Preaching as an Eschatological Event: Imitating and Participating in the Tension, Movement, and Hope of the Gospel

The study seeks to address a lack of eschatology in the pulpit by articulating a homiletic that is oriented around the characteristics of a New Testament understanding of eschatology. The goal is to discover what it might look like to preach eschatologically. Paul’s eschatologically-oriented gospel message in 1 Corinthians 15, John Calvin’s use of diachronic tension and pilgrimage metaphors, and Jürgen Moltmann’s emphasis on divine promise, resurrection, and mission in Theology of Hope help to show that three primary characteristics of Christian eschatology are 1) tension between the past promises of God and their future fulfillment, 2) movement towards resurrection, and 3) hopeful imagination in action. An investigation into the New Homiletic shows how these three characteristics are present in homiletical theory, though not necessarily in a way that acknowledges their eschatological character. Specifically, this study shows how particular writers in the New Homiletic articulate theological tension and movement in the gospel which is in turn reflected in their instructions for preaching gospel-centered sermons. Building on the New Homiletic, this project seeks to show how preaching can be an eschatological event that imitates and so participates in the tension and movement of God’s future promises which are already present but not yet fulfilled in their entirety. The result of eschatological preaching is that listeners are empowered to put their hope into action.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD