Regent University School of Divinity to Host Third Annual Conference for Renewal Theology 2026

May 7, 2026

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (May 7, 2026) — On October 31, 2026, Regent University’s School of Divinity will host the third annual Conference for Renewal Theology. Drawn from the declaration of Hebrews 4:12-13, the theme is Living and Active: The Holy Spirit and the Eternal Authority of Sacred Scripture.

Building on the momentum of its inaugural year, which drew over 120 attendees, and its 2025 conference on Creedal Renewal, this year’s gathering will bring together evangelical and renewal scholars, pastors, and practitioners to engage the profound relationship between the Holy Spirit and the eternal authority of scripture.

“The Holy Scriptures are the gift of the Triune God: breathed out by the Holy Spirit, testifying to the eternal Son, and originating in the eternal counsel of the Father who wills that all flesh shall hear His voice and live,” said Corné J. Bekker, D. Litt. et Phil., Dean of the School of Divinity at Regent University. “Because the Holy Spirit who inspired every word is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father and bears witness to the Son, the sacred text is inerrant, holy, and inexhaustible; it is as faithful as the God whose eternal nature it reflects. To receive Scripture in the power of the Spirit is to be drawn into the very life of the Trinity; the Father speaking, the Son revealed, and the Spirit sealing the Word upon hearts that the Church of every age may know the God who renews.”

The conference will feature two distinguished plenary speakers, Hans Boersma, Ph.D., and Kevin L. Spawn, D.Phil., who will guide the gathering into a deep, rich engagement with Holy Scripture as the Spirit-inspired, living voice of the Triune God.

Hans Boersma, Ph.D., holds the Saint Benedict Servants of Christ Endowed Chair in Ascetical Theology at Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin. A Dutch Canadian Anglican priest and internationally recognized patristics scholar, Boersma has devoted his scholarly career to retrieving the sacramental ontology of the Great Tradition, particularly as it bears on the spiritual interpretation of Holy Scripture.

Kevin L. Spawn, D.Phil., is Associate Professor of Old Testament at the Regent University School of Divinity, where he has taught since 2006. Holding his doctorate from the University of Oxford, Dr. Spawn is a leading evangelical and renewal voice in the development of pneumatic hermeneutics, a Spirit-attentive methodology for reading Holy Scripture. He is co-editor of Spirit and Scripture: Exploring a Pneumatic Hermeneutic (T&T Clark, 2012).

The Conference for Renewal Theology is accepting proposals for presentations within the broad range of theological knowledge related to Renewal Theology and this year’s conference theme, including:

Biblical studies
Biblical languages
Church history
Systematic theology
Pastoral theology and ministry
Apologetics
Ethics
Philosophy

Authors holding a terminal degree, or doctoral students, in a theological discipline are eligible to submit. Submissions must include a paper title and an abstract of 500 words or less, emailed to renewalconference@regent.edu, and must adhere to the conference doctrinal statement. Proposals are due by August 15, 2026. Presenters will be notified of acceptance or denial by August 30, 2026. To register or learn more, visit regent.edu/renewal.

About Regent University

Founded in 1977, Regent University is America’s premier Christian university, with nearly 14,000 students studying on its 100-acre campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and online worldwide. The university offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in more than 150 areas of study, including business, communication and the arts, counseling, cybersecurity, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, nursing, healthcare, and psychology. Regent University has been ranked the No. 1 Best Online Bachelor’s Program in Virginia for 14 years in a row (U.S. News & World Report, 2026) and the No. 1 Best Christian College in America (Bible College Online, 2025).

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