by Bryson Durst, Student Public Relations Writer
Cedarville University will hold its annual Fall Bible Conference Aug. 16-19 with Dr. Jeremy Kimble, associate professor of theology, as keynote speaker.
The theme for this year’s conference is “Wholehearted,” inspired by Kimble’s personal Bible reading in the Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Chronicles.
“I was reading through Chronicles and noticing a particular theme cropping up again and again about the heart and how certain kings had hearts that were ready to serve the Lord and certain ones did not, and the call for our hearts to be dedicated wholly to the Lord,” Kimble said.
The first session, taking place on Monday evening, will focus on King Asa as described in 2 Chronicles 14-16.
“He’s a guy who is a really amazing example of one who dedicated himself to God at the beginning of his career,” Kimble said. “Decades in, we see that he’s drifted and his heart has gone elsewhere.”
Further conference sessions will touch on the need for a whole heart, a new covenant heart, wholehearted abiding, wholehearted boldness, and wholehearted holiness and perseverance.
The six conference sessions will take place on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning at 10 a.m., Cedarville's daily chapel hour. For those unable to attend in person, chapel livestreams and recordings can be found at cedarville.edu/chapel, Cedarville’s Facebook page, and the CU Chapel+ app for iOS and Android.
Cedarville plans to return to a more traditional conference format inside the Jeremiah Chapel this year, following last year’s decision to hold the conference outdoors due to COVID-19.
“This year, I think we’re all looking forward to gathering, singing, praying, hearing the word preached and being able to encounter that together in the chapel,” noted Kimble. “I’m approaching this school year and the Bible conference with a mindset of, ‘If the Lord so wills, we’re going to be in that chapel together and doing those things.’ I really hope and pray and expect that will be the case.”
He added, “Whether we’re indoors or outdoors, masks or no masks, nothing halts the power of the word of God.”
Kimble said that he hopes and expects that the conference will be a time of revival and salvation for Cedarville students and that it will be an example of Cedarville’s commitment “For the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ,” which is the university’s motto and vision statement.
“We should always be ready for God to revive our hearts, to save people and to draw people to really substantial commitments to discipleship and be ready to live this out together on this campus, in our churches, and beyond, so I’m excited about it,” Kimble said.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,550 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio, recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community; rigorous academic programs, including its Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies, Master of Ministry, and Master of Divinity programs; strong graduation and retention rates; accredited professional and health science offerings; and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu.