Registration for Societas Homiletica in Budapest 2020
In: 2020 Budapest 01 Jan 2020

Dear friends,
members and associate members of Societas Homiletica,

I hereby invite you to our next Societas Homiletica conference, the 14th international conference, August 7th-12th 2020 in Budapest, Hungary.

Last October the Board discussed the conference theme ‘Preaching Toward Truth’ and I would like to refer you to our website http://www.societas-homiletica.org/upcoming/ for more information on the conference theme. Abstracts for papers can be submitted before February 29th.

As registration opens today, you are invited to register through our new online system, RegFox, following this link: https://societashomiletica.regfox.com/budapest-2020

By registering for the conference, you will also pay your membership fees for 2020. Payment can be done by credit card. If you have difficulties with paying by card, please contact our treasurer, Anne Gidion, for other payment options: a.gidion@pastoralkolleg-rz.de.

Looking forward to welcoming your registration and meeting you in Budapest 2020,
I wish you all the best and Christ’s peace for the new year,

Theo Pleizier
International Secretary Societas Homiletica

Welcome to Budapest, Hungary, August 7th-12th 2020
In: 2020 Budapest 29 Nov 2019

We are pleased and excited to invite you to the upcoming conference of Societas Homiletica in Budapest, 7-12 August 2020. The centuries long history of the Faculty of Theology at the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary combined with the rich culture of Budapest will surely deliver a most memorable experience to all participants from around the globe.

Standing united in the faith of the one risen Christ, we firmly believe that the diverse community of Societas Homiletica has much to offer both spiritually and professionally by bringing together the creative minds and souls of the homiletical world. The Budapest conference of 2020 wishes to remain true to this calling and hopes to help participants further enhance in their research and pedagogical practice.

Our long term vision is to expand the accessibility of this well functioning academic community and to even open up membership to many more. We therefore warmly invite everyone, newcomers and regular past participants alike to the upcoming conference of Societas Homiletica.

We hope to see you soon!

May the peace of Christ be with you.

 

Leipzig/Budapest,

December 2018

Alexander Deeg                                                                                     Zoltán Literáty
President of Societas Homiletica                                               Head of the Local Comitee

Conference theme and call for papers: PREACHING TOWARD TRUTH
In: 2020 Budapest 05 Nov 2019

Conference theme and call for papers: PREACHING TOWARD TRUTH
Societas Homiletica 14th International Conference, Budapest, 7–12 August 2020

Conference theme and call for papers:

PREACHING TOWARD TRUTH

Preaching is driven by the quest for truth – and at the same time, this quest is contested in church, theology, and our societies. In a ‘post-truth era’ and in a fake-news world, it is a challenge to preach the good news of God’s truth and of Jesus who claims “I am the truth” (John 14:6). On the one hand, the longing for clarity may lead to reducing truth to all-too-easy propositional statements; on the other hand, the theological complexity of truth may lead to powerless sermons that have no impact on a world full of lies.
“What is truth?” (John 18:48) – Pilate’s question remains a spiritual, theological, and homiletical challenge. When Pilate posed the question, truth was standing in front of him. In Christ, truth is relational and dialogical. Accordingly, preaching toward truth is moving toward the acknowledgment of a reality external to our small lives and our global contexts. From a homiletical perspective, the following three questions among many others may be asked: (1) How do we preach if we accept that we do not possess truth but believe that truth is revealed in God’s active presence in the world and through God’s final coming? Theologically speaking, eschatology (the promise that the truth will be revealed) and economy (the facts of daily life and work) have to be brought in a critical relation to one another. (2) Who is the preacher, and what is her or his role when the church does not own truth and at the same time cannot be silent and has to proclaim truth? Humility and authenticity as well as boldness and the charisma of the preacher also need to be addressed. (3) How do we preach in a ‘post-truth era’, in which the grand – often oppressive – narratives are lost and yet there is a deep longing for stories to live in? How do we honor ‘facts’ and ‘emotions’ in our sermons? What language will help us to address these needs; poetical, metaphorical, referential, or mythical?
We face the challenge of preaching that opens up truth and moves toward truth. In Budapest we will have five days in August 2020 to work on these basic and relevant homiletical questions and to share our perspectives with colleagues from around the world.

