The 2011 Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting is approaching. From November 19th to 22nd, Biblical scholars of all stripes will convene in beautiful San Francisco, CA, to sight-see, schmooze, sleep through papers, overindulge at the city’s fabulous eateries, and blow their children’s college savings fund on new releases at the book exhibit. 🙂

But, seriously, folks, SBL is a great time to meet old friends, make new acquaintances, check out new books, and hear a slew of great papers from viewpoints you might never have otherwise considered.

This year at SBL I will be presenting twice:

• In the Letters of James, Peter, and Jude section, I will be presenting my paper, “Food, Fellowship and Favoritism: Early Christian Meals as the Setting for James 2:1–9,” (click to read the abstract) in which I argue that the favoritism condemned in James 2 took place in a δεῖπνον/συμπόσιον setting. I am slotted for 9am on Saturday, Nov. 19.
• In the Applied Linguistics for Biblical Languages section, I will be presenting on how we can do exegesis of Greek texts in Greek (click to see the abstract). My time slot will be dominated by a demonstration of this with two conversation partners: Lee
  Fields of Mid-Atlantic Christian University and Anna Phillips of Grace Evangelical College and Seminary. This is slotted for 2:30pm on Sunday, Nov. 20.
• I will also be presiding over the Applied Linguistics Greek Lunch. No this is not gyros and yoghurt, but a chance to practice your Koine speaking skills! Here’s the abstract from the SBL site: “Members interested in Greek pedagogy are invited to meet with each other in a friendly setting over a BYOL lunch (bring your own lunch). Discussion may focus on personal interests or professional interests and should be conducted in Koine Greek. All levels and pronunciations are welcome.” I’ll be distributing a sheet of helpful hints and phrases to spark conversation among participants. The lunch will take place from 11:45am to 12:45pm on Sunday, Nov. 20.

As you can see, I’ll have my hands full. But, please, if you see me, don’t hesitate to stop me and introduce yourself. I’d love to meet and talk to anyone who’s interested in reforming Greek pedagogy.