Divinity School

This thesis examines the intersection of trauma, meaning-making, and Wesleyan theology, arguing that a Wesleyan soteriology offers vital resources for survivors of traumatic experiences in the work of posttraumatic meaning-making. The project begins with an analysis of the contributions and limitations of the biomedical approach to trauma care, with a focus on the neglect of spirituality and ultimate meaning. From there, the project engages scholars such as Ronnie Janoff-Bulman, Crystal Park, Carrie Doehring, and Kenneth Pargament to examine how traumatic experiences can destabilize assumptive worlds, global and situational beliefs, and spiritual orienting systems. In dialogue with Doerhing’s framework of life-giving and life-limiting spiritual orienting systems, I advance the claim that, for a Christian, the measure of any spiritual orienting system cannot be therapeutic efficacy alone. Rather, drawing from the work of Warren Kinghorn and John Swinton, I contend that the measure of spiritual orienting systems—and their accompanying theology—is its capacity to form persons in Christlikeness on the road to New Creation.Engaging with the work of Randy Maddox, Catherine La Cugna, Diane LeClerc, and David Wang, I contend that John Wesley’s soteriology—described by Maddox as therapeutic salvation—offers a framework for posttraumatic meaning-making that engages the transcendent through participation in the Triune love of God, provides a telos oriented toward New Creation, and enables transformation at the level of affections and tempers. Through the power of prevenient grace at work in human lives, along with graced communities and graced practices—the means of grace, I maintain that Wesley’s therapeutic soteriology addresses both the wounds of the sin we have committed and the wounds inflicted by the sins of others, and thus creates a pathway for survivors of trauma to reclaim their identity as God’s children and incorporated into the Body of Christ.

ABSTRACT

This project explores the impact of celebrity culture on Christian ministry and pastoral identity in the digital age. It examines social media’s democratization of celebrity and the challenges that have intensified with such accessibility, including: post-pandemic pastoral turnover; theological uncertainty about the relationship between faithful ministry, ethical leadership, and public recognition; and celebrity culture dynamics that weaken moral leadership by muting prophetic voices that speak truthfully across ideological divides. Appreciating that contemporary pastors need theological frameworks for understanding how celebrity dynamics interact with biblical models of ministry leadership, this work probes two critical questions: (1) How should pastors approach public recognition theologically within their ministry calling? (2) What practical resources can support Black pastors specifically in maintaining a healthy ministry identity amid social media pressures? By addressing a critical moment in American Christianity when digital celebrity culture threatens to fundamentally reshape pastoral ministry in ways that contradict biblical models of leadership, this project provides essential guidance for navigating faithful ministry and digital engagement, offering theoretical frameworks, nuanced reflection, and practical wisdom for pastors and denominational leaders.

This study investigates how established Protestant evangelical churches in Western contexts can apply principles derived from contemporary church planting to better engage and evangelize unchurched and non-Christian people in their communities. The analysis is situated within two persistent empirical realities: the sustained decline in church participation and Christian self-identification across the West, and the higher proportion of unchurched individuals participating in newly planted churches when compared with established ones.

The thesis draws primarily upon the works of Alan Hirsch, Timothy Keller, and Ed Stetzer, three influential figures whose writings collectively encapsulate key themes within contemporary Protestant evangelical church planting. Their respective emphases — evangelistic impulse, entrepreneurial innovation, and contextual resonance — form the interpretive lens for this study. Despite the diversity of their approaches, all three converge on these three main ideas regarding church plants’ engagement with non-Christians.

From this comparative analysis, the study develops a conceptual framework organized around two intersecting ecclesial dimensions: the Great Commandment–Great Commission axis and the Institutional–Organic axis. This framework provides a means for church leaders to situate and consider the ministries and resources of their local churches. Moreover, it offers a catalyst for infusing effective evangelism and thoughtful contextualization in every sphere of church activity. In this way, the study contends that established churches can innovate like church plants, pushing their church’s ministries both “up” into organic expression among the laity and “out” into mission to the community and world.

