Winter 2018/Pasadena
PR500
Lamb
PR500: HOMILETICS (4 Units: 164 hours). Lisa Washington Lamb.
DESCRIPTION: This course PR500 introduces students to the theology and practice of preaching as an integrating focus that draws from and informs the whole Master of Divinity curriculum. Preaching is taught and learned within an extended conversation between students and the professor which is shaped by the calling of the church to proclaim the Word of God in service of God’s mission. Preaching is addressed as an act of congregational worship, and as a means by which the diverse gifts and ministries of God’s people bear witness to God’s reign in and for the world.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students will have demonstrated (1) competence in biblical interpretation through faithful use of the whole canon of Scripture in proclaiming the gospel; (2) capacities for engaging listeners through preaching as a formative activity within the context of worship; (3) an understanding of how the theology of the Church and its historical developments, including the practice of preaching, inform the proclamation of the gospel in the present; and (4) competence in preaching as a theologically reflective practice that serves the Church’s calling to proclaim the gospel in the whole of life.
COURSE FORMAT: The class meets in a hybrid+ format that includes nine weeks of online instruction and one week of classroom instruction on a Fuller campus. The course comprises 40 hours of classroom instruction and 120 hours of additional assignments for a total of 160 hours. The week of classroom instruction includes 4 hours of daily activity as well as lunch meetings and evening sessions. Taken as a whole, the course combines online posts, written and video presentations by the professor, in class discussions, individual and collaborative learning activities, required reading and written reflections, and hearing and responding to sermons preached by members of the class. Three brief sermon segments are preached during the week of residential instruction for which students receive feedback, evaluative comments, and guidance for future learning and development from class members and the professor. Two additional complete sermons are preached to congregations or listening groups comprising at least 5 members. The sermons are videoed and posted online, and receives feedback, evaluative comments, and guidance for future learning and development from members of the listening group, class members, and the professor. Students engage in self-assessment and reflection after preaching each sermon. In addition to conversations following each sermon, students are able to consult individually with the professor through a variety of venues.
REQUIRED READING: 830 pp. of required reading
Long, Thomas G. The Witness of Preaching, 3rd Ed. Westminster/John Knox Press, 2016. ISBN: 978-0664261429, Pub. Price $30.00 [240 pp.].
Lowry, Eugene. The Homiletical Plot: The Sermon as Narrative Art Form (Expanded Edition). Westminster John Knox, 2000. ISBN: 978-0664222642, Pub. Price $22.00 [140 pp. assigned]
Taylor, Barbara Brown. The Preaching Life. Cowley Publications, 1993. ISBN: 978-1561010745, Pub. Price $17.95. [100 pp.].
Troeger, Thomas and Leonora Tubbs Tisdale, A Sermon Workbook: Exercises in the Art and Craft of Preaching. Abingdon Press, 2013. ISBN: 978-1426757785, Pub. Price: $24.99 [100 pp. assigned].
Course Reader. Readings by Barth, Bonhoeffer, and others, including sample sermons as required listening, will be available on Canvas through eReserves. [100 pp.].
Select Reading: Students will choose ONE of the five texts below:
Gilbert, Kenyatta. The Journey and Promise of African American Preaching. Fortress Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0800696276, Pub. Price $20.00 [160 pp.]
Childers, Jana, ed. Birthing the Sermon: Women Preachers on the Creative Process. Chalice, 2001. ISBN: 978-0827202306, Pub. Price $28.99 [224 pp.].
Gonzalez, J. L., and P. A. Jimenez. Pulpito: An Introduction to Hispanic Preaching. Abingdon, 2005. ISBN: 978-0687088508, Pub. Price $21.99 [152 pp.].
Kim, Eunjoo Mary. Preaching the Presence of God: A Homiletic from an Asian American Perspective. Judson Press, 1999. ISBN: 978-0817013035, Pub. Price $14.99 [160 pp.].
LaRue, Cleophus J. I Believe I’ll Testify: The Art of African American Preaching. Westminster/John Knox, 2011. ISBN: 978-0664236779, Pub. Price $20.00 [144 pp.].
RECOMMENDED READING:
Barnes, M. Craig. The Pastor as Minor Poet: Texts and Subtexts in the Ministerial Life. Eerdmans, 2009. ISBN: 978-0802829627, Pub. Price $20.00.
