Teach Delight Persuade

Teach, Delight, Persuade: Scriptural Homilies for Years A, B, and C contains homilies drawn from all three reading cycles for the Sundays and solemn feasts of the liturgical year. These accessible and practical homilies are intended primarily for priests and deacons who preach at Catholic celebrations of the Eucharist. The homilies concentrate on the core message of the Old Testament reading, the psalm, the New Testament reading, and the Gospel. -The homilies are short and catechetical in approach. -Each homily covers a brief analysis of the intent of the scripture writer, the historical significance of the period, and practical application of the scripture to contemporary life. -In addition to pastors and deacons, this book is also an ideal pastoral resource for many lay ministers who make use of the Sunday readings when they teach the word of God: directors of religious education, leaders of inquiry groups (such as RCIA), scripture study group facilitators, prayer groups, and religion teachers. -The homilies are the result of 50 years of preaching and several years of research and pastoral experience. -The scriptural exegesis contained in the homilies flows from the profound scriptural insights of the last 50 years. All of these homilies reflect the social and religious concerns of the contemporary Church.

Numerous books are available on the meaning and methods of preaching, but nothing has been written that specifically addresses the character of those who would preach. Preacher and Cross helps fill this gap in homiletic studies by examining the relationship between the message of Christian proclamation and the preacher, with specific attention to ministerial character and the preacher's use of self in sermons. Andr? Resner discusses the two dominant approaches to homiletics-the rhetorical approach typified by Augustine and the theological approach typified by Barth-and then compares and contrasts these approaches to what the apostle Paul says on the issue. Essential reading for those involved in ministry, this work offers invaluable insights into the relationship between preachers and the message they proclaim.

An anthology of primary texts in translation, An Introduction to Classical Rhetoric offers an overview of the social, cultural, and intellectual factors that influenced the development and growth of rhetoric during the classical period. Uses primary source material to analyze rhetoric from the Sophists through St. Augustine Provides an in-depth introduction to the period, as well as introductions to each author and each selection Includes study guides to help students develop multiple perspectives on the material, stimulate critical thinking, and provide starting points for dialogue Highlights include Gorgias's Palamedes, Antiphon's Truth, Isocrates' Helen, and Plato's Protagoras Each selection is followed by suggested writing topics and a short list of suggested additional readings.

This book initiates a new conversation about how theological education might be re-envisioned for the twenty-first century church. The prevailing curricular structure in today's seminaries and divinity schools was fashioned in a very different era, one that assumed the continued cultural dominance of Christianity and the continued academic dominance of the canons of Enlightenment reason. Neither assumption is viable in today's post-Christian world; hence, our new circumstances demand a new vision for theological education.The authors of this volume offer an important resource for this project through their creative appropriation of the classical rhetorical tradition, particularly as it has been rehabilitated in the contemporary context. Like St. Augustine, they believe that the chief goals of Christian theology are similar to those of classical rhetoric: to teach, to delight, and to move. And the authors are united in their conviction that these must also be the goals of theological education in a post-Christian era.This volume arises out of a passionate commitment to the cause of theological education. The authors hail from a wide range of denominational traditions and have taught in numerous seminaries and divinity schools. They have also studied the classical and postmodern rhetorical traditions in both theory and practice. They met as a group on numerous occasions to read one another's contributions to the volume and to offer guidance for the process of rewriting. As a result, this book is much more than a mere collection of essays; it is a jointly-authored work, and one which presents an integrated vision for the future of theological education.

The Reading Augustine series presents short, engaging books offering personal readings of St. Augustine of Hippo's contributions to western philosophical, literary, and religious life. Mark Clavier's On Consumer Culture, Identity, The Church and the Rhetorics of Delight draws on Augustine of Hippo to provide a theological explanation for the success of marketing and consumer culture. Augustine's thought, rooted in rhetorical theory, presents a brilliant understanding of the experiences of damnation and salvation that takes seriously the often hidden psychology of human motivation. Clavier examines how Augustine's keen insight into the power of delight over personal notions of freedom and self-identity can be used to shed light on how the constant lure of promised happiness shapes our identities as consumers. From Augustine's perspective, it is only by addressing the sources of delight within consumerism and by rediscovering the wellsprings of God's delight that we can effectively challenge consumer culture. To an age awash with commercial rhetoric, the fifth-century Bishop of Hippo offers a theological rhetoric that is surprisingly contemporary and insightful.

More and more seminaries, Christian universities, and Bible colleges are opting to train future ministers and missionaries online. What happens when the movement toward online education is shaped by pragmatic or financial concerns instead of Scripture and theology? Ministry training can be reduced to a mere transfer of information as institutions lose sight of their calling to shape the souls of God-called men and women in preparation for effective ministry. How might online ministry training look different if biblical and theological foundations were placed first? Teaching the World brings together educators from a wide range of backgrounds and from some of the largest providers of online theological education in the world. Together, they present a revolutionary new approach to online theological education, highly practical and yet thoroughly shaped by Scripture and theology.

Promise has a long pedigree in the history of Christian understandings of the gospel. This volume gathers together leading homileticians to consider the breadth of its understanding today in light of the struggle to reconcile God’s grace with God’s justice. Assuming that promise is a core sense of the gospel, how does this relate to the variety of contexts in which homiletical theology is done? In this final volume in the series, six homileticians from a variety of contexts and perspectives try to move specifically toward a homiletical theology of promise as a way to articulate the central theological gift and task that is preaching the gospel today.