Digital Homiletics demystifies the art of online preaching, helping readers understand both the why and the how of engaging listeners via digital formats. Sunggu Yang lays a concise and accessible theological foundation and then shares ten methods for effective digital preaching. Readers will encounter concrete tips and advice for sharing Gods word online, whatever the dimensions of their electronic ministry.
Yang profiles each of the ten methods in Digital Homiletics with an eye toward general description, homiletic theory, practical tips, final remarks, and innovative attention to "Details of the Style." Who is involved? Why might preachers employ this technique? Where should it be practiced, and when? What content is best suited to each method? The answers to these questions will help readers tailor their online delivery. Throughout, Yang helps us recognize the distinctive nature of the homiletical task when preaching to an online audience.
Sunggu Yang is associate professor of theology and Christian ministries and director of the Margaret Fell Scholars Program at George Fox University. Yang was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and his publications include Arts and Preaching: An Aesthetic Homiletic for the Twenty-First Century (2021). He is founder and general editor of the journal Asian American Theological Forum.
Preface
Part I: Context and Theology of Online Preaching
Context as Introduction
Karl Barths Threefold Definition of Gods Word
The Fourth Techno-Dimension of the Word: The Threefold Word Digitalized
Toward Effective Online Preaching
Part II. Ten Styles of Online Preaching: Descriptions and Practical Tips
The Podium Style
The Conversation Style
The Reporter Style
The Metaverse/VR Style (Virtual Reality)
The Interview Style
The Drama Style
The Zoom/Chat Style
The Rock Concert Style
The Film/Vidpod Style
The Artist Style
Epilogue
When the pandemic hit, preachers were forced online with little time for reflection on what we were doing. Yang now offers us a theological introduction to the "digitalized Word" and explores ten (yes, ten!) different modes of proclamation offered to online viewers. Even after congregations returned to in-person worship, online worship and preaching have become a consistent part of most of our ministries. Yang leads the way with this conversation about best online homiletical practices in a world in which no one size fits all. --Rev. Dr. O. Wesley Allen Jr., Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
Sunggu Yangs Digital Homiletics is timely, theologically grounded, and helpfully practical. Readers will be pleasantly surprised by the usefulness of this book. For those who are delivering their sermons both in person and online, this book affirms their groundbreaking ministry and provides insights into how it can be done faithfully. It is a handy resource for any preacher who strives for effective preaching in the context of the digital age! --Rev. Dr. HyeRan Kim-Cragg, principal and Timothy Easton Memorial Church Professor of Preaching, Emmanuel College in the University of Toronto
In the rapidly developing field of digitally mediated preaching, scholars tend to take either a theological or an empirical approach. In this book, however, Dr. Yang brings the normative voice of theology and the formal voice of homiletical theory into a dynamic conversation with the lived theology that is embodied in practices. The result is a much-needed, rich, in-depth discussion that considers both theology and the plurality of digital media. A must-read for any scholar or preacher who wants to understand digitally mediated preaching today. --Rev. Dr. Frida Mannerfelt, author of Co-preaching: The Practice of Preaching in Digital Culture and Spaces
Whether you are a new or a seasoned preacher, a techie or a technophobe, Sunggu Yangs primer on digital preaching is for you. In an era of rapidly changing media and congregational disposition, preachers will find in Digital Homiletics practical expressions of what online preaching is and does--and, more importantly, a theological framework for considering what it might mean. --Rev. Dr. Aimee Moiso, associate director, Louisville Institute; former managing editor of Homiletic
In Digital Homiletics Sunggu Yang extends his legacy of incisive theological inquiry to equip preachers for real-world challenges prompted by recent technological and ecclesiological developments. Beyond gimmicks or a bag of tricks, Yang drives us toward a techno-theological rationale strong enough to bolster imagination and resilience in preaching online. This is mandatory reading for all concerned with not just the what, the where, and the how of online preaching, but also the why and the who manifesting from digital pulpits. --Rev. Dr. Jacob D. Myers, Wade P. Huie Jr. Associate Professor of Homiletics, Columbia Theological Seminary
