Pastoral Ministry

Classical Rhetoric for Preaching

Taught by Colin Redemer and Dr. Daniel Strange
Difficulty: Introductory
Runs 1/8 – 3/16/2024
$225.00 – $399.00

Most seminaries teach homiletics; at Davenant Hall we reach father back into the tradition of Classical Rhetoric. Rhetoric predates the church as it is fundamental to man as a political animal. In this class we will discuss classical texts such as Plato’s Gorgias to ground our thinking on both preaching and on public engagement in the tradition of philosophy, but we will also consider the reception of these classical sources by the Christian tradition. What use is rhetoric and how does it work with God’s word and Spirit in both the church and the world? How does the preaching of the word produce a journey of discovery at the end of which we find our origin, Christ himself, drawing us onward. This class will involve more than just theory, it will involve implementing the art of rhetoric and contemplating how the context in which we speak changes how and what needs to be said.

Deadline to register: Friday, December 29th

The syllabus for this course is available now. You can access it here.

 

 

ENROLLMENT OPTIONS

Auditing ($225):

participate in readings and live class sessions, but no graded assignments and no course credit

Full course (Full-Time Discount) ($275):

for-credit courses (at least four per term) toward our Certificate or M.Litt in Classical Protestantism

Full course ($399):

individual classes on a for-credit basis; you can later apply them toward a Certificate or Degree

 

ENROLL NOW

Description

This required Pastoral Ministry course will be taught by Colin Redemer and Dr. Daniel Strange, and will run from January 8th through March 16th. The syllabus will be posted when available.

Most seminaries teach homiletics; at Davenant Hall we reach father back into the tradition of Classical Rhetoric. Rhetoric predates the church as it is fundamental to man as a political animal. In this class we will discuss classical texts such as Plato’s Gorgias to ground our thinking on both preaching and on public engagement in the tradition of philosophy, but we will also consider the reception of these classical sources by the Christian tradition. What use is rhetoric and how does it work with God’s word and Spirit in both the church and the world? How does the preaching of the word produce a journey of discovery at the end of which we find our origin, Christ himself, drawing us onward. This class will involve more than just theory, it will involve implementing the art of rhetoric and contemplating how the context in which we speak changes how and what needs to be said.

Colin Chan Redemer (PhD candidate, University of Aberdeen) is Vice-President of the Davenant Institute and the Provost of Davenant Hall, overseeing the overall quality and development of our classes and degree programs. In addition, he regularly teaches classes in our Philosophy department, including ongoing cycles working through the entire works of Plato and Aristotle.

Daniel Strange (DMin, Western Seminary) serves as Senior Pastor of 3Crosses, a non-denominational church in the San Francisco Bay Area. His doctoral work in homiletics examined the link between the sermonic form and narrative theory. Daniel and his wife Jessica celebrated 20 years of marriage this Summer, and live in the Bay Area with their six children.

 

The syllabus for this course is available now. You can access it here.

 

 

Details

Online only, runs 10 weeks, meeting 2 hr./wk. via Zoom. Students will also have the option to participate in class discussion on the Davenant Common Room Discord server. Register to reserve your spot and schedule will be set after a poll of participating students; if the class time does not fit your schedule, you will be eligible for a full refund.

This is a graduate-level course. Although a BA is not a necessary pre-requisite for this course, students should come prepared to do graduate-level work.