Brown, Teresa L. Fry. Delivering the Sermon: Voice, Body, and Animation in Proclamation. Fortress, 2008. ISBN: 978-0800604479, Pub. Price $15.00.
Bush, Michael D., editor. This Incomplete One: Words Occasioned by the Death of a Young Person. Eerdmans, 2006. ISBN: 978-0802822277, Pub. Price $16.00.
Craddock, Fred B. Preaching. Abingdon Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0687659944, Pub. Price $24.99.
LaRue, Cleophus J. I Believe I’ll Testify: The Art of African American Preaching. Westminster/John Knox, 2011. ISBN: 978-0664236779, Pub. Price $20.00.
Lischer, Richard. The Company of Preachers. Eerdmans, 2002. ISBN: 978-0802846099, Pub. Price $38.00.
Lose, David. Preaching at the Crossroads: How the World—and Our Preaching—Is Changing. Fortress, 2013. ISBN: 978-0800699734, Pub. Price $19.00.
Massey, James Earl. Stewards of the Story: The Task of Preaching. Westminster/John Knox, 2006. ISBN: 978-0664229818, Pub. Price $20.00.
Nieman, James R. and Thomas G. Rogers. Preaching to Every Pew: Cross Cultural Strategies. Fortress Press, 2001. ISBN: 978-0800632434, Pub. Price $18.00.
Powell, Mark Allan. What Do They Hear? Bridging the Gap between Pulpit and Pew. Abingdon Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-0687642052, Pub. Price $16.99.
Wilson, Paul Scott. The Four Pages of the Sermon: a Guide to Biblical Preaching. Abingdon, 1999. ISBN: 978-0687023950, Pub. Price $27.99.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
830 pages of required reading (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, 2, 3, 4]. [42 hours]. These points will be accrued via Discussions 3, 5, and 6 and one paper on Thomas Long’s book, Witness of Preaching.
Post a 5-6 minute “preaching autobiography” (Discussion 1) at the beginning of the course describing: 1) your experience and perceptions of preaching - as a preacher, listener, and participant in communities of faith; 2) your hopes and goals for the class; 3) your sense of calling to the ministry of the Word in service of God’s mission. Reply to at least six peers. (2%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #4] [4 hours].
Attend and participate in Distributed Learning Activities, which will include: Watching and responding (in Discussions 2 and 4) to 10 hours of the professor’s lectures posted online, reviews of sermons accessed online and at your own church (Discussion 7), and reviews of the two full-length sermons of your peers. (18%). [This assignment is related to outcomes #1, 2, 3, 4] [20 hours].
Attend and participate in class, including doing all three sermon segments in class, (10%). [This assignment is related to outcomes #1, 2, 3, 4] [24 hours]. (20 hours of class plus 4 hours of advance prep for Telling Scripture’s Story and Word of Witness.)
Prepare and preach sermon #1 with self-assessment:
Submit exegetical notes that support the sermon. Preach the sermon as assigned, uploading both a video and a written manuscript of the sermon, as well as a sign-in sheet documenting that others watched it. (24%).
Complete self-evaluations for the sermon that sets specific goals for continuing improvement. First sermon self-evaluations may be either a written paper or an optional 30-minute review of your first sermon with the professor via video call within Canvas. (4%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, 3, 4] [36 hours].
Preach sermon #2 (2 parts): Prepare and preach a sermon.
Submit notes on biblical interpretation that support the sermon. Exegetical work should emphasize interpreting texts within the whole biblical canon for proclaiming the gospel [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. Preach the sermon as assigned. (24%).
Write a 900-word assessment that reflects theologically on the sermon in light of the course objectives, the student’s vocational plans for serving the ministry of the Word, and the church’s calling to proclaim the gospel in all of life. The essay will describe what is distinct about the student’s particular voice and perspective, identify moral, social, and cultural injustices within the student’s particular community that are addressed by the proclamation of the gospel, and describe a specific theological/social/economic/cultural issue in the student’s particular context that is illuminated and addressed by the gospel (3%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #4] [38 hours]
PREREQUISITES: BI500 or NE502. It is recommended that students take preaching courses towards the end of their program. Students must be able to gather a listening group of at least 5 people for each sermon that will be delivered.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets Homiletics requirement in the 120 MDiv Program. Meets the Worship, Preaching, and Communication requirement in the 80 MATM Program (Fall 2015). Meets the core requirement in Preaching and Communication (MIN2) in the 144 MDiv Program and the Communication (COMM) requirement in MA Programs.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.