Dave Barnhart's Academic Portfolio

Bonhoeffer: Preaching and the Church

Instructor: David Barnhart
Semester: Fall, 2001
Location: G-23 TR 10:10-12:00
Course Website: http://members.home.net/uglypuppy/bonhoeffer
Office Hours: by appointment
email: david.barnhart@vanderbilt. edu

phone:207-3387

Syllabus Contents:

1) Course Information, Course Description, Course Goals
2) Course Requirements
3) Honor Policy, Required Readings, Recommended Readings
4) Course Outline, Essential Dates
5) Course Schedule

Course Description:

This course will examine the practical theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, paying particular attention to his views on preaching and the incarnation. We will investigate terms which are particular to Bonhoeffer and use them to frame our discussion for the semester: what does he mean by "worldly preaching" and the role of the church "in a world come of age?" Why his insistence on "the same Jesus" present in the proclamation as in the the text? How does Bonhoeffer's interpretation of the fall of creation inform his theology of preaching and of the church?

There has been a recent surge of popular interest in Bonhoeffer. One of the questions we will ask through the semester is why he seems to be enjoying a renaissance of sorts. We will have five main texts in this course: Ethics, The Cost of Discipleship, Worldly Preaching, Communion of the Saints, and one biography to be announced.

Course Goals:

Explore Bonhoeffer's theology and homiletical perspective
Critically examine themes of incarnation, grace, religionless Christianity, and language in DB's thought
Apply DB's theology to contemporary issues in worship and the church
Formulate a response to DB's theology of preaching and the church
Practice preaching and public and civil discourse in an academic setting

Course Requirements:

Participation (20%) - All students are expected to participate in discussion, critique classmates' sermons, and demonstrate engagement with the topic. Micropreaching is part of the participation grade.

Sermon and Sermon Analysis (15% and 35%) - The major project of the semester is crafting a topical sermon on a major idea in DB's writings, and a 10-12 page analysis on the process of creating the sermon and your theological reflection on it.

Honor Policy:

Everyone should read and be familiar with the Vanderbilt Honor Code. Reflection papers need only use internal citation (page number). Sermons need not be footnoted, but the Sermon analysis should have appropriate citations. I expect that you will use at least one or two secondary sources when writing your Sermon analysis.

Required Readings:

Worldly Preaching.
Life Together.
Discipleship.
Ethics.

Recommended Readings:

Letters and Papers from Prison.

Other Resources:

Eberhard Bethge

Course Outline:

I. Introduction and Biography
II. Worldly Preaching
III. Life Together
IV. Discipleship
V. Ethics
VI. Student sermons

Assignments

Reflection Paper and Discussion Questions (30% - 15% each) - At least twice during the semester, you will have the opportunity to present a brief reflection and set of discussion questions for an assigned reading. In the first week, we will determine who will take which day's assigned reading for a given period. Reflection papers should be at least two and not more than three pages double-spaced, with a few discussion questions at the end. Discussion questions should be open-ended and represent genuine concerns with relating the text to praxis, resolving theological issues, or exploring themes in Bonhoeffer's writings. The idea is that these papers and questions will be presented to the class as a springboard for further discussion. Plan on presenting not more than 10 minutes, and turn in your paper and questions at the end of class.

Sermon and Sermon Analysis (15% and 35%) - This is the major project of the course. You will craft a preachable sermon which you will present in the last weeks of the course. This is a semester-long job - plan on meeting with me at least once during your writing process to help clarify issues about the sermon and your sermon analysis.

The Sermon should be between 15 and 20 minutes long. These are technically topical sermons, but if you want to work from a scriptural text you are welcome to do so. You do not have to have a particular real congregation in mind when you write this sermon, but your analysis should be able to discuss the impact you think certain moves, sentences, and illustrations will have on hearers. In other words, imagine the congregation to whom you are preaching. Here are some guidelines for the sermon:

1) Choose an idea or theme that we have examined in Bonhoeffer's writings. For example, you could choose to preach on cheap grace, or religionless Christianity, or the church as the resurrected Jesus.

2) Begin by writing out the argument of the sermon in a sermon sketch. How do we get from point A to point B?

3) Do NOT write a three-point sermon, i.e. "here are three things we can say about cheap grace." Don't write points at all. The idea here is to move listeners from one way of understanding to a new way of understanding.

4) Seriously consider the images and illustrations you use for the sermon. Be sure you don't illustrate the opposite of the claims you wish to make.

5) Do not, at any point in the sermon, refer to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, World War II, the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler, or any of the pivotal events or characters we associate with DB's life. Why? Because the point of this exercise is to apply Bonhoeffer's theological reasoning to preaching today. You may make such reference in your analysis, but not in your sermon.

Your sermon analysis should be a line-by-line and paragraph-by-paragraph description of what you say and why you say it, with reference to Bonhoeffer's own writing where applicable. Begin by describing your imagined congregation, where you think they are starting from, and where you want to take them. Then show how your sermon does it. Describe the overall approach your sermon takes. How would you classify this sermon? Point out where you think theological, pastoral, or cultural problems may arise and how you hope to solve them. Talk about the images you want to present to your congregation. Show how your sermon addresses those who may not be familar with the church and its traditions. Show how your sermon speaks to postmodern, modern, and premodern Christians who all have different understandings of God. Try to have the sermon and sermon analysis completed well in advance, so that we can consult on your draft. After you preach your sermon, you may want to add an addendum to your analysis based on class feedback. Sermon manuscripts will be due the day before they are preached, and sermon analyses will be due a the end of the semester.

Evaluations and Grading Criteria:

Participation is a subjective grade based on the amount and quality of student attendance, involvement with discussion, question-asking, and preparedness. I will sometimes ask you to report on how well you are learning and what I can do to help. I know that not everyone learns the same way, and will try to give you opportunity to participate in the ways that help you most.

Reflection papers will be graded on a 10-point scale and will take into account understanding of the reading, recognition of theological importance, impact on other ideas or on praxis, and overall clarity. Discussion questions are worth 5 points.

Sermon manuscripts will be evaluated according to their engagement with Bonhoeffer's theology, dynamics of language, appropriate use of images and illustrations, and rhetorical structure. Sermon analyses will be evaluated with reference to your sermon: how well does the analysis address issues of language, theology, cultural and corporate issues, ecclesiology, etc. in the sermon?