2002 — Series XII

Biblical Preaching in Babel: Preaching in a Post-Christian World

Barbara Lundblad and Peter Gomes, lecturers

One feature of contemporary life that indicates that we live in "post-Christendom" is the fact that a preacher cannot presuppose that her hearers generally share a broad familiarity with the Bible. Few of its stories have common currency; much of its vocabulary rings strange in many ears; a great number of persons never, or only rarely, employ its declarations, themes and images in interpreting their lives and the world.

The preacher today cannot presume that they all speak any common language.  Large migrations have so mixed formerly isolated groups and rapid change has so differentiated generations that even many small town communities are now astonishingly diverse.  The supplanting of mass media by niche media (such as 200-channel cable television and the internet) makes it less likely that people share common experiences and stories.

What does genuinely biblical preaching look like in this extraordinary complex cultural and linguistic situation?  What challenges must be addressed?  What dangers threaten? And, perhaps most importantly, what new resources and opportunities does this situation offer?

The 2002 Hein-Fry Lecture Series sought to advance the discussion of these questions by inviting two distinguished contemporary homileticians and preachers to discuss in lectures and exemplify in sermon the shape of "biblical preaching in Babel."

Video Clips
View three video clips with speaker Dr. Barbara Lundblad from this Hein Fry Lecture Series. These lectures were held on February 27, 2002 at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.  View video 1 and video 2 and video 3.