Preaching the Headlines

“… often under explored for the purpose of supporting preaching practices that are both holistic and carried out with integrity in communities of faith. ”

Team Members/Contributors

Lisa L Thompson Union Theological Seminary in NYC Contact Me

About this first book grant for scholars of color

The headlines are where daily life meets the public square— be it through social media feeds, news outlets, or daily chatter. Preachers often feel “stuck” when met with quickly shifting and dense media topics. If and when preachers determine it is appropriate to address issues that arise in the news cycle, the next challenge is deciding how to speak about these issues from the pulpit. When the preacher understands that a responsibility to sustain life is embedded in the purposes of preaching, they discover greater fluidity between the everyday world, the biblical text, and preaching itself. We preach for the sake of attending to and sustaining the life of faith as it takes on flesh and moves about in the world. Preaching the Headlines engages the intersections of social and religious discourses for the purposes of helping communities attend to everyday issues as matters of faith and faith as a practical everyday aspect of life.