Preaching class
This semester, I'll take my first preaching class. I hadn't planned on taking *any* preaching classes, so it's an interesting turn of events. It sounds like the class will be a blend of rhetoric, creative writing, and theological research, which isn't too far out of my usual wheelhouse. But the idea of actually preaching a sermon in front of a congregation feels a universe away. When I think about teaching Bible stuff, I think of my favorite Bible rhetoricians of all time: C. S. Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. I love Lewis because of his tendency to face the difficult realities of life and then connect them with the wonder of existence, resulting in a reality that is, at its core, a situation of necessary tension. But he didn’t stop there. He grappled with it to see what he could find, and what he tended to find was a God that is grace, empathy, wonder, and wisdom. I love King because of his insistence on justice and peace not being at odds—another necessary tension. H...