This thesis is about suffering—how it shapes us, how we live with it, and how we might still move toward healing and thriving in its midst. I write out of both personal experience and pastoral practice, holding space for the honest questions that suffering always brings: Where is God in this? How do we keep going? What does the church have to offer in the face of real pain? Across six chapters, I trace a trajectory from “suffering from” life’s wounds, to “living with” internal and external scars, and ultimately to moving toward the possibility of thriving amid ongoing challenges. Healing is approached as multifaceted: restorative, relational, and transformative, leaving marks that testify to survival and growth. The thesis engages voices from psychology and medicine, including Judith Herman, Bessel van der Kolk, and Miriam Greenspan, to highlight resilience and relational support; pastoral perspectives such as Jeffry R. Zurheide illuminate accompaniment in the face of suffering; and sociological and cultural insights—from Robert Bellah and Barna to Brené Brown—situate individual experiences within broader societal and communal contexts. The theological framework draws on Henri Nouwen’s vision of authentic leadership and John Wesley’s doctrine of sanctification, emphasizing both divine presence and human participation in the journey of thriving. Pop culture narratives, including The West Wing, Hamilton, Star Wars, and Harry Potter, serve as illustrative touchstones that make the exploration of suffering and hope accessible and concrete. Ultimately, this thesis argues that thriving is not the absence of hardship but the capacity to live faithfully, resiliently, and relationally in the midst of it. By integrating lived experience with theological reflection, psychological research, and cultural insight, it presents a vision of the church and community as spaces where suffering is witnessed, scars are honored, and the ongoing possibility of thriving is cultivated. The heart of this thesis is a framework for understanding the movement from “suffering from,” to “living with,” to the possibility of “thriving.” Thriving here does not mean the absence of hardship, but the resilience to live faithfully and fully in the midst of it. My conclusion is that the church’s calling is to embody this way of life together: to be a community that does not turn away from suffering but enters into it, offering care, presence, and hope. A thriving church is one that walks with people through every season, refusing to let suffering have the final word, and bearing witness instead to God’s healing, restoring love.

“To Dwell with God: The Biblical Account of the Ger, Land, and Promise" examines the depiction of the relationships between God, the Israelites, and land in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. I argue that in a literary (i.e., synchronic) reading, God’s promise to give the land of Canaan/Israel to Abraham and his descendants is a promise to house and provide for God’s people on God’s land, rather than a promise of property ownership in the modern sense. This argument unfolds through study of biblical vocabulary and narrative and is informed by historical criticism and cultural anthropology. The first chapter surveys recent scholarship on the term ger and argues that synchronic interpretation should understand the ger as a “landless” individual, someone who does not have access to familial land and must rely on a benefactor for shelter and sustenance. The second chapter explicates the role of the ger in Israelite identity, arguing that the biblical narrative depicts the Israelites as gerim of God in a real, “existential” sense. Though they come to enjoy the security of familial estates and tribal land, the biblical text depicts the Israelites as gerim before God, dependent on God’s care and dwelling on God’s land. The third chapter draws on political theory and cultural anthropology to show how the Israelites can be both recipients of a divine land promise and landless gerim. The land promise does not initiate a transfer of a market commodity, but instead invites the Israelites to dwell on God’s land. At its conclusion, the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament anticipates all people becoming gerim of God, all returning to live as members of God’s household—God’s gerim—at God’s home on Zion.

