Paul S. Wright Lecture Series – August 29-31, 2012
After the Crossing: Preaching as a Voice for the 21st. Century Church
“Finally he said that if men drink the blood of God yet they do not understand the seriousness of what they do. He said that men wish to be serious but they do not understand how to be so. Between their acts and their ceremonies lies the world and in this world the storms blow and the trees twist in the wind and all the animals that God has made go to and fro yet this world men do not see. They see the acts of their own hands or they see that which they name and call out to one another but the world between is invisible to them”
― Cormac McCarthy, The Crossing
For more than fifty years, the homiletic discipline has offered preachers new methods and approaches to preaching to help the church meet the challenges posed by a radically changing society. Some of these homiletical theories were modest, others quite radical. However, for many preachers, the collective effect of this ever growing and sometimes contradictory body of literature was a growing sense of doubt about their ability to connect with their congregation through proclamation. During the Paul S.Wright lectures, we are going to step back from the “How To” of preaching theory that clouds the ministry of so many, and instead think about preaching “Who With”, as a series of relationships that can uplift and sustain us as well as demand and obligate. As we continue to live into a future for the church that will require us to build and sustain communities of faith, we will listen together to past and present voices that help us to deepen the relationships that will strengthen and hopefully inspire our preaching for the work ahead.
Lecture 1: Jumping off the Pendulum: The 20th Century Crisis in Preaching and the Limits of Theory
Lecture 2: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Voice of the Community in Preaching that Changes the World
Lecture 3: Finding our Lives in Scripture: Difficult Texts and the Possibility of Hope when we Liberate Ourselves from Providing Answers
Lecture 4: Living into the Preaching Life: Faithful Practices for Up-building the Primary Relationships in Preaching
Mr. Matthew Flemming, Instructor in Preaching Columbia Theological Seminary
Matthew Flemming’s work focuses on the theological formation of preachers engaging the opportunities and challenges of the church in the 21st century. His research explores homiletic pedagogy, the theology of preaching, and ecclesiology.
Education in brief: (Full Resume/CV click here)
- Ph.D Emory University (Pending)
- Th.M Princeton Theological Seminary (Systematic Theology)
- M.Div Princeton Theological Seminary
- B.A. Calvin College
Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA)
