Commitment to Biblical Studies

For several years, the America Academy of Religion (AAR) had met and partnered with Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) for a southeast regional conference. The partnership of the two groups created a dynamic exchange of scholarship and a community of support in the region. The leadership of this regional meeting was constituted by shared responsibility between the two groups in an executive committee.

In the summer of 2022, SBL ceased their support of the formal regional meetings. For those involved in the southeast region, this was seen as a great loss to the network of local scholarship in the region. In response to this decision, the Southeast regional gathering of the AAR has committed to providing a space for biblical scholars in their regional meeting. The inclusion of biblical scholars in this regional meeting will continue to create a rich academic exchange and mark the Southeast regional gathering as hub of creative scholarship, professional development, and academic fellowship.

To this end, the Southeast Region of the AAR has made the following commitments to the inclusion of biblical scholarship in the region:

    1. the continuation of groups on biblical studies including Hebrew Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, New Testament, and Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha;
    2. the incorporation of biblical studies leadership into the formal structure of the AAR regional meeting;
    3. the on-going support and encouragement of scholars in biblical studies throughout the Southeast region.

We believe our academic community is stronger with the inclusion of biblical scholars and we look forward to many more years of mutual support and exchange in the future.