Most Christians will experience grief, loss, spiritual crises, and trauma in their lifetimes. These struggles often leave them feeling anger toward God, yet as of now the church offers little to no resources available to help them navigate this anger. When confronted with this challenging emotion, many people struggle with the very permissibility of their anger, due to prevailing paradigms that have cast anger as unholy or unfaithful. Despite anger toward God appearing throughout scripture and affecting one-third to two-thirds of believers, the Christian tradition has largely pathologized this emotion, leaving people feeling alienated, unheard, and unwelcome in their faith communities. When given the space to articulate and process their anger, however, anger toward God can act as a catalyst for transformation and deepening of one’s faith.This research employs theological analysis, biblical exegesis, and review of empirical studies from the psychology of religion. Materials examined include historical Christian texts on anger, scriptural examples of divine and human anger (particularly Job, the Psalms, and Jesus), contemporary theological works, and scientific research on spiritual struggles. The methodology integrates these sources to develop a practical theological framework. The dissertation concludes that anger toward God, when properly engaged, can serve as a catalyst for spiritual transformation and continued engagement with God. Key findings include: (1) scripture models direct expression of anger toward God as an act of faith; (2) maintaining connection with God during anger predicts positive spiritual outcomes; (3) one's image of God significantly impacts how anger is processed; and (4) communities that normalize and support anger expression facilitate transformation. The dissertation culminates in a comprehensive three-phase practical guide offering specific practices for observing anger, confronting God, and reconstructing beliefs—filling a critical gap in pastoral resources.

A huge chasm exists between those who criticize Contemporary Praise & Worship (CPW) for its affective intensity and emphasis on facilitating experiential encounters with God, and those who gravitate towards CPW over other forms of Christian worship precisely because of these characteristics. Liturgical and theological scholarship has largely sided with the critics, and this project joins the rising chorus of scholarly voices working to legitimize CPW in academic discourse. My goal in this dissertation is twofold: first, by bringing the theological insights of Saint Augustine into conversation with critiques of CPW, this dissertation aims to provide an account of how the affective power inherent in CPW’s musical practices can function as a Spirit-enabled means of forming worshipers in the love of God not in spite of but precisely because of their attentiveness to emotion; second, it aims to show how this account can address some of the common pitfalls in CPW, helping to correct the theological distortions that sometimes accompany this way of worship and provide critics cause for concern.

At the heart of this account is Augustine’s conviction that the Christian life is marked by an ultimate love for God, that all emotions can and should be baptized in the love of God, and that singing is what a lover does (cantare amantis est). Despite his own nervousness about music’s affective power, Augustine ultimately affirms the goodness of both music and the emotions as vehicles of God’s grace by which the soul is drawn towards its Creator through rightly ordered love. This dissertation argues that CPW with all its musical affectivity, when rightly understood and practiced, participates powerfully in the movement of worshipers towards a greater love of God.

This thesis explores the ideas, challenges, and hesitations that may arise when women engage in prophetic proclamation from the pulpit. Many women feel called by God to deliver a word of prophecy to their communities, yet they often encounter barriers to being heard and accepted as prophetic voices. Throughout both biblical and modern history, individuals have embodied prophetic actions, and this work affirms that prophecy continues to be an essential means through which God communicates with humanity. If humanity is part of God's creation, then anyone, regardless of gender, can serve as a conduit for God's word.Women have always held equal value before God, yet they have historically been viewed as lesser within society and religious communities. In both the Old and New Testaments, female prophets are present but often underrepresented. While most prophets named in Scripture are men, women also stand in the pulpit alongside their male counterparts, proclaiming messages from God. This thesis argues that women have always played a vital role in the prophetic tradition, even if their contributions have not always been acknowledged. Chapter One introduces the concept of what it means to speak prophetically. Chapter Two examines how theologians have understood the role of the prophet and how this understanding has evolved over time. Chapter Three presents biblical examples of prophetic women in both the Old and New Testaments, supported by insights from biblical commentaries. In Chapter Four, the discussion turns to contemporary implications for those who feel called to prophetic ministry—especially women who have had negative experiences when attempting to speak prophetically. This chapter offers encouragement for women to live into their calling with boldness and faith. Chapter Five concludes with reflections on what it means for women to embody a prophetic vocation today. An appendix includes a guide designed for use in small groups or workshops to help women understand, embrace, and feel empowered in their call to ministry and preaching. Readers are invited to approach this work with an open mind and heart, recognizing that God can and does call anyone to proclaim God's will for creation.

