The International Journal of Homiletics will publish scholarly, peer-reviewed articles from homileticians around the world and will work on the establishment of an interactive component to stimulate ongoing dialogue among homileticians from different national and cultural contexts. At the same time, our journal is – as stated – not only international, but also ecumenical and even inter-religious. This is reflected in the composition of the editorial board, which consists of Christian and Jewish homileticians from five continents. The journal is co-edited by Marlene Ringgaard Lorensen (Professor of Practical Theology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark) and Alexander Deeg (Professor of Practical Theology, University of Leipzig, Germany) with the help of Ferenc Herzig (Wiss. Assistant, Leipzig University), our managing editor.

For our first two issues we chose the theme Preaching in times of transition, and we asked homiletical scholars from different parts of the world to write an article related to this theme and to their specific contexts. We as the editors were happily surprised by the different approaches of our authors: Júlio Cézar Adam presents critical challenges in the current societal and ecclesial situation in Latin America, connecting homiletical reflections with basic Latin American theological insights, especially liberation theology. Instead of importing homiletical models and methods from the ‘North,’ Adam seeks to develop an “incarnational and incultured” theology and homiletics. Johan Cilliers looks back to the great transition in South African history in the late 20th century and reflects on homiletics and hermeneutics in late apartheid times (1987), as well as in the year in which the first democratic elections took place (1994). He presents and analyzes a sermon by Desmond Tutu, showing how preaching can help people enter a new situation without denying the painful past or present-day problems. Addressing one of the most significant transitions in Europe today, Marlene Ringgaard Lorensen presents the results of an empirical study of a significant Christian congregation in Copenhagen that is composed of both refugees from the Middle East and ethnic Danes. Through the use of Søren Kierkegaard’s category of repetition she describes preaching as a genre of both authentic repetition and significant interruption. She broadens the perspective by also stressing the importance of music and liturgy. Michael Marmur, Jewish scholar, teacher, and preacher from Jerusalem, shares insights into Jewish preaching in Reformed contexts today by presenting and analyzing one of his own sermons. Through his analysis he develops the notion of the sermon as a “sanctification of time”. Marmur’s essay connects directly to Donyelle McCray’s article, which concentrates on the spirituality of time and its importance for the sermon’s ecclesiology, pneumatology, and performance. In every issue of our journal we intend to present a homiletical squib – a short and sharp text presenting one idea or insight that is of special importance for the author. Charles Campbell is convinced that “God is not afraid of new things” – and thus preachers should not be afraid of standing with their congregations in the perpetual liminal and transitional movement from the old age to the new creation. Our first issue shows that preaching in times of transition is a theme for homileticians in different contexts all over the world and a fruitful starting point for our discussions. Our second issue will continue this theme and present more voices from other homiletical contexts.

The purpose of this article is to reflect on homiletics and Christian preaching in the context of Latin America, in the current times of transition. In order to provide a better understanding of the approach, initially aspects of the Latin American religious and cultural context will be analyzed. Then there will be considerations on aspects of the development of Christian preaching, creating a space to think about the relationship between Christian preaching and theologies that are relevant to the context, such as liberation theology. Finally a few challenges to Christian preaching in times of transition will be pointed out. Due to the delimitation of the article, it will focus on the homiletic development of the historical Protestant churches on the continent, above all in the Brazilian context.

Este artigo tem por objetivo refletir sobre a homilética e a pregação cristã no contexto da América Latina, em tempos atuais de transição. Para tanto, afim de propiciar uma melhor compreensão da abordagem, analisar-se-á aspectos do contexto religioso e cultural latino-americano, num primeiro momento. Em seguida, refletir-se-á sobre aspectos do desenvolvimento da pregação cristã, dando espaço para pensar a relação entre a pregração cristã com teologias relevantes para o contexto, como a Teologia da Libertação, para, finalmente, apontar alguns desafios para a pregação cristã em tempos de transição. Devido a delimitação do artigo, o enfoque estará concentrado no desenvolvimento homilético das igrejas protestantes históricas do continente, sobretudo do contexto brasileiro.

No description available.

In this paper, a brief overview is given of two research projects that were done in South Africa during 1987 (a particularly difficult time under apartheid), and 1994 (the year that the first democratic elections took place), respectively. Some of the findings are discussed under the keywords: silence, transition, reservation, new vision. Reference is made to a historic sermon preached by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town only three days before the first democratic elections were held in South Africa on the 27th of April, 1994. The paper concludes with a reflection on an artwork by the South African artist, Willie Bester.

In this article, I present insights from an empirical study of a congregation which consists of a medley of refugees from the Middle East who have recently converted from Islam and ethnic Danes whose families have belonged to the Lutheran Church for generations. The empirical material is analyzed in light of Søren Kierkegaard’s category of repetition, in the sense of receiving anew, because this phenomenon appears crucial, not only to the genre of preaching but to preachers and listeners alike – especially, in times and situations of transition. I suggest that the Kierkegaardian notion of repetition may be useful as a homiletical category with regard of scholars’ method, preachers’ preparation and listeners’ appropriation of preaching.

This article deals with the derasha, the Jewish sermon and offers an inventory of the key dimensions of the Jewish sermon as practiced today and in the past from a reformed Jewish perspective. It shows its connection to the particular moment, its functions (further distinguished as contextual, intentional, educational, and symbolic), its message, sources, structure, and the techniques involved in its delivery and gives a brief example of one of the author’s own derashot from July 2015.

A preacher’s spirituality of time may seem like a peripheral issue, but this realm is one where much is at stake. In this article I argue that the preacher’s approach to time scaffolds the overall endeavor. I begin by considering the church’s unique position in time, arguing that the church is fundamentally an event or a happening rather than an institution. Then, I explore ways preaching can foreground the church’s identity as an event. After describing preaching as the narration of a theological moment in the church’s life, I turn to practical implications. In addition to homileticians, my primary interlocutors for this piece include two renowned spirituality scholars, Evelyn Underhill and Abraham Joshua Heschel. I conclude that ecclesiology, pneumatology, and performance are all profoundly shaped by a preacher’s appreciation for the holiness of time.

The purpose of this article is to reflect on homiletics and Christian preaching in the context of Latin America, in the current times of transition. In order to provide a better understanding of the approach, initially aspects of the Latin American religious and cultural context will be analyzed. Then there will be considerations on aspects of the development of Christian preaching, creating a space to think about the relationship between Christian preaching and theologies that are relevant to the context, such as liberation theology. Finally a few challenges to Christian preaching in times of transition will be pointed out. Due to the delimitation of the article, it will focus on the homiletic development of the historical Protestant churches on the continent, above all in the Brazilian context.