For the first time, members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church will be able to “attend” a weeklong International Bible Conference of the movement’s top scholars and theologians.

While the physical event takes place in Kibbutz Nof Ginosar, near Tiberias, Israel, and in Jerusalem, live Internet streaming of almost every session will allow viewers to hear discussions and major presentations.

“Our goal is to bring the International Bible Conference to the people, and the people to the conference,” said Clinton Wahlen, an associate director of the church’s Biblical Research Institute (BRI) and conference coordinator. The 2012 International Bible Conference, at which nearly 300 scholars, theologians and Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders are expected to attend, is the third such event. The first two were held in 1998 and 2006.

The theme chosen for the 2012 conference is “Issues in Biblical Anthropology from an Adventist Perspective.” A total of twelve plenary sessions are planned, some exploring the theme in connection with the ancient Near East, the Old and New Testaments, Greek philosophy and Judaism, Christian history, culture, and contemporary theology. Other plenary sessions will deal with ministry in an age of spiritualism, creation, evolution, and human nature, and death and hell in Scripture.

All of the plenary sessions – with the exception of the opening night on June 11, due to technical issues – will be available via live streaming at adventistbiblicalresearch.org/livestream. A link on that page will direct viewers to a “program book” for the conference indicating start times -- in Israel -- and subjects of the plenary sessions.

The Biblical Research Institute was established by action of the General Conference Committee in 1975. It consists of several Adventist theologians and staff working at the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The BRI exists to promote the study and practice of Adventist theology and lifestyle as understood by the world church.

The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the governing body of the movement, and was organized in 1863. Today, 17 million people are baptized members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and an estimated 25 million people attend weekly worship services in 209 countries.