and "Jesus and the Empire" (2003).

* Robert Jewett, member of the United Methodist Church, professor of New Testament, emeritus, at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He's written 20 books including: "Captain America and the Crusade Against Evil," "Romans: A Commentary" and "Mission and Menace: Four Centuries of American Religious Zeal." He is a specialist in the routes of Paul's missionary journeys.

* Jacqueline Lapsley, member of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., associate professor of Old Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary. She is interested in literary readings of the Old Testament narratives, the prophets, Old Testament ethics, and theological anthropology in the Old Testament.

* Kathleen O'Connor, member of the Roman Catholic Church, professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. She is interested in the ways local contexts influence biblical interpretations - particularly feminist theologies, reader-response criticism, and literary theories relating to the power of symbol and metaphor.

* Sandra Richter, member of the Assemblies of God, associate professor of Old Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary. She has written numerous books. Her most recent is "The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament." Her areas of expertise include history, Hebrew language and the interface between archaeology and biblical studies.

* J.J.M. Roberts, member of the Church of Christ, professor emeritus of Old Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. His teaching and research interests are in comparative studies between Mesopotamian and Israelite religion, Old Testament prophecy, Semitic languages and Hebrew lexicography.

* Kenneth Vaux, member of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., professor of ethics at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He specializes in interpreting events in the light of the Gospel.

* Ben Witherington III, member of the United Methodist Church, professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary. He has written more than 30 books. His areas of expertise include women in the New Testament, the historical Jesus, Christologies of the New Testament and women in ministry.