Bridging Pulpit and Practice: Cynthia Hale

Cynthia Hale on And We Know That

In 1996, Cynthia Hale preached at Duke Chapel about perseverance in Christian faith from the often quoted Romans 8:28, "And we know that ..." In the below video, Miriam Cho, the coordinator of the Duke Chapel sermon digitization project, interviews Hale about her message of Christian freedom in a world still rife with oppression. How would you preach about Christian perseverance and freedom in our context today?  

Watch Cynthia Hale's sermon, And We Know That, (July 14, 1996) and watch the interview below.

 

"[Frustration] is not just a lived reality...it is holy."

 ― Cynthia Hale

For Discussion
  1. Hale describes the "we know" of Romans 8:28 as more than just an intellectual "knowing" about the doctrines of Christian freedom (1:08). It is a holistic "knowing" that impacts all of life.  What illustrations, phrases, and techniques does Hale use to draw listeners into this type of “knowing”?
     
  2. Hale urges the congregation to persevere through life’s frustrations because of the freedom and justification they already have as Christians. What is the difference between the frustration that leads to passivity and the "Holy Frustration" (4:15) that leads to action?
     
  3. When asked about how she approaches suffering in her preaching, Hale says she ultimately trusts in God’s sovereignty (7:50). How have you understood the sovereignty of God in your life?  How does that impact the way you preach in your context?
     
  4. Hale notes that she brought her whole self to the Duke Chapel pulpit in 1996 because the congregation "needed to see that (10:50)." What are parts of yourself that your people need to see?