The Eloquence of Grace

by Childs, James M., Jr.; Lischer, Richard; Marty, Martin

• ISBN13: 9781610976473
• ISBN10: 1610976479
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-10-12
• Publisher: Cascade Books

Summary

Joseph A. Sittler (1904-1987) was one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century, distinguished for his pioneering work in ecology and for his preeminence as a preacher. He gave both the Beecher Lectures at Yale and the Noble Lectures at Harvard. As the "preacher's theologian," Sittler approached the interpretation of Scripture with a clear understanding of current critical scholarship, but also in the freedom of the gospel at the center of Scripture and with the humility of a theologian of the cross. In following the trajectory of the text into the preaching situation he gave a lively, timeless, and eloquent expression to the fact that the interpretation of texts is in the service of proclamation.This collection of readings from Sittler's rich legacy contains a great many presentations and sermons that have never before appeared in print. Theologically serious preaching, close attention to language, engagement with the best of sacred and secular culture, and a deep respect for the text, all characteristics of Sittler's work, are the sort of features that continue to edify. They remain as benchmarks for good preaching even as styles and contexts evolve.

Author Biography

James M. Childs Jr., formerly the Joseph A. Sittler Professor of Theology and Ethics at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, now serves there as Senior Research Professor. He is the author of Ethics in the Community of Promise: Faith, Formation, and Decision (2nd ed., 2006) and The Way of Peace: Christian Life in the Face of Discord (2008). Richard Lischer is James T. and Alice Mead Cleland Professor of Preaching at Duke Divinity School, Durham, North Carolina. He is the author of The Preacher King: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the word that Moved America (1995) and the End of Words: The Language of Reconciliation in a culture of Violence (2005).

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
Editors' General Introduction	p. xi
The Preacher as Theologian
Introduction: "Nothing Less than Everything"	p. 2
Sittler Introduces Himself	p. 13
Christology	p. 27
Living the Given Life	p. 50
Unbridled Grace	p. 63
Ethos and Ministry	p. 84
Preaching the Word
Introduction: "Joseph Sittler and the Preacher's Calling"	p. 104
The Word of God	p. 115
Preaching and the Biblical Imagination	p. 159
Sermons
Introduction: "The Preacher as Theological Artisan"	p. 194
The Care of the Earth	p. 201
Remembering and Forgetting	p. 209
How to Hear a Parable	p. 215
The Unjust Steward	p. 221
The Lost Sheep	p. 229
Epiphany, Glory, and 63rd Street	p. 236
Effort and Serenity	p. 243
The Nimbus and the Rainbow	p. 250
Suffering and Splendor	p. 256
Three on Romans 8(Sermon 1)	p. 261
Three on Romans 8(Sermon 2)	p. 266
Three on Romans 8(Sermon 3)	p. 272
Maundy Thursday	p. 278
Easter: "This Is the Feast of Victory for Our God"	p. 286
The Passion of Christ	p. 291
The Haunting Allure of Jesus	p. 297
Post-Easter Sermon	p. 303
Sermon on Memory	p. 308
Postscript: The Last Lecture: A Walk around the Truth, Eternal Life, and Fatith	p. 315
Index	p. 323
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.