“Speaking” to a Secular Age: Lessons from Charles Taylor and Collaborative Ethnography for Christian Preaching
dc.contributor.advisor | Willimon, William | |
dc.contributor.advisor | Madrazo, Tito | |
dc.contributor.author | Nowell, Stacy | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2025-07-02T19:10:46Z | |
dc.date.available | 2025-07-02T19:10:46Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
dc.department | Duke Divinity School | |
dc.description.abstract | 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. | |
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dc.rights.uri | ||
dc.subject | Divinity | |
dc.subject | Cultural anthropology | |
dc.subject | Religion | |
dc.subject | A Secular Age | |
dc.subject | Charles Taylor | |
dc.subject | Ethnography | |
dc.subject | Evangelism | |
dc.subject | Preaching | |
dc.subject | Secular | |
dc.title | “Speaking” to a Secular Age: Lessons from Charles Taylor and Collaborative Ethnography for Christian Preaching | |
dc.type | Dissertation | |
duke.embargo.months | 0.01 | |
duke.embargo.release | 2025-07-08 |
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