Hearing sermons is an important religious practice for Christians worldwide. In Protestant theolo... more Hearing sermons is an important religious practice for Christians worldwide. In Protestant theology as ‘theology of the Word’ it exceeds all other religious activities as a primary means of grace. Despite this centrality of religion in hearing sermons, empirical research on sermon reception has been conducted foremost from social, psychological, rhetorical and communicative perspectives.
This study brings into focus the practice of listening as a religious practice. It provides answers to questions such as, how does preaching relate listeners to God, what is the function of faith in hearing sermons, and how do listeners become part of the community of faith?
Based upon qualitative interviews with listeners and following the analytic methods of Grounded Theory the study presents an empirical theological theory and conceptualises hearing sermons as a way of getting religiously involved. It enriches the study of preaching with a speci c religious understanding of what happens in hearing sermons.
Theo Pleizier (1975) serves as a pastor the parish church of Langerak ZH in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, and works as a researcher in Practical Theology at the Protestant Theological University. is study is his PhD-thesis.
[1A] In my lecture I explore the conditions for religious communication in a context in which Chu... more [1A] In my lecture I explore the conditions for religious communication in a context in which Church and culture seem to be moving in opposite directions. [1B] Since I address this issue from a theological point of view, I begin with providing some brief definitions of the three central notions of communication, church, and culture. [1C] Next, I contrast a few prevailing models of the relationship between church and culture, and in doing so the issue is put in terms of a quest for a public theology.
The central part of the lecture consists of a twofold argument. [2A] First, religious communication in the Church has a kind of particularity that can neither be reduced to cultural communication, nor be approached as completely sui generis by transcending culture. [2B] This is illustrated by a typical Protestant vehicle of communication, namely the sermon. Preaching is characterised by an intertwinement of interhuman communication and a divine-human dynamics that is operative. It is an important instance of verbal religious communication since it is believed that preaching conveys the Word of God.
The second argument that follows, concerns the specific nature of the religious communication in preaching. [3A] Preaching is not about transmission of a message, nor can it be explained sufficiently in terms of meaning making. [3B] In hearing a sermon listeners are transported in the world of faith, that both affirms and challenges them. [3C] Understood this way, religious communication creates church, a body of believers that dwells in the world of faith. IN hearing a sermon the listener's faith is actualised.
[4A] In the closing section, I suggest some implications for public theology. [4B] Individual believers return to their own fragmented cultural existence with the experiences and impressions that have been generated in the course of the worship service, taking religious communication out on the streets, and thus fulfilling their vocation as Christians in the ongoing conversation between Church and culture.
Hearing sermons is an important religious practice for Christians worldwide. In Protestant theolo... more Hearing sermons is an important religious practice for Christians worldwide. In Protestant theology as ‘theology of the Word’ it exceeds all other religious activities as a primary means of grace. Despite this centrality of religion in hearing sermons, empirical research on sermon reception has been conducted foremost from social, psychological, rhetorical and communicative perspectives.
This study brings into focus the practice of listening as a religious practice. It provides answers to questions such as, how does preaching relate listeners to God, what is the function of faith in hearing sermons, and how do listeners become part of the community of faith?
Based upon qualitative interviews with listeners and following the analytic methods of Grounded Theory the study presents an empirical theological theory and conceptualises hearing sermons as a way of getting religiously involved. It enriches the study of preaching with a speci c religious understanding of what happens in hearing sermons.
Theo Pleizier (1975) serves as a pastor the parish church of Langerak ZH in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, and works as a researcher in Practical Theology at the Protestant Theological University. is study is his PhD-thesis.
[1A] In my lecture I explore the conditions for religious communication in a context in which Chu... more [1A] In my lecture I explore the conditions for religious communication in a context in which Church and culture seem to be moving in opposite directions. [1B] Since I address this issue from a theological point of view, I begin with providing some brief definitions of the three central notions of communication, church, and culture. [1C] Next, I contrast a few prevailing models of the relationship between church and culture, and in doing so the issue is put in terms of a quest for a public theology.
The central part of the lecture consists of a twofold argument. [2A] First, religious communication in the Church has a kind of particularity that can neither be reduced to cultural communication, nor be approached as completely sui generis by transcending culture. [2B] This is illustrated by a typical Protestant vehicle of communication, namely the sermon. Preaching is characterised by an intertwinement of interhuman communication and a divine-human dynamics that is operative. It is an important instance of verbal religious communication since it is believed that preaching conveys the Word of God.
