Andrews Autumn Conference on Religion & Science

The Andrews Way of Doing Archaeology

The 15th annual Andrews Autumn Conference on Religion & Science is a function of Andrews University and the Midwest Religion and Science Society (MRSS), an organization representing a variety of faith backgrounds including Seventh-day Adventist, Anabaptist, Church of the Brethren, and Catholic. The forum takes place in the Biology Amphitheater on Friday & Saturday, November 12-13, 2021.

The 2021 theme is "The Andrews Way of Doing Archaeology." The 2021 speakers include Andrews professors Oystein LaBianca, and Randall W. Younker, as well as Darryl J. Rohl (Assistant Professor, Calvin University), Christopher Jenkins (PhD Student, Yale University), Carina Prestes (PhD Student, Andrews University), and Kevin Burton (Director, Center for Adventist Research). The conference is sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Institute of Archaeology and Siegfried H. Horn Museum, Theological Center for Interdisciplinary Dialogue, and the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship.

Siegfried H. Horn began his collection of artifacts from his excavations in Hisban, Jordan early in his career. By the 1970s, he had established one of the largest cuneiform collections in the United States. The guidelines under  Siegfried H. Horn began his collection of artifacts from his excavations in Hisban, Jordan In the 1970s, The guidelines under which he worked have been established as the "Andrews Way" of doing archaeology--guidelines still followed by the workers in biblical archaeology: 

1. Be forthright with findings. Do not minimize problems or stretch interpretations of data to explain things away.

2. Do not make claims beyond what the data can support. 

3. Be quick and complete in publishing results. 

4. Engage and work within mainstream scholarship. 

5. Include a diversity of people and specialists. 

6. Take the history of the Bible seriously, but do not place upon archaeology the burden of "proving" the bible. 

These guiding principles were established for Bibical Archaeology, they are applicable to other disciplines and their relation to biblical faith.

Breakfast and supper will be provided on Sabbath, November 13, 2021. Please contact us for lunch and/or accommodation reservations.  Reach us at research@andrews.edu. To view the full schedule please click here.