The Student Advisory Group (SAG) for the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) has this position called the On-campus Student Representative (OSR). It doesn’t require too much time commitment. Basically, you would try to promote SBL on your campus and get the relevant information out to the people on your campus. I have served as an OSR for two institutions, Fuller Seminary and UCLA (briefly). It is an excellent way to network with the scholars at your institution and get involved with the guild.

One of Kevin’s bits of advice at the Things I Wish I Knew about a Ph.D. session was “prepare for your career early.” If you take a look at listings on the job market, you’ll find phrases like this one from the recent University of South Carolina position: “You should be prepared to share in the administrative work of the Department/Faculty.” If you have experience as an OSR with SBL, that not only shows your interest in the guild of biblical studies, but also your willingness to work collaboratively on administrative sorts of tasks.

If you are a student or a professor at an institution with a biblical studies program, I would love to get your help to get SAG connected with your campus. If you’re in the Pacific Coast Region (Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada), are a student member of SBL, and interested in being involved more, contact me (your new Pacific Coast Regional Representative for SAG). Or if you know someone who would be good for the spot at your school. Some of the schools from which I’ll be looking to recruit include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Arizona: Northern Arizona University; Southwestern College
• California: Azusa Pacific University/Haggard School of Theology; Biola University/Talbot School of Theology; California Baptist University; Chapman University; CSU Long Beach; CSU Northridge; CSU Sacramento; CSU San Diego; Fresno Pacific University/Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary; Hope International University; La Sierra University; Loyola Marymount University; Occidental College; Pacific Union College; Patten College; Pepperdine University; Point Loma Nazarene; Santa Clara University; The Masters College and Seminary; UC Berkeley; UC Irvine; UC Riverside; UC San Diego; UC Santa Barbara; University of Judaism; University of San Diego; University of San Francisco; University of Southern California; University of the Pacific; Vanguard University of Southern California; Westminster Seminary; Westmont College; Whittier College
• Hawaii: Brigham Young University, Hawaii; Chaminade University of Honolulu; Hawaii Pacific University; Hawaii Theological Seminary; Pacific Rim Bible College; University of Hawaii (any campus)
• Nevada: College of Southern Nevada; University of Nevada (any campus)

So, if you are at any of these schools or some other unmentioned school, and are interested (or know someone who might be), there’s a good chance I could use your help! Leave a comment on this post or contact me (pgmccullough [AT] ucla [DOT] edu) for more information. Don’t forget to check out the job description.

I am pleased to announce that my paper, “The Agents of Jesus Meet ‘All the Nations’: Adapting Jesus’ Cultic Reform for the Eschaton,” has been accepted for the 2009 Annual Meeting program unit Construction of Christian Identities at the Society of Biblical Literature in New Orleans. Though I have presented at the regional SBL meeting for the west coast, this will be my first presentation at the national conference.

The basic thesis for the paper is that Jewish eschatological texts anticipate a time when the Gentiles/nations will one day worship the one true God, and with Jesus’ inauguration of the eschaton, his followers carry out the Gentile mission in partial fulfillment of that vision. Here is the abstract:

The Gospels portray Jesus of Nazareth as both cultic reformer within the house of Israel (akin to Amos) and an apocalyptic herald announcing the end of the age. As a reformer, Jesus seeks to extend God’s compassion to groups marginalized by contemporary practices within the Judean cult (e.g., women, the sick, the poor). While Jesus’ inclusivity here is radical, his program is limited to the house of Israel (e.g., Matt 15:24). This paper argues that Jesus’ role as an apocalyptic herald inaugurates not only the eschaton, but also the inclusion of the Gentiles (the “nations”). The role of the Gentiles in the coming judgment is a muddled area within Second Temple Jewish texts. Some texts anticipate a war with Gentile oppressors of the Judeans, other texts see God using the Gentiles as bringing God’s justice upon unfaithful Israelites/Judeans, while many texts also suggest that the Gentiles will some day worship the true God and will join the people of God. The latter category provides the foundation for this paper. From the perspective of Jesus’ followers, Judean cultic leaders have rejected Jesus’ message of radical inclusivity. As Jesus’ death and resurrection marks the beginning of the new age, the followers of Jesus act as his agents to reinterpret his cultic reforms for a mission to the Gentiles—thus initiating the Gentile inclusion anticipated in eschatological texts. One can see the shift in the disciples’ role as Jesus’ agents to the house of Israel first (Matt 10) and later to “all the nations” (Matt 25:31-46; 28:16-20). The pragmatic and theological implications of such a shift dominate the conversation of the early Jesus movement. This paper contrasts this phenomenon with the sectarian particularism of the Qumran community, which constitutes a contemporary group also identified by both cultic reform and apocalyptic eschatology.

And here is information for the program unit (see all program units):

Construction of Christian Identities

Edmondo F. Lupieri Mauro Pesce

Description: Interdisciplinary study of the making of Christianity as a complex phenomenon (“Early Christianities”), and of conflicting intercultural relations among Mediterranean/Near-Eastern religious groups as contributing to diversified evolution inside early Christianities. Identifying different early Christian groups as matrix of different early Christian writings.

Call for papers: For the Annual Meeting of New Orleans 2009, this Unit plans to invite the speakers for one of its sessions (panel discussion) and to accept papers for the other. The title of the panel discussion is: “From Christianity to Christianities: Ways Back to the Origins.” We would like to explore the possibility to move back from the consolidated situation of Christianity we know better (that of a “Great Church” and of “heresies”) to the complexity of the origins. The title of the open session is: “Rituals, Texts, Individuals and Associations: Competing ways to Construct Identities?” We invite contributions which analyze first century events and/or phenomena pertaining to cultural mechanisms which could have contributed to the construction of a group identity, both among the followers of Jesus and in comparable groups. Please, feel free to send any proposal for papers, the content of which corresponds to the specific subject of the open session and to the lines established in the General Description of the Section.

Good news! Just got this email from AAR. Hot off the press:

April 14, 2008

Dear Fellow Members of the American Academy of Religion:

I write today to alert you to an action taken by your Board of Directors at its meeting this past weekend.

In light of the scheduling and logistical problems connected with the proposed Independent Annual Meetings, and given the views our members expressed in our recent member survey, the Board, in its April 12, 2008 meeting, approved a recommendation that the AAR begin scheduling concurrent, yet independent Annual Meetings with the Society of Biblical Literature as soon as is feasible. Assuming that the SBL is agreeable to meeting concurrently, it is our intention that such meetings would feature:

1. A return to the traditional meeting time, on the weekend before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday;
2. An AAR Program (and Program Book) that is entirely separate from the SBL’s;
3. If desirable, a single, jointly sponsored Book Exhibit and a single, jointly sponsored employment interview center;
4. The invitation to and inclusion of other scholarly groups that may wish to meet concurrently with the AAR;
5. An arrangement whereby AAR members could participate freely in sessions and programs of the SBL (and other scholarly organizations with which the AAR has entered into concurrent meeting arrangements), and vice versa, with no additional registration fees; and
6. Consultation with the Finance Committee, prior to entering into jointly sponsored ventures with the SBL, to ensure that the AAR’s financial interests are protected.

The Board concluded that such a plan:

1. Supports the views of the majority of our members;
2. Represents a genuine compromise among the views of our members on this contentious subject;
3. Fosters many of the goals sought in Independent Annual Meetings;
4. Allows departments, schools, universities, and other societies to use concurrent meetings for breakfasts, receptions, and other special events aimed at both AAR and SBL members; and
5. Promotes the continuing health of our organization.

The text of this announcement is available on the AAR website.

I will share additional developments about concurrent meetings with you as they are available. Until then, thank you for your participation in the work of our Academy.

Sincerely yours

Jack Fitzmier
Executive Director

Sounds like a good compromise to me. It’s probably good for the organizations to keep their separate identity, but this solves so many practical problems that we were facing. I hope that SBL finds the proposal agreeable.