Call for papers
As it is our regular practice, researchers, ph.d. students and teachers of preaching are encouraged to send in an abstract (300 words) for a paper presentation or workshop before February 29th 2020. Paper sessions consist of two or more 20 minute paper presentations each followed by 20 minutes of discussion.
Abstracts may be sent to the International Secretary of Societas Homiletica, Theo Pleizier at: t.t.j.pleizier@pthu.nl Within 3 weeks you will be notified as to whether your proposal has been accepted. First consideration is given to papers that clearly connect with the theme of the conference.

Further information about keynote speakers, program, registration etc. will follow soon.

Fearing God in a Fear-Filled World? Homiletical Explorations
In: 2018 Durham NC 15 Dec 2017

Fear is both a theological theme and an existential reality. “The fear of God” is at the heart of biblical wisdom (e.g., Prov. 1:1-7), including a sense of wonder, reverence, and respect that humankind may offer to God in response to divine sovereignty and glory. At the same time, many different kinds of fear run rampant in our world, including fears related to the rise of nationalism and political corruption, violence and the threat of violence, changes in our religious landscapes, religious extremism, refugees, persons of different ethnic identities, socio-economic difficulties, climate crises, and natural disasters. How do we recognize, identify, and address fear as teachers and preachers of homiletics who experience and encounter fear of different kinds? What are the conversations we need to develop and the topics we need to debate? How do we facilitate theological and practical engagement with the fears that we experience not only as individuals but from our students and in our churches, neighborhoods, nations, and world? When is it wise to recall the biblical promise, “Do not fear…” in our preaching? How do we describe and develop homiletical spaces in which fear needs to be expressed? Please join our deliberations and conversations about fearing God in a fear-filled world as we meet at the Duke University Divinity School on 3-8 August, 2018.

Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm

President of Societas Homiletica

First notice
In: 2018 Durham NC 02 Oct 2017

The next general meeting of Societas Homiletica will be held 3-8 August 2018 at Duke Divinity School, USA.

Until then, we hope that you take note of this new homiletical resource:

The 2,500 Duke Chapel sermons offer an amazing collection of video, audio, and manuscript sermons. Over the past few years, great effort has been put into assembling this remarkable resource and over the next couple of years, metadata will be applied to the sermons so that they will be searchable in various ways (e.g. by text, liturgical occasion, theological themes, social issues, etc.). But for now, feel free to access them as you will by following this link:

Sermon-Repository Duke Chapel

 

Final Arrangements
In: 2016 Stellenbosch, important 04 Feb 2016

Dear friends and conference delegates

We are only a few weeks away from the start of the Societas Homiletica conference and we are looking forward to welcoming you in Stellenbosch!

We would like to share a few final arrangements:

CONFERENCE VENUE:
The conference takes place at Protea Hotel Stellenbosch in Technopark, with magnificent views of the Helderberg mountains and Stellenbosch vineyards. The hotel is approximately 6km from the central town of Stellenbosch.
Address: Techno Avenue, Techno Park, Stellenbosch. Tel: +27 21 880 9500
To learn more about Stellenbosch and its many attractions, click here.

REGISTRATION:
Registration will take place in the foyer of the Protea Hotel Stellenbosch on Friday 11 March 2016 from 14:00 – 17:00. Each registered participant will receive a conference bag with a plastic folder, pen and paper.

PROGRAM AND PAPERS:
The updated conference program, the list of papers and abstracts, and the template for papers and workshops are available. Note: those that will be presenting, please check whether you have been allocated a slot – we have truly been graced with a large number of contributions in this regard! Please note also that some changes had to be made since the last version of the template.

