A picture set us free : preaching to the imagination in a secular age

Stiller, Eric D.

Etd

A picture set us free : preaching to the imagination in a secular age

Public Deposited

MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Stiller, Eric D. A Picture Set Us Free : Preaching to the Imagination In a Secular Age. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/5fee7ebe-4703-486a-ab0b-7456f3d995ab.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

S. E. D. A picture set us free : preaching to the imagination in a secular age. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/5fee7ebe-4703-486a-ab0b-7456f3d995ab

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Stiller, Eric D. A Picture Set Us Free : Preaching to the Imagination In a Secular Age. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/5fee7ebe-4703-486a-ab0b-7456f3d995ab.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

Creator

Stiller, Eric D.

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In Copyright

Abstract

Preaching the Christian faith in the modern West faces many challenges. One of the biggest is a growing inability to make sense of the basic categories that comprise a Christian worldview. The purpose of this study is to explore how preachers engage the imagination during sermons to help people in the closed or open immanent frame shift toward an open transcendent frame. This study utilized a qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with six preachers from various denominations who have at least ten years of experience preaching in geographic areas with high concentrations of people in the immanent frame, typically city-centers. The interviews focused on gaining data on four research questions: What are some practices preachers use to engage the imagination toward an open transcendent frame? How do preachers think about the role of the imagination in preaching for frame shifts? How do preachers describe the challenges they encounter in helping people in the immanent frame make sense of the gospel? How do preachers evaluate the degree to which their preaching cultivates a frame shift in their listeners? The literature review focused on three key areas: a biblical theology of the imagination, the experience of the immanent frame, and the field of imaginative apologetics. This study concluded that the immanent frame presents three major challenges to preachers in the modern West: the felt distance of transcendence, an instrumental approach to fullness, and the quest for authenticity. To address these challenges, it is crucial to engage the imagination, which is a faculty of meaning making and possibility. There are three primary components for engaging the imagination of those in the immanent frame: awakening desire, recovery of vision, and narration of stories. Based on an analysis of these findings, this study concludes with several recommendations for preachers to engage the imagination of those in the immanent frame.

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