Preaching Jokes to Power

Rev. Dr. Jake Myers of Columbia Theological Seminary offered the Synod’s monthly Preaching Workshop on May 4, 2022, helping participants connect the wisdom of stand-up comedians with the office of preaching.

The Presbyterian News Service published an article about the workshop, which you can read here Presbyterian Mission Agency A high risk, high reward endeavor | Presbyterian Mission Agency.

You can watch the video, and other past monthly workshops, at Preaching Workshops – YouTube.

Facilitator: The Rev. Dr. Jake Myers

The Rev. Dr. Jake Myers is the Wade P. Huie, Jr. Associate Professor of Homiletics at Columbia Theological Seminary. Dr. Myers is interested in homiletical theories and theologies, continental philosophies (esp. poststructuralism, existentialism, and phenomenology), and emerging expressions of faith and practice in postmodern, post-Christian contexts. His research focuses on alternative epistemologies for sermon development and delivery, the philosophical and theological conditions for the im-possibility of preaching, contextual/constructive biblical hermeneutics and theologies, and the ways in which preaching interacts with cultures and traditions.

Dr. Myers has authored or co-authored numerous essays and articles for such journals as Theology Today, Literature and Theology, Homiletic, and Worship. His book publications include the following: Making Love with Scripture: Why the Bible Doesn’t Mean How You Think It Means (Fortress, 2015); Preaching Must Die! Troubling Homiletical Theology (Fortress, 2017); Curating Church: Strategies for Innovative Worship (Abingdon, 2018); In Tongues of Mortals and Angels: A Deconstructive Theology of God-talk, co-authored with Eric D. Barreto and Nikki Young (Fortress Academic/Lexington Books, 2019); Proclaiming God at the Threshold of Philosophy (Mohr Siebeck, 2022); and Stand-up Preaching: Homiletical Insights from Contemporary Comedians (Cascade, 2022).

Dr. Myers received his BA in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Gardner-Webb University, his MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary, and his PhD in Person, Community, and Religious Life from Emory University. Dr. Myers is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

This workshop is part of a monthly workshop series on preaching, the first Wednesday of every month from 10:00 to 11:30 am. For an overview of the series, click here.