This dissertation explores the intergenerational transmission of trauma within the Abrahamic narratives of the Hebrew Bible through the lens of Bowen Family Systems Theory. Drawing on theological, psychological, and historical insights, the study investigates how unresolved trauma, emotional projection, and chronic anxiety shape the dynamics of biblical families and influence contemporary faith communities. Central to this work is the analysis of the Binding of Isaac (Akedah) as a foundational trauma story, revealing its implications for spiritual identity and emotional development across generations. The study integrates case studies from congregational life with biblical exegesis to illustrate how self-differentiated leadership can foster healing in churches burdened by historical trauma. Ultimately, it offers a pastoral care framework grounded in trauma-informed theology, emphasizing the redemptive potential of narrative, introspection, and spiritual growth amid generational brokenness.

This dissertation delineates an African Pentecostal political theology of money within the context of Ghana’s public and private debt, which originates in the disparities created by the enchanted Black Atlantic currency exchange system. Exploring the Ghanaian Pentecostal/Charismatic economy of tithes and seed offerings, it delves into the soteriological and political utility of money as a mediation object that generates the spiritual and material condition for humans to enter a credit–debt relationship with God. The Pentecostal use of money as a mediation object spawns fundamental soteriological questions, such as whether divine gifts to humans are unconditional or products of exchange. From a political and economic theology perspective, it begs the question of the extent to which human exchange economies are similar or dissimilar to the divine economy of unconditional giving. Addressing these questions, the study offers a constructive theological framework that gestures toward a more faithful and just way of organizing credit–debt relationships that resists the manufactured conditions of debt and austerity under neoliberal capitalism.Drawing on the sermons and writings of eminent Ghanaian Pentecostal/Charismatic preachers in dialogue with cultural anthropological theories of gift, debt, and money, the dissertation argues that all political economic discourse is imbricated with salvation discourse. In developing this argument, the dissertation offers a theological and anthropological account of the exchange logic in the Pentecostal economy of tithes and seed offerings. Furthermore, from a historical perspective, it examines the mutually constitutive relationship between the history of Ghana’s currencies, political economic history, and the economy of salvation, as manifested in Ghana’s history from the precolonial era to the present day. Given the absence of money, debt, and the Pentecostal exchange economy in African political theologies and global Pentecostal studies, the constructive and theological vision offered contributes to African Christian theology, world Christianity, and political theology.

While the New Testament contains a relative paucity of references to age and aging, Luke’s Gospel and Acts stand out as a striking exception. Luke’s infancy narrative includes young characters (John, Jesus, and likely Mary) alongside older characters (Zechariah, Elizabeth, Anna, and by implication, Simeon). The juxtaposition of young and old appears again at Pentecost, where Peter, quoting Joel, declares, “Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams” (Acts 2:17). While the focus on young and old is rather concentrated in these opening chapters of Luke and Acts, Luke’s narrative includes characters of various ages throughout. Still, scholarship has given little focus to the broader narrative implications of Luke’s depiction of age broadly conceived.

This dissertation offers a historically situated, literary examination of Luke’s narratives to analyze Luke’s depiction of age. By incorporating literary, material, and demographic evidence, both Greco-Roman and Jewish, this dissertation situates Luke’s narratives within their broader cultural milieu. This dissertation argues that Luke’s account of age furthers a particular theme in Luke’s narratives: that of God’s inclusive—and specifically, intergenerational—kingdom. As scholars often discuss, the vision of the kingdom of God in Luke’s Gospel and Acts is inclusive in a variety of ways: namely, it includes rich and poor, Jew and gentile, male and female. In addition to these categories, I suggest that Luke’s vision of the kingdom of God includes young and old—a merism that has received far less attention than the other merisms that also make up God’s kingdom in Luke’s narratives. References to characters’ ages in Luke’s narratives are not merely incidental but rather essential elements of Luke’s narrative and wider theological program. Further, I argue that Luke’s portrayal of God’s kingdom values characters of different ages qua their different ages; that is, children are valued as children and older adults as older adults, and the narratives recognize the nuances of these different life stages.

