Undeterred by an early winter storm, over 300 participants arrived at Philadelphia Biblical University on Saturday, October 29, 2011 for Agora: 2011. Students and members of the community gathered for a conference on the theme of Heart, Mind, and Soul: what does the Bible say about our inner self? Agora: 2011 was the fourth annual conference of its kind.
The conference began with keynote speaker Dr. Todd J. Williams, President of PBU, introducing the theme for the day by speaking on a biblical perspective of self and selflessness. Dr. Williams’ remarks addressed the economic, social, and interpersonal crises arising in the world today. Dr. Williams noted that we are a society and culture that is preoccupied with self. “Consumerism run rampant is self-indulgence,” he said. He pointed attendees to Scripture, noting God’s response to the suffering Job, reminding him of his place as the creature and God’s own as the Creator. Referencing the book of Philippians, Dr. Williams held up Jesus’ example – the Creator who took on the form of a creature, claiming no entitlement, demanding no equality.
Dr. Williams called for a right understanding of selflessness, not just the doing of selfless acts, but a reorientation of heart, soul, and mind to be giving, and to receive strength from the One who gives all things. “He has made us in His image and likeness, and while we are frail and fragile, we are resilient. We must posture ourselves appropriately, not demanding things from God, but humbling ourselves before Him.”
Mrs. Leslie Vernick, licensed professional social worker, counselor, and speaker, gave the second keynote session on detecting and healing destructive relationships. Mrs. Vernick began by saying, “There is nothing more important to God than that we learn how to do this relationship thing well. God calls us in each one of his commands to do something that won’t harm relationships.” In the course of her session she examined healthy relationships and unhealthy relationships, helping attendees pinpoint the core aspects to look for in relationships.
Mrs. Vernick focused on emotionally destructive relationships, defining them in this way, “What constitutes an emotionally destructive relationship is not one event or situation, but a pervasive and repetitive pattern that results in inhibiting a person’s growth or tearing someone down, accompanied by a lack of awareness, a lack of remorse, and a lack of change.”
Dr. Karl Benzio, Executive Director and Founder of the Lighthouse Network, with whom PBU’s Oasis Counseling Center works in partnership, spoke on the spiritual discipline of decision making. Arguing that the mind is the meeting place of science and faith, the immaterial and the material, and the spiritual and physical, Dr. Benzio called decision-making our “spiritual act of worship.”
Dr. Benzio examined passages throughout Scripture which call for wise decision making as an act of worship and obedience. He showed the example of Solomon, who, when able to ask God for anything he wanted, chose wisdom, godly decision making skills. Dr. Benzio then examined scientific evidence that shows how good decision making leads to a physically stronger brain, while poor decision making injures the brain’s function.
In addition to the keynote sessions, parallel sessions from PBU faculty covered a variety of topics in the field of heart, soul, and mind. In areas from consumerism to lament, psychology to ethics, and anxiety to depression, faculty examined the intersection of biblical perspective and current medical, social, and behavioral science. Descriptions and audio from keynote and parallel sessions are available online.
Listen to audio recordings from Agora 2011.
