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A collection of provocative, inspiring, and thoughtful essays about the place of politics in the pulpit.
List of contents
Introduction
Ian S. Markham and Crystal J. Hardin
Chapter 1 Preaching Politics: Not Yes or No, but How
Crystal J. Hardin
Chapter 2 The Dangerous Potential of the Prophetic Pulpit
Sarah Condon
Chapter 3 Addressing Power
Phoebe Roaf
Chapter 4 Remember Jesus: The Purpose of the Pulpit
Russell J. Levenson Jr.
Chapter 5 Reclaiming the Prophetic Pulpit
Alex Dyer
Chapter 6 Preaching the Jesus Movement
Stephanie Spellers
Chapter 7 The Political Work of the Church: Go for the Underlying Issues
Ian S. Markham
Chapter 8 Prophetic Preaching as Sacrament: Finding and Using a Political Voice
Ruthanna Hooke
Chapter 9 Getting the Basics Right
Samuel Wells
Chapter 10 What Succeeds in Preaching: The Way of Blessing
Samuel G. Candler
Chapter 11 Last Word: Reimagining Prophetic Preaching
Mark Jefferson
Acknowledgments
Contributors
About the author
Ian S. Makham is the Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and a Professor of Theology and Ethics. He is the author of numerous books, including Against Atheism and An Introduction to Ministry (co-written with Oran Warder). His awards include the Robertson Fellow; Claggett Fellow attached to Washington National Cathedral; Frank Woods Fellow at Trinity College, Melbourne; and F. D. Maurice Lectures at King’s College, London. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
CRYSTAL J. HARDIN is the Assistant to the Rector at Christ Church at Georgetown in Washington D.C. She graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary and from the University of Alabama School of Law where she was named a Hugo L. Black Scholar. After graduating, she clerked for the Honorable William M. Acker, Jr. on the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Alabama.
Summary
A collection of provocative, inspiring, and thoughtful essays about the place of politics in the pulpit.
This book is the first collection of essays to explore the question: is there room for politics from the pulpit? In response to an increasingly polarized society, preachers grapple with the call to witness a unifying Truth in a world where truth appears subjective. While many congregations respond positively to social and political themes in sermons, others do not. Episcopalians in the conservative minority may be uncomfortable with political-themed preaching, while liberal Episcopalians demand a political message from the pulpit. What is a preacher to do when the Episcopal Church is no more immune to the temptation of polarization than the secular world?
Contributors to this volume serve in a variety of contexts and bring with them their own distinct styles and visions. Anyone with an interest in the practical implications addressing the current political climate from the pulpit will find these essays provocative, inspiring, and thoughtful.
Contributors: Samuel G. Chandler, Sarah T. Condon, Alex Dyer, Crystal J. Hardin, Ruthanna Hooke, Mark Jefferson, Russell J. Levenson Jr., Ian Markham, Phoebe Roaf, Stephanie Spellers, Samuel Wells