Arms of Hope is a nonprofit organization in Texas that ministers to a population that has experienced various forms of betrayal of trust. This includes neglect, emotional abuse, as well as physical and sexual abuse. Arms of Hope – Boles Campus, where I live and work, is a residential campus that aims to serve this population through meeting basic needs, counseling, case management, life skills development, and spiritual care.

My role at Arms of Hope has taught me that Christians struggle with conversations surrounding trauma and trust. Many in our surrounding community have unfair theological stereotypes involving Arms of Hope’s residents, and some have a genuine fear of getting too close to residents on campus. This critical issue prevents healing for the residents of Arms of Hope.

There is a need for Christians to provide support to those who have experienced betrayals of trust, beyond monetary support. It is through trust, felt safety, and connection that relationships develop, and this can only happen when an individual understands trust and consistently shows up in a healthy manner.

My thesis will attempt to bridge theological thinking and our biblical narrative on trust with what a trust-based relationship looks like and how a person achieves it when trying to love someone well. This thesis will move between the psychological damage that takes place when betrayal of trust occurs and how thinking theologically through trauma and trust can bring about a holistic view of the humanity of the person who has experienced the unfortunate trauma.

The methodology that will be explored will include:

• Literary Review of Trust• Biblical Narrative and Trust • Exploring Care Through Compassion and Friendship

The literary review aims to educate my readers on trust and explain why this particular work is necessary. I will build upon the work that has already been done to expand my argument for the importance of understanding trust in making a positive change in the lives of those who have experienced betrayal.

The pastoral care portion of this thesis will focus on the importance of Christians forming healthy relationships with individuals who have experienced betrayals of trust. Understanding trust leads to a deeper understanding of what connection and relationship look like.

Exploring the biblical narrative will help my readers understand that trauma and betrayal of trust are not new phenomena. The scripture I will spend time with will bring Christians back to biblical stories that teach first hand accounts of betrayal of trust and how to think about compassion and care from a Christian perspective.

The method of studying compassion and friendship will be essential to conclude on, as it will challenge my readers to recognize that they must commit to marginalized communities and that working with or ministering to trauma survivors will not be a “quick fix” but rather a lifetime of work.

Rural churches hold a special place in their communities. They are part of the social center and when these churches are strong, they make their communities even stronger. Conversely, when these rural churches decline, their communities are weakened and social and spiritual connections are lost, making revival of these churches of utmost importance. This thesis explores the best practices and key factors that promote revival of declining rural United Methodist churches in eastern North Carolina. It includes research on the history and current problem of church decline, case studies on once-declining churches that have begun a turnaround, and various perspectives on what revival means. This research has been done by sending out surveys, conducting Zoom interviews, and making phone calls. Several best practices with related key factors that foster revival are described. Also, a closer look at one local congregation that has gone through a slight decline in past years is presented. Ultimately, there is hope for declining rural churches. It is not just wishful thinking for a church to be revived. Revival is defined as the church coming to life again. It involves celebrating the gifts of the church, refocusing on the ways that God is at work, intentionally growing in the spiritual disciplines and strengthening the relationship that the local church has with its community through engagement and outreach. When these steps occur, God can do amazing things through the rural church.

The United Methodist Church is at a crossroads, entering a new era of ministry as congregations deal with the impacts of the pandemic, denominational disaffiliation, clergy burnout, and various other challenges. These circumstances have heightened the ongoing issue of disconnect between local congregations and the denomination, which arises from the district superintendent's overwhelming responsibilities as the connectional officer. This thesis advocates for a renewed interpretation of the historic role of the presiding elder. To clarify, it introduces the circuit elder role to enhance conventionalism and inspire Christ-like leadership. This reconfiguration of the presiding elder's role through the circuit elder is based on the theological concept of Munus Triplex, which encompasses the threefold offices of prophet, priest, and king.Drawing from the story of Moses and Jethro in Exodus 18 and surveying the historical development of the office of the presiding elder in early American Methodism, this thesis attempts to offer a model of organizational renewal by creating a balance between episcopal authority and local freedom. The new role of the circuit elder will bring missional leadership and mentoring to the circuits, fostering cultural change within the denomination.

