Prophetic Preaching, Pastoral Ministry, and Social Change

Prophetic Preaching, Pastoral Ministry, and Social Change STH TC 869 Boston University School of Theology Syllabus Fall Term, 2012 Class Sessions: XXXdays, X-X PM

Prof. David Schnasa Jacobsen Phone: 617-353-7322 E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: Wednesdays 1-3 PM or by appointment

Description: This course is designed to help students wrestle with several central issues around prophetic preaching in contemporary Christian churches: the relationships of prophetic preaching to the gospel, to the Bible, to the social-political context, and to pastoral ministry generally. Since the course is designed to be a seminar, students will be expected to wrestle with these issues not only in class but also through a sermon and a public message. By the end of the course, students should be able to develop their own vision for prophetic preaching in a way that integrates the above concerns by moving from a specific Biblical text to a sermon as well as a public message in light of a situation. Pre-requisite TC715 Intro to Preaching or its equivalent.

Learning Goals: 1. Understanding prophetic preaching in light of HB and NT understandings of the prophetic, 2. Appreciate the history of prophetic preaching in our own context, 3. Connect prophetic preaching to the pastoral context of ministry, 4. Integrate prophetic preaching theologically around an understanding of the gospel, 5. Develop an in-church prophetic sermon, and 6. Envision practices of prophetic preaching for today’s pluralistic public square.

Required Hard Copy Texts: Brueggemann, Walter. The Prophetic Imagination. Rev. ed.; Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2001. Lischer, Richard. Preacher King: Martin Luther King and the Word that Moved America. New York: Oxford, 1997. Ramsey, Lee. Care-full Preaching. St. Louis: Chalice, 2000. Resner, André, ed. Just Preaching: Prophetic Voices for Economic Justice. St. Louis: Chalice, 2003.

Recommended Texts (Please Purchase only after Speaking with Professor): Campbell, Charles. The Word before the Powers. Louisville: WJKP, 2002. Childs, James. Preaching Justice: The Ethical Vocation of Word and Sacrament Ministry. New York: Trinity, 2000. Smith, Christine M. Preaching as Weeping, Confession, and Resistance: Radical Responses to Radical Evil. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1992.

Grading: The percentage of the final grade goes up with each assignment. One goal of this course is to set a trajectory for learning. Students need not fret that a difficult first sermon or presentation dooms them to homiletical purgatory. As the semester progresses, you will see that opportunities for growth and improvement increase. Yet since pastors almost always must produce weekly sermons without fail, late papers of any sort will result in an automatic reduction of grade by one letter.

Format: In the following schedule, the material in plain type is what I do; the material in bold is what you do.

CLASS SCHEDULE

Session 1 (September 6) Introductions & Discussion of Syllabus Lecture: Schola Prophetarum To prepare for Session 2, read Resner (Just Preaching...), chapters 4, 8, 10-12, 15-16, 26, & 30.

Session 2 (September 13) Lecture–“Prophecy in the Old Testament” Discussion of Readings–How does the OT relate to prophetic preaching? To prepare for Session 3, read Resner (Just Preaching...) Intro and chapters 2, 3, 5, 6-7, 13, 17, 19, 22, 24, 27 & 31-32.

Session 3 (September 20) Lecture–“Prophecy in the New Testament” Discussion of Readings–How does the NT relate to prophetic preaching? To prepare for Session 4, read Lischer, Preacher King

Session 4 (September 27) Book Discussion: Preacher King Small Group Workgroups: Prophetic Preaching as Contextual Theology To prepare for Session 5, read Ramsey (Care-full Preaching, chapters 1-5).

Session 5 (October 4) Discuss Ramsey: Preaching Prophetically in a Pastoral Context Preaching as a Social Act To prepare for Session 6, read Brueggemann (Prophetic Imagination)

Session 6 (October 11) Discuss Brueggemann’s book. Some Theological Theses for Prophetic Preaching To prepare for Sessions 7-9, read Smith (Weeping), Childs (Preaching), or Campbell (Powers)

Session 7 (October 18) Assignment 1: Group A Presentation of Smith’s book Group B Presentation of Child’s book for class

Session 8 (October 25) Assignment 1, cont.: Group C Presentation of Campbell’s book Round Robin Response Session 9 (November 1) Lecture: Preaching Gospel and Situation Models of Language and Social Change: Metaphor, Rhetoric, and Social Transformation.

Session 10 (November 8) Assignment 2: In-class sermons ______

November 22—No Class: Thanksgiving Recess

Session 13 (December 6) Special Session: Preaching and Social Change in a Public, Pluralistic Context Assignment 3: Imagining Prophetic Practice on the Pluralistic Public Square Evaluation

Assignments: 1. Book Presentation Work with your group, covering Smith, Childs, or Campbell, to present the content of your selection in class. Students will be marked for how well they (1) present the material in their presentation hour and handout [see below] and (2) engage in discussion in the final hour (March 2). Please provide the class with a one-page handout that summarises the theological and homiletical perspective of your figure. Due Date: Session 7 or 8 Percentage of Grade: 20%

2. Sermon: Prophetic Sermon from a Biblical Text Prepare a full sermon manuscript along with a three-page exegetical and homiletical rationale for your sermon. The rationale should explain “why you did what you did” exegetically and homiletically with respect to a socio-political issue and in relation to the pastoral context in which it would be heard. Sermons will be graded on faithfulness to the text, theological adequacy to a gospel vision of grace and justice, and homiletical savvy. The final form of you sermon manuscripts will be due prior to the session. Sermon manuscripts and rationales not received at the designated place, date, and time will be docked one full letter grade. Due Date: Session 10, 11, or 12 Percentage of Grade: 50%

3. Imagining Prophetic Practice in the Public Square: A Small Group Exercise In small groups you will receive a description of a public situation to which you will need to respond. Come up with a strategy in class of what you would say. You’ll have five minutes to speak. Keep in mind that your audience is not a congregation, but a public square made up of different religious traditions as well as agnostics and free thinkers. Due Date: Session 13 Percentage of Grade: 20%

4. Attendance and Group Participation In order to learn preaching together regular attendance is expected. More importantly, however, we will attempt to learn how to preach prophetically as part of a community. Preachers can expect to benefit homiletically by studying and reflecting with their sisters and brothers in the pulpit. By struggling together with our common calling we will also grow together in ways that we can hardly imagine. This aspect of our time together will necessarily require the voicing of perspectives that some of us often ignore. Yet this is the greatest blessing preachers can receive. After all, the Gospel may not come to us who are called to preach, unless it comes first through the voice of an other. How did Paul put it?: faith comes by hearing. Due Date: Every Class--Percentage of Grade: 10%

Course Policies

Any students in this course who have a disability that might prevent them from fully demonstrating their abilities should meet with the instructor as soon as possible to initiate disability verification and discuss accommodations that may be necessary to ensure your full participation in the successful completion of course requirements.

Boston University uses software that can check for plagiarism. Students may be required to submit their written work in electronic form and have it checked for plagiarism. For a copy of the STH Code of Academic Content see http://www.bu.edu/sth/academics/academic-conduct/