The second argument that follows, concerns the specific nature of the religious communication in preaching. [3A] Preaching is not about transmission of a message, nor can it be explained sufficiently in terms of meaning making. [3B] In hearing a sermon listeners are transported in the world of faith, that both affirms and challenges them. [3C] Understood this way, religious communication creates church, a body of believers that dwells in the world of faith. IN hearing a sermon the listener's faith is actualised.
[4A] In the closing section, I suggest some implications for public theology. [4B] Individual believers return to their own fragmented cultural existence with the experiences and impressions that have been generated in the course of the worship service, taking religious communication out on the streets, and thus fulfilling their vocation as Christians in the ongoing conversation between Church and culture.
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Books by Theo Pleizier
foremost from social, psychological, rhetorical and communicative perspectives.
This study brings into focus the practice of listening as a religious practice. It provides answers to questions such as, how does preaching relate listeners to God, what is the function of faith in hearing sermons, and how do listeners become part of the community of faith?
Based upon qualitative interviews with listeners and following the analytic methods of Grounded Theory the study presents an empirical theological theory and conceptualises hearing sermons as a way of getting religiously involved. It enriches the study of preaching with a speci c religious understanding of what
happens in hearing sermons.
Theo Pleizier (1975) serves as a pastor the parish church of Langerak ZH in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, and works as a researcher in Practical Theology at the Protestant Theological University. is study is his PhD-thesis.
Papers by Theo Pleizier
Talks by Theo Pleizier
The central part of the lecture consists of a twofold argument. [2A] First, religious communication in the Church has a kind of particularity that can neither be reduced to cultural communication, nor be approached as completely sui generis by transcending culture. [2B] This is illustrated by a typical Protestant vehicle of communication, namely the sermon. Preaching is characterised by an intertwinement of interhuman communication and a divine-human dynamics that is operative. It is an important instance of verbal religious communication since it is believed that preaching conveys the Word of God.
The second argument that follows, concerns the specific nature of the religious communication in preaching. [3A] Preaching is not about transmission of a message, nor can it be explained sufficiently in terms of meaning making. [3B] In hearing a sermon listeners are transported in the world of faith, that both affirms and challenges them. [3C] Understood this way, religious communication creates church, a body of believers that dwells in the world of faith. IN hearing a sermon the listener's faith is actualised.
[4A] In the closing section, I suggest some implications for public theology. [4B] Individual believers return to their own fragmented cultural existence with the experiences and impressions that have been generated in the course of the worship service, taking religious communication out on the streets, and thus fulfilling their vocation as Christians in the ongoing conversation between Church and culture.
foremost from social, psychological, rhetorical and communicative perspectives.
This study brings into focus the practice of listening as a religious practice. It provides answers to questions such as, how does preaching relate listeners to God, what is the function of faith in hearing sermons, and how do listeners become part of the community of faith?
Based upon qualitative interviews with listeners and following the analytic methods of Grounded Theory the study presents an empirical theological theory and conceptualises hearing sermons as a way of getting religiously involved. It enriches the study of preaching with a speci c religious understanding of what
happens in hearing sermons.
Theo Pleizier (1975) serves as a pastor the parish church of Langerak ZH in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, and works as a researcher in Practical Theology at the Protestant Theological University. is study is his PhD-thesis.
The central part of the lecture consists of a twofold argument. [2A] First, religious communication in the Church has a kind of particularity that can neither be reduced to cultural communication, nor be approached as completely sui generis by transcending culture. [2B] This is illustrated by a typical Protestant vehicle of communication, namely the sermon. Preaching is characterised by an intertwinement of interhuman communication and a divine-human dynamics that is operative. It is an important instance of verbal religious communication since it is believed that preaching conveys the Word of God.
The second argument that follows, concerns the specific nature of the religious communication in preaching. [3A] Preaching is not about transmission of a message, nor can it be explained sufficiently in terms of meaning making. [3B] In hearing a sermon listeners are transported in the world of faith, that both affirms and challenges them. [3C] Understood this way, religious communication creates church, a body of believers that dwells in the world of faith. IN hearing a sermon the listener's faith is actualised.
[4A] In the closing section, I suggest some implications for public theology. [4B] Individual believers return to their own fragmented cultural existence with the experiences and impressions that have been generated in the course of the worship service, taking religious communication out on the streets, and thus fulfilling their vocation as Christians in the ongoing conversation between Church and culture.