AbstractMy thesis examines a church merger by exploring the emotional processing of pastors and congregants in a newly forming faith community. Its methodology analyzes the principles of FST in connection to a church merger by addressing relational behaviors. The initial section of the study briefly outlines the theory’s origins and summarizes Bowen’s eight core principles derived from his research on family dynamics. The study focuses on the FST concepts of Differentiation of Self (DoS), church homeostasis, triangulation, and anxiety within a system. It examines how pastoral leadership and decision-making influence the system by considering concepts and case studies of pastoral and personal experiences. As a way forward, the study reflects on John Wesley’s “Means of Grace” to emphasize faith formation practices that can more effectively shape a sacred community to experience God’s presence. It examines the importance of leadership in the contexts of pastoral influence, agility, and resilience during a church merger. The findings indicate that a church merger is one of several ways that the relational aspect of church life can nurture a culture that encourages God’s followers to mature in faith. The principles of FST reinforce the thesis’s call for pastors and church members to become more differentiated through the Spirit, fostering healthy connections in their relationships with God and one another.

U.S. Army chaplains serve as the commander’s principal advisor in matters of morals and morale as affected by religion within military operations. This role uniquely affords a ministerial vantage point for chaplains to ascertain the degree to which religious factors affect the moral shaping and spiritual wellness of the military community. Chaplains must therefore be prepared to navigate the potential moral ambiguity of military operations and, when necessary, proclaim a message of healing and redemption to those who experience moral injury (MI) caused by modern warfare. Is there a theological construct that can help a Christian U.S. Army chaplain conceptually and practically engage the morally injured population of his or her ranks? How can a Christian U.S. Army chaplain prophetically engage the pluralistic sensibilities of a military organization while also serving as a facilitator of hope, healing, and transformation for morally injured warriors? These are the key questions I will explicate in this Doctor of Ministry thesis.

This thesis argues that war-related MI requires a theological and practical construct that responsibly interfaces with modern MI research, military leadership theory, moral theology, and biblical studies. “Shepherding the Sheepdog” is a metaphor offered throughout this thesis as a conceptual and practical pastoral paradigm for Christian military chaplains to engage MI with biblical prophetic imagination and proclamation that could enable transformative healing for morally injured warriors. Shepherding the Sheepdog considers the body of psychological and social-scientific MI research in the service of offering a theological account. Modern MI research is explored through the lens of the biblical prophetic tradition which, as it is argued throughout the thesis, empowers chaplains with several practical perspectives of the U.S. military community. The scope of this research is from the perspective of an active duty Christian U.S. Army Chaplain and offers an interdisciplinary conversation with the intent of presenting a theologically informed perspective of MI. Its three chapters progressively explore the religious implications of modern U.S. martial identity and collectively offer pastoral conceptualizations of transformative healing for morally injured warriors by integrating a case study of the recent 82nd Airborne Division deployment supporting Operation Allies Refuge (OAR) in Kabul, Afghanistan (August 2021).

How accurate and therefore, how helpful, is the church’s portrait of the embodied human being? More specifically, does the church in the United States functionally give appropriate weight to relationality—emotional-spiritual maturity and healing, and the related arena of emotional intelligence skills—in her practice of discipleship and leadership? Out of concern that the answer to this question is generally “No,” this paper presents material from several angles to begin to establish standards for a better portrait. The foundation is established from the Bible and from several other related disciplines demonstrating that Christianity as framed by Jesus is fundamentally relational. To honor Jesus’ priorities includes centering the skills needed to do relationships well. The paper presents four different resources for deliberately working on the development of emotional-social well-being and skills, while describing advantages and disadvantages of each. The paper also takes seriously some critiques of centering relationality in Christian discipleship practice, to understand why some people have opted to shun practices relating to psychology and emotional maturity. Then, in light of these pros and cons, the paper argues for including several specific elements in a portrait of the embodied human being, which will help the church to carry out her mission in a more life-giving, joyful, effective way. A case study to illustrate how utilizing a better portrait of the embodied human being could look in Christian leadership and discipleship is provided and is followed by a summary and statement of where further study in this area could fruitfully go.

