We are excited to have Dr. Malcom and Karen Yarnell as our keynote speakers.
Malcolm and Karen Yarnell of Benbrook, Texas serve their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as teachers and authors. They are blessed to be the earthly parents of such virtuous young men as Truett, Matthew, and Graham, and of such gracious young women as Kathryn and Elizabeth and their daughters-in-law, Ashlyn and Victoria.
Malcolm serves the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention as Research Professor of Theology at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury, Texas, as Teaching Pastor. Malcolm’s most recent book is a biblical theology, Who Is the Holy Spirit? (Nashville, 2019). His most widely reviewed volumes include a biblical theology, God the Trinity (Nashville, 2016); an historical theology, Royal Priesthood in the English Reformation (Oxford, 2014); and a theological method, The Formation of Christian Doctrine (Nashville, 2007). Dr. Yarnell has written or edited 25 other volumes and has published over 150 other academic and popular essays. The 40 PhD students he mentors now serve as university and church leaders not only in the United States but also in Germany, Ukraine, China, Korea, and Nigeria.
Karen serves Southwestern Seminary as Adjunct Professor of Women’s Studies, focusing upon courses in the Old Testament and the New Testament as well as the introductory wife of the minister course. She is a popular speaker for women’s conferences and has contributed essays on the Trinity, on women as teachers, and on family Bible teaching. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas and a Master of Divinity degree from the Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. She also studied applied theology at the University of Oxford, England, and is currently working upon her Master of Theology, focusing upon the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
This conference will be an introduction to the Trinity at Wai’alae Baptist Church on March 19-20, 2021. Register here.
Conference Schedule
Friday
SESSION 1 – Rationale and Old Testament Background
Why Study the Trinity – Matt Sanders
The Trinity has been revered, but otherwise neglected throughout most of church history. Why is it crucial that Christians understand the revelation that God is Trinity.
Old Testament Background – Malcolm Yarnell
Is God revealed as Trinity in the Old Testament? If not, do we see traces or hints of the Trinity there?
SESSION 2 – The Trinity and the New Testament
Christian Worship of the Trinity in Baptism and Benediction – Malcolm Yarnell
How do Christian practices in the Bible reflect worship of the Trinity?
The Trinity in the Gospel of John – Malcolm Yarnell
While the doctrine of the Trinity is proclaimed throughout Scripture, the most concentrated proclamation is found in the fourth gospel.
Saturday
SESSION 3 – The Way the Church Thought and Talked about the Trinity
The Trinity in the Major Creeds – Malcolm Yarnell
The creeds are intended to be precise expressions of what the church believed the Bible taught. How do they help us understand the Trinity?
Heresy and Orthodoxy – Matt Sanders
The difference between truth and false beliefs about the Trinity can be difficult to navigate. How can we have a clear distinction between the two?
SESSION 4 – The Trinity Is Everything
Everything We Think Should Be Grounded in the Trinity – Malcolm Yarnell
Since the Trinity is the revelation of who God is, our understanding of everything else must be grounded in thinking of God as Trinity and not an isolated, individual being.
Everything We Do Is in the Spirit of the Trinity – Matt Sanders
What is the “spirit of the Trinity”? What does it mean to live as a Trinitarian?
SESSION 5 – Practical Implications of the Doctrine of the Trinity
Gender and Marriage and other Practical Implications – Karen Yarnell
What is the biblical connection between the Trinity and gender or marriage roles? How else can we apply the doctrine of the Trinity to other areas of our lives?
LUNCH Q&A with speakers
SESSION 6 – Worship and Concluding Remarks
True Worship of the Trinity – Malcolm Yarnell
As we gain in understanding of the Trinity, how does that affect our worship?
Where Do We Go from Here – Matt Sanders
Now that we know the importance of the doctrine of the Trinity, what’s next? How can we continue to develop further understanding and think and live more in a Trinitarian way?