Preaching as an Act of Spirit: The Homiletical Theory of Howard Thurman
Abstract
Howard Thurman receives little mention in many contemporary discussions on preaching. Yet, his era recognized – at least in part – his homiletical genius. In 1953, Thurman was named one of the twelve greatest preachers in the United States by Life Magazine. The field of homiletics still has much to gain by revisiting Thurman’s genius in preaching. For Thurman, preaching is more than an exercise that gives voice to biblical, theological, doctrinal, and social studies. Thurman views preaching as an act of spirit. This is the thesis I uphold in this paper. First, I will broach briefly the significance of Thurman by traversing his professional accomplishments. Second, I will expose the basic tenants of Thurman’s homiletical theory. Finally, I will suggest implications for Thurman’s integration into homiletical study.For articles: All articles published in Homiletic are the exclusive property of the Journal. All copyright rights to the article shall be owned by and be in the name of the Academy of Homiletics. The Academy of Homiletics in turn grants all authors the right to reprint their articles in any format that they choose, without the payment of royalties, subject to giving proper credit to the original publication with Homiletic. The Academy of Homiletics also permits articles to be copied for non-profit educational use provided proper credit is given to Homiletic. Authors may self-archive their articles in an institutional repository or other online location, provided proper credit is given to Homiletic.
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