“I am often asked, ‘What are your plans in retirement?’ I never know what to say other than to observe I have never lived my life or done my work according to any plan. I have always done what people ask me to do, and I assume I will continue to do what I am asked to do in retirement. In particular I hope I will be asked to preach, because I have discovered over the years I have worked as a theologian that preaching forces me to discover what I think that I would not have discovered, if I had not been given the opportunity to discern the word of God for Christ’s church.”—Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics

Stanley Hauerwas is the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School; he will be retiring in Spring 2013, after 29 years of service on the faculty. One of the world’s most influential theologians, Professor Hauerwas has in many essays and books explored the significance of the church as the necessary context for Christian formation and moral reflection. In recent years, preaching has become an increasingly central part of his theological writing and speaking. This Study Day is a unique opportunity for clergy and lay preachers to work directly and practically with Professor Hauerwas on how we may best meet the serious challenge of preaching in our time and places. Those who register will receive in advance a copy of a recent, unpublished sermon by Hauerwas; this will provide the basis for a discussion of how one sets goals and finds direction for a sermon. In addition, participants will be able to work with Hauerwas on lectionary texts for the Easter season, with a view to moving from text to sermon.     

Sponsored by the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies at Duke Divinity School, this Study Day will be hosted by the Rev. Dr. David E. Marshall, newly appointed Director of AEHS and Associate Professor of the Practice of Christian-Muslim Relations at Duke Divinity School. A priest in the Church of England, Dr Marshall has focused his research and teaching on interpreting Islam for the church and facilitating scholarly conversation between Christian and Muslim theologians. He served as chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury from 2000-2005.