ABSTRACT

The Biblical book of Jeremiah offers truth to the Christian Church in America today. Jeremiah is a witness to leaders called to speak words of both warning and hope to those whom they lead. In what follows, exegetical analysis of selected passages of Jeremiah are presented, and I then delve into the dangers and consequences of idolatry, as well as the attendant themes of recovery and hope. Biblical scholars, theologians, and cultural critics are analyzed regarding those issues both in the time of Jeremiah and in our modern era. Sermons drawing on the exegesis and critical analyses bring a word to the gathered worshipping body of the present-day Church. I conclude by arguing that, in the end, Jesus is Lord and is the source of our hope.

This thesis, From Parables to Power: Discovering a Biblical Hermeneutic for Community Organizing, explores whether the leadership style of the historical Jesus can offer a biblically grounded framework that enhances the work of today’s social movements. Analyzing Jesus’ praxis and parables alongside contemporary leadership and social change scholarship, this study seeks to uncover a hermeneutic that enables meaningful transformation while remaining relevant to modern, increasingly secular movements for justice. As secularization trends deepen, social movements often face challenges integrating the presence and contributions of individuals whose commitments to justice are rooted in scriptural conviction. This thesis, therefore, proposes a pathway for harmonizing these commitments within broader activist frameworks, advocating for a model of leadership that is ethically resilient, inclusive, and adaptable to the needs of large-scale movements.

Guided by the question, "Can a biblical hermeneutic based on Jesus’ leadership better equip today’s movements for justice to foster authentic change?" This study examines how faith-rooted perspectives can coexist with empirically embraced organizing principles to cultivate a more inclusive and enduring impact. Through a blend of theological analysis and case studies, this thesis presents an approach to community organizing that not only honors the transformative potential of scripture but also empowers activists with adaptable tools to navigate both spiritual and practical imperatives in the work of justice.

The prevailing question which guides this work is, “Given Charles Taylor’s insights and suppositions in A Secular Age (particularly those of the immanent frame, conceptions of fullness, modern malaise, and the age of authenticity), what framing of the Christian gospel ‘speaks’ to those in a secular age?”

To aid this inquiry, five Millennials who self-identify as religiously unaffiliated were interviewed and invited to influence the investigation, utilizing tools from the field of collaborative ethnography. In initial interviews, topics included participants’ personal histories with religion and Christian preaching, as well as their reactions to Taylor’s theories. Next, a sermon was developed which sought to incorporate Taylor’s theories and participants’ feedback. Participants then viewed the sermon and evaluated it in a focus-group interview, critiquing its ability to engage them personally in ways that felt relevant or meaningful. Narrative accounts of both rounds of interviews are included in this work.

Generally, collaborators responded favorably to Taylor’s thoughts, demonstrating his themes in their stories and confirming the theories’ validity when presented with them directly. Responses to the sermon, which ultimately sought to address authenticity, were mixed. Some participants responded well to its theme, whereas others struggled to hear anything outside of a moralistic framework. More important to participants than the message, however, was the manner in which the sermon was delivered. Genuineness, humility, and conversational tone were key factors which participants identified as impactful for their willingness to consider matters of faith.

Conclusions include: (1) the conversation about the sermon was more meaningful for the participants than the sermon itself. Further exploration is needed as to how these types of conversations can be engaged. (2) Nevertheless, applying Taylor’s theories to preaching is still fruitful, both for prompting said conversations with the religiously unaffiliated, as well as speaking to the faithful already in the pews who likely face similar pressures in our secular age.