Date

11-2020

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Jerry F. Knoblet

Keywords

Expository Preaching and Teaching

Disciplines

Christianity | Practical Theology | Religion

Abstract

In this thesis, biblical expository preaching is defined as the exegetical method that brings out the theological nuances of a narrative biblical passage in relation to content and context. Biblical expository preaching in the USA is facing a significant theological challenge as churches are becoming culturally diverse. Research has shown that theological understanding plays a great role in Christian spiritual formation; it has also shown that believers are generally more receptive to sermons that are contextualized. This thesis project aims to determine how biblical expository preaching can make sense to believers and spur them on to spiritual maturity in a diverse context. Building on existing works by homiletic experts, it asks: to what extent does biblical expository preaching affect Christian spiritual formation in a multi-ethnic diverse Christian community? The researcher selected ten participants based on their racial and ethnic backgrounds and interviewed them via Zoom. Analysis of their responses demonstrated that the participants associated biblical expository preaching with connectivity, meaning, and relevance of the Word of God to the lives of believers. These results indicate that biblical expository preaching has great significance in the life of a church. On this basis, this thesis project recommends further studies that use incarnational theology as a key factor to understand biblical expository preaching in multi-ethnic communities.

Download

Share

COinS