Written by: Ashanti Poindexter
Dr. Kenneth Gilmore is back again to teach another class with Equip. This spring from April 8th to May 3rd, Dr. Gilmore will be commenting on theological methods, principles, and practices in his class- “Theology of Preaching.” The class will be live on Zoom on Monday nights.
When speaking to Dr.Gilmore about his class, he had a lot to say. Dr. Gilmore took the time to explain worldview and perception and how that affects the way that we, as Christians, read the Bible. He argues that the Bible is never read objectively:
Nobody ever reads the Bible objectively, because if we read the Bible objectively, that means we are not tainted by sin and we are not bringing into consideration our culture, gender, background, language, or beliefs.
With that being said, he says that all preaching comes from some theological context, family, or tradition. He reminds us that the way we read the Bible is often influenced by what we have been exposed to and certain perspectives can limit our ability to see what the text actually has to say.
Dr. Gilmore plans to reference many books in his class, including “Theological Foundations for Ministry,” “Who Needs Theology?,” “How to Think Theologically,” and especially, “Proclamation and Theology”
He mentions 5 different types of theology:
- Folk Theology
- Lay Theology
- Ministerial Theology
- Professional Theology
- Academic Theology.
This class aims to answer the questions:
“What are the fundamental theological principles we need to hold on to as we are reading through these texts for the purpose of preaching?”
“What am I doing when I’m preaching?”
“How do I arrive at the conclusions that I come up with in my preaching?”
“What is theology when I’m preaching?”
“Which type of theology should I use when I am preaching?”
While this class mentions preaching, it is not for preachers only. Dr. Gilmore says if you take your faith seriously, you are allowed and encouraged to take this course.
Register for the course online, and if you aren’t a student, you can purchase tickets to the class here.
Equip at Harding in Bible and Ministry 
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