How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon

by William Barber II (Foreword by), Frank a Thomas

Overview

Learn to use four characteristics of "preaching with moral imagination" to proclaim freedom for all. The author describes the four characteristics using examples like Robert F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Prathia Hall, and the Moral Monday Movement, along with musicians and other artists of today. Moral imagination helps the hearer to see what they cannot see, to hear what they cannot hear—to inhabit the lives of others, so that they can embody Christ and true freedom for those others. This book equips and empowers preachers to transcend their basic skills and techniques, so that their proclamation of the Word causes actual turnaround in the hearts and lives of their hearers, and in their communities. "Frank Thomas has written a passionate summons: amid the current destructive chaos of our society there is an urgent need for moral imagination. Such imagination is the antithesis of “diabolic” and “idolatrous” imagination that is all to the fore in our public discourse and practice. Thomas fleshes out “moral imagination” with close reflection on the practice of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Before he finishes Thomas shows how the urgency of “moral imagination” belongs peculiarly to the work of the preacher. This book is a welcome call for gospel-grounded courage and truth about the neighbor issued in a way that refuses the self-serving fakery that dominates our public life." —Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary "Timely and prophetic, How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon presents a homiletic essential for our churches today. Thomas insists that it is up to the preacher to recapture and reclaim the moral imagination of our nation so that the Gospel’s message of freedom is true for all people. With attention to specific figures whose witness models the qualities and characteristics of moral imagination, Thomas inspires the preacher toward powerful proclamation that both challenges and critiques any speech that subjugates or subordinates. How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon is must read for preachers to recover and reimagine the leadership role of the church for the sake of justice for all." —Karoline M. Lewis, Associate Professor of Biblical Preaching and the Marbury E. Anderson Chair of Biblical Preaching, Luther Seminary; author of She: Five Keys to Unlock the Power of Women in Ministry. "In this lucid and compelling book, Frank Thomas plumbs the depths of American moral rhetoric for insights that will help preachers. How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon provides new and dramatic ways in which the moral imagination in a democratic society can be nurtured by visionary, empathic, wise, and artistic preachers."—John S. McClure, Charles G. Finney Professor of Preaching and Worship, Vanderbilt Divinity School "Warning: Preachers, if you are comfortable with the status quo of white privilege, patriarchy, hetero-normativity, and classism, do not read this book. If you are comfortable with sermon series that reduce the gospel to self-help acronyms, don’t read this book. But if you have the courage to look honestly at our landscape and bring the moral imagination of the Christian tradition to bear on it, open these pages and your sermons may never be the same again. But then again neither will the church—or the world—be the same anymore, if enough of us follow Thomas’s advice." —O. Wesley Allen, Jr., Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501856839
Publisher:	Abingdon Press
Publication date:	02/20/2018
Pages:	156
Sales rank:	178,226
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Frank A. Thomas, PhD, serves as the Director of the PhD Program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric and the Nettie Sweeney and Hugh Th. Miller Professor of Homiletics at Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana. Thomas is the author of How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon and Introduction to the Practice of African American Preaching, released by Abingdon Press respectively, February, 2018 and November 2016.

Table of Contents

Foreword: The Terrible Joy of Dangerous Preaching xi

Preface: A Call to Conscience and a Dangerous Sermon xix

Introduction: The Critical Value of Moral Imagination xxv

Imagination Rules the World xxvi

American Moral Imagination in the Twenty-First Century xxxii

The Church and Moral Imagination xxxix

1 Race and Shrinking Whiteness: Four Qualities of the Moral Imagination of Robert E Kennedy 1

Race, the Ghetto, and Public Resources in America 3

Shrinking Whiteness in America 10

Robert F. Kennedy's Moral Imagination 13

Four Qualities of Moral Imagination 17

Concluding Thoughts 21

2 A Requiem-"I'm Happy Tonight": Four Qualities of the Moral Imagination of Martin Luther King Jr. 23

The Exigencies of the Rhetorical Situation 25

A Strategy of Biblical Typology 32

A Close Reading of "I've Been to the Mountaincop" 34

Movement 1 "I'm happy that He's [God has] allowed me to be in Memphis." 35

Movement 2 "Happy to see a relevant ministry." 37

Movement 3 "Thank God for allowing me to be here." 38

Movement 4 "I'm so happy that I didn't sneeze." 39

Movement 5 "I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything." 41

Four Qualities of the Moral Imagination 45

Requiem 48

3 Who Is the Moral header of Our Nation? Four Qualities of Moral Imagination and the New Moral Leadership 51

The Moral Leader of Our Nation 52

Envision equality and represent that by one's physical presence 54

Empathy as a catalyst or bridge to create new opportunities for peace and justice 56

Wisdom and truth in ancient texts: The wisdom of the ages 58

The language of poetry and art that lifts and elevates 64

A Vision of Moral Leadership 71

4 How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon:

Four Qualities of Moral Imagination in a Sermon 77

Perspectives of the Anti-Moral Imagination 79

Anti-Moral Imagination Response to the Four Qualities of Moral Imagination 81

Envision equality and represent that by one's physical presence 81

Empathy as a catalyst or bridge to create opportunities to over-come the past and make new decisions for peace and justice 82

Wisdom and truth in ancient texts: The wisdom of the ages 82

The language of poetry and art that lifts and elevates by touching the emotive chords of wonder, hope, and mystery 83

A Brief Homiletic Method for Preaching Moral Imagination 84

Preaching Worksheet 85

Behavioral Purpose Statement for Lamentations 3:20-23 87

Five Questions of the Moral Imagination for Lamentations 3:20-23 87

Where in this text do we find equality envisioned and represented by physical presence? 87

Where in the text do we notice empathy as a catalyst or bridge to create opportunities to overcome the past and make new decisions for peace and justice? 87

Where do we find wisdom and truth in this ancient text, the wisdom of the ages? 88

Where is the language of poetry and art that lifts and elevates by touching the emotive chords of wonder, hope, and mystery? 88

To what contemporary moral concern would you apply your responses in these four questions of the four qualities of the moral imagination? 88

Moral Versus Political 89

A Sermon of the Moral Imagination: "Did Heaven Make a Mistake?" 90

5 The Final Word:

The "Freedom Faith" of Prathia L. Hall (1940-2002) 101

Brief Biography of Prathia L. Hall 103

"Freedom Faith" and Four Qualities of Moral Imagination 104

"Freedom-Faith" 107