Church and Ministry. Preaching

P501. Introduction to Preaching

Fall and Spring. Credit, three hours. (Faculty)

Introduction to the theology, history, literature, art, and practice of preaching. This is a foundational class that prepares students for other courses in homiletics.

P502. Sermon Development and Delivery

Credit, three hours. Prerequisite: P501 or the permission of the instructor. (Faculty)

The main goal of this course is to build upon the knowledge and skills gained in the basic course in preaching (P501) by encouraging creativity in sermon content and lively, engaged delivery of the sermon. The course will involve a mixture of lecture, discussion, reading, and workshop-style activities, all designed to improve the various skills of sermon design and delivery.

P613. Oral Presentation of Scripture and Sermon

Credit, three hours. (Faculty)

Practice and study of factors that increase the interest of a sermon as it is preached. The class emphasizes word as sound and sensitivity of the preacher to the involvement of the body and feelings in sermon delivery.

P617. Lectionary Preaching

Credit, three hours. Co- or prerequisite: P501. (Faculty)

This course examines the lessons of the common lectionary for the major liturgical seasons. It addresses issues of exegesis, hermeneutics, and preaching within the context of the church year. (P617CEE when offered as a Contextual Education elective)

P620. Prophetic Voices for a New Century

Credit, three hours. (Fry Brown)

This course examines contextualization of the preached word, prophetic and pastoral preaching, and critical engagement of contemporary social issues and “isms” in the preaching moment. (P620CEE when offered as a Contextual Education elective)

P622. Preaching Politics

Credit, three hours. (Smith) (Same as ES622.)

This course invites students to analyze the challenges to preaching politics in modern societies, learn some of the main ways that preachers have preached in light of them, consider some contemporary proposals for continuing that work, and then extend the practice with sermons of their own. The course moves, then, from social analysis to a history of practice to practical counsel to the practice of preaching. That movement—a kind of practical theological reflection—is itself one of the main things this course hopes to teach.

P624. Preaching in a Secular Age

Credit, three hours. (Smith) (Same as SR624.)

The course is designed to help students understand, evaluate, and use key concepts from theories of secularization; interpret concrete situations in ministry using these concepts - letting the concepts illumine particular situations, even as the situations rebuke, refine, and revise the concepts; gain a sense of the variety of ways that different preachers from different theological traditions and social locations relate to processes of secularization; preach with richer consciousness of the questions of secularization that might be at stake in a context the student cares about; and cultivate habits for this pattern of practical theological reflection (moving between theories, concrete situations, and the practical actions of everyday ministry).

P631. Contemporary Black Preaching

Credit, three hours. (Fry Brown)

Analysis of historical and contemporary elements of the genre of black preaching. Homiletical preparation; textual integrity; spiritual-social-political content; and style, delivery efficacy, and receptivity of sermons through lecture, multimedia presentations, and preaching opportunities. (Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and/or Global Contexts)

P642. Women and Preaching

Credit, three hours. (Fry Brown)

Study of the preaching tradition of North American women, feminist/womanist hermeneutical techniques, and the social-historical reality of religious foremothers. (Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and/or Global Contexts)

P649. Bible and Sermon

Credit, three hours. (Faculty) (Same as BI649)

This course helps students move from exegetical work to the sermon, attending to preaching that continues both the substance of the biblical text and its form and function. (P649G Bible and Sermon: Hebrews; P649S Bible and Sermon: Mark; P649U Bible and Sermon: John) (P649CEE when offered as a Contextual Education elective)

Credit, three hours. (Fry Brown)

This course aims to introduce basic sociolinguistic theory, contextualized language of faith, cultural theory, intercultural language, performance studies, contemporary preaching models and the effect of each issue on congregational reception and engagement with the preached word. Course will investigate cultural communication principles foundational to homiletical theorizing. Methodologies, pedagogies, and strategies for communicating God’s word in a variety of cultures will be discussed. Pedagogical methods include lecture, group discussion, class presentations, writing assignments and viewing of multimedia resources, i.e., film, novels, music, television, news reports, and social media.

P697R. Colloquy Leadership

Credit, two hours.

Offered each semester by invitation of the instructors of P501. Does not fulfill area requirements.

P698. Special Topics in Preaching

Credit, variable. (Faculty)

Special topic or one-time offering courses led by Candler regular and visiting faculty. Prerequisites may be required and are noted on the course schedule when applicable.