Date

4-29-2026

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Practical Theology (PhD)

Chair

Kyoohan Lee

Keywords

imagination, imago Dei, preaching, descriptive language

Disciplines

Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

What factors influence an audience's imagination, enabling them to visualize a preacher’s words? The claim being addressed is that when descriptive language is used in preaching—such as stories, analogies, and metaphors—it connects with the representational commission to have dominion over creation that is given through the imago Dei of the sermon recipient, drawing images in their minds and allowing listeners to see what the preacher says. The research begins with an exegetical study of the concept of the imago Dei found in scripture, establishing a theological foundation through passages such as Genesis 1:26-27, 5:1-3, and 9:6, Psalm 8:4-6, Romans 8:29, 1 Corinthians 15:49, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 4:24, Colossians 1:15, Colossians 3:10, and James 3:9.

A theological foundation for creativity is established in the imago Dei, based on the ideas of theologians spanning various eras, including Irenaeus, Athanasius, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Berkouwer, and Bavinck. Moving to extra-biblical materials, the research analyzes the perspectives of authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Philip Hefner, and David Lose on imagination and the creative process, and their understanding of it rooted in the imago Dei. Each argues, in differing degrees, that the image of God is reflected in man’s ability to create and, therefore, joins God in the creative process through imagination. Building on the doctrine presented, the research explores the communicable attributes of the imago Dei. Focusing on the communicable attribute of creativity, the investigation surveys various ways in which creativity manifests in humanity, though distinct from God's creative process. It examines humanity's creative ability through imagination and how individuals form mental images when presented with descriptive language. Descriptive language is limited to stories, analogies, and metaphors, each of which is defined and researched in the context of the thesis of this dissertation. Drawing on Jesus' preaching as a model, the research focuses on the center section of the Gospel of Luke and His intentional use of descriptive language in parables. Following Jesus' example, the dissertation illustrates how preachers throughout history have similarly utilized descriptive language in their sermons. The preaching of Augustine, Gregory the Great, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, and Charles Spurgeon is examined alongside that of the late-twentieth-century homiletician Haddon Robinson. The dissertation concludes by demonstrating how today’s preachers can engage their audience’s imagination through descriptive language as a result of the representational vocational commission to have dominion given through the imago Dei within various homiletical models.

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