Considering the Social Action within Preaching: Reading 1 Samuel 3 through the Lens of G. H. Mead and H. R. Niebuhr
Abstract
This essay proposes a method to both analyze and create social action within the sermon and examines the process through the narrative example of Samuel’s calling in 1 Samuel 3. The method derives from George H. Mead’s sociological development theory regarding the self’s emergence within a social context, in conjunction with the qualities of radical monotheistic faith outlined by H. Richard Niebuhr. In using their scholarship, we discover how the social action occurring between Samuel, Eli, and God solidifies, shifts, deconstructs, or creates categories of understanding. When preachers pay attention to these realities, they are not only equipped to study the logistics of their sermons but are challenged to strive for an ecological interconnectivity that moves beyond the discursive into the transformative.
Downloads
License
For articles: All articles published in Homiletic are the exclusive property of the Journal. All copyright rights to the article shall be owned by and be in the name of the Academy of Homiletics. The Academy of Homiletics in turn grants all authors the right to reprint their articles in any format that they choose, without the payment of royalties, subject to giving proper credit to the original publication with Homiletic. The Academy of Homiletics also permits articles to be copied for non-profit educational use provided proper credit is given to Homiletic. Authors may self-archive their articles in an institutional repository or other online location, provided proper credit is given to Homiletic.
For reviews: All reviews commissioned by Homiletic are the exclusive property of the Journal. Reviews are considered a work made-for-hire, and, as such, all copyright rights to the review shall be owned by and be in the name of the Academy of Homiletics. The Academy of Homiletics in turn grants all review authors the right to reprint their reviews in any format that they choose, without the payment of royalties, subject to giving proper credit to the original publication with Homiletic. The Academy of Homiletics also permits its reviews to be copied for non-profit educational use provided proper credit is given to the review author and the Journal. Authors may self-archive reviews in an institutional repository or other online location, provided proper credit is given to Homiletic.
