The Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence, in collaboration with Westminster John Knox Press, has launched a preaching series entitled the “Preaching and . . .” series. An expert in preaching and a scholar from a nonreligious field combine forces to explore the implications of their combined fields for preachers.
The first volume in the series was authored by Dr. O. Wesley Allen, Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics at Perkins and Dr. Carrie La Ferle, the Marriott Endowed Professor of Ethics and Culture, the Temerlin Advertising Institute, SMU. It was entitled Preaching and the Thirty Second Commercial: Lessons from Advertising for the Pulpit in 2021.
Another book in the series, Humor Us! Preaching and the Power of the Comic Spirit, was co-authored by Dr. Alyce McKenzie, Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship, Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor, Director of The Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at Perkins and Dr. Owen Lynch, Associate Professor of Corporate Communication, Meadows School of the Arts, humor scholar, Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor, Senior Research Fellow at the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity, Lyle School of Engineering, SMU. The book will be published in March 2023.
The third volume in the series is Preaching and Film Making, a collaboration between preaching professor Shauna Hannon and screen writer Gael Chandler. This book will be published in the fall of 2023.
Hannon and Chandler will present their insights in an event on Monday, April 17, entitled What Preachers Can Learn from Filmmaking: Story, Collaboration and Impact. The program runs 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Prothro Great Hall.
Movies impact filmgoers’ thoughts, emotions, and actions in powerful ways; the workshop will examine how preachers might harness some of that potential in their weekly sermons. This workshop will identify strategies filmmakers use that can enliven the preached word and enhance its impact on hearers and the world. Speakers will connect filmmaking and preaching by examining film genres and formats, analyzing film scenes, and engaging in some creative, collaborative writing exercises. Organizers promise a playful, creative day of “blue skying” in the homiletical “writer’s room.”
Workshop co-presenter Hannan is Professor of Homiletics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and Core Doctoral Faculty in Religion & Practice at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif., and author of The Peoples’ Sermon: Preaching as a Ministry of the Whole Congregation. Chandler is a former film editor in Hollywood and author of four books on film editing: Editing for Directors (2021) Cut by Cut: Editing your Film or Video (2004 & 2012) and Film Editing: Great Cuts Every Filmmaker and Movie Lover Should Know (2009) published by Michael Wiese Productions.
Registration for the event is $50. Perkins students receive a 50% discount. A continental breakfast and lunch are included. Register here: https://pcpe.smu.edu/Preaching_and_Filmmaking. For questions, email preaching@smu.edu.