PRESENTATIONS:
A data projector and technical support will be available in all the venues. Please bring your presentation on a memory stick. Unfortunately we will not be able to make any copies of the papers.
The plenary sessions will take place in the auditorium (Omega room) and the parallel sessions in rooms which will be indicated on the final program in your conference pack and on the notice boards.

MEALS:
All meals are included in the registration fees. It is important to notify us of any dietary restrictions/preferences; please send an e-mail to Helette before 28 February 2016.

BOOK LAUNCHES AND SALES:
Three book launches are scheduled as part of the programme on 14 March 2016, and there will be book exhibitions and books will be for sale at special conference discounts.

EXCURSIONS:
For the sake of those that are still considering some excursions before or after the conference, we added some extra possibilities.

GENERAL:
The weather in the Western Cape is pleasant in March with mild temperatures ranging from 22°C – 30°C. However, the evenings can be cool – please be sure to bring some warm clothes for the evening excursions.

AIRPORT TRANSFERS:
The conference venue is 25km from the airport. The shuttle company Citi Hopper is the official shuttle service provider for the Societas Homiletica Conference. They are located in the Arrivals hall in the Central Terminal building of Cape Town International Airport and will meet you with a name board at Arrivals. Please complete the Itinerary form and return to Helette,  before 28 February 2016.

Have a safe journey!

Book your Hotel asap and Register for the conference!
In: 2016 Stellenbosch, important 01 Dec 2015
Since the Protea Hotel guarantees room reservations and special prices for the upcoming conference only until December 15th 2015, it is important to book your rooms as soon as possible. See also the section below on accomodations.
In case you haven’t registered yet for the conference, please do so to help the local committee in Stellenbosch to make the necessary arrangements. They have put together a very interesting (tentative) conference programme.
We are looking forward to welcoming you, very soon virtually in your electronic registrations and in real life in Stellenbosch, March 2016.
Welcome to Stellenbosch 2016, call for papers
In: 2016 Stellenbosch, Practical information, Upcoming 01 Jul 2015

Some further information concerning our upcoming conference in Stellenbosch, South Africa, on 11-16 March 2016.
The detailed program will be sent to all members and visitors closer to the date of the conference. We are looking forward to an interesting (and full!) program, with keynote speakers like Father Michael Lapsley, Deborah Mumfoard, Marlene Ringgaard Lorensen, and Allan Boesak. As is our custom, there will be workshops, inter alia on themes like the following: Music and Voice/Music and Preaching; Preaching and Art/Painting; Preaching and Rap/Preaching and Hip Hop; Language and Paradox; a PhD-Café Poster session, etc. Read more…

Preaching Promise Within the Paradoxes of Life | Invitation to Stellenbosch, SA, 11-16 March 2016
In: 2016 Stellenbosch, important, invitation 09 May 2015

South Africa is a place of paradox, in fact, many paradoxes. There exists, for instance, the paradox between poor and rich, or rather, between extremely poor and extremely rich – South Africa being identified as the country currently in the world with the biggest gap between those that have, and those that do not have.[1] There is the paradox between luxurious mansions and affluent estates on the one hand, and, on the other, often just a few kilometers from that, struggling townships and dilapidated shacks. There is the paradox – in comparison to many other countries – between the highest figures of unemployment, and the lowest rates of life expectancies; the highest forms of educational inequalities, and the lowest forms of productivity rates; the most sophisticated technological advances in the world (for example the largest disk-shaped telescope, SKA, being constructed in the Karoo[2]), and a seemingly crumbling provider of electricity (Eskom); between being able to host, in the spirit of Ubuntu,[3] one of the most successful Soccer World Cups in history (2010), and experiencing some of the worst bouts of xenophobia ever (in 2008; and again in 2015); between indescribable natural beauty, and inexcusable waste and pollution; between having probably the best political constitution in the world, and some of the worst cases of poor service delivery; between having fabricated Apartheid, but also producing Nelson Mandela, etc. Read more…

Conference Programme online!
In: 2014 India 15 Jan 2014

The programme of the 11th conference in Madurai can be found on this page. PDF-download of the programme is available.