Guest Preachers 2016-17

In the 2016-17 academic year, the Chapel celebrates its strong tradition of ecumenical preaching with the schedule of guest preachers given below. See the Chapel's calendar for a full schedule of worship services, including dates when Chapel Dean Luke A. Powery and other Chapel staff will preach. A recent archive of services is available on the Chapel website and a podcast of sermons is available on iTunes. Duke Libraries' maintains the Duke Chapel Recordings collection. (Biographies and photos will be added as they become available.)

July 17, 2016 — Rev. Dr. Jana Childers

Rev. Childers is dean of the seminary and vice president for academic affairs at San Francisco Theological Seminary. She is also a professor of homiletics and speech communication. Childers, who holds a PhD from the Graduate Theological Union and Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, enjoys an international reputation as a preacher. A popular conference speaker, she has also been featured by the Chicago PBS show "Thirty Good Minutes" and on the "Great Preachers" television series. Childers has written, edited and contributed to many books and articles on the art of preaching, including the award-winning Birthing the Sermon: Women Preachers on Creative Process.

July 24, 2016 — Rev. Dr. Jason Byassee
Rev. Byassee is the Butler Chair in Homiletics and Biblical Interpretation at Vancouver School of Theology. He works on historical theology with an eye to how the minds and lives of the saints can help renew the church’s life today. He earned an MDiv degree from Duke Divinity School and a Ph.D. in religion from Duke’s Graduate School. Among other books, Byassee has authored Discerning the Body Searching for Jesus in the World, The Gifts of the Small Church, Praise Seeking Understanding: Reading the Psalms with Augustine, and An Introduction to the Desert Fathers. He is currently writing a commentary for Brazos Press on the last third of the Psalter.

July 31, 2016 — Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero

Rev. Salguero and his wife, Rev. Jeanette Salguero, are associate pastors of Iglesia El Calvario in Orlando, Florida. They were formerly co-pastors of the Lamb's Church in New York City, and often preach concurrently, in English and Spanish. Salguero is the founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC) which offers an important leadership voice for the close to 8 million Latino evangelicals in the United States. He earned an MDiv from New Brunswick Theological Seminary and did PhD work in Christian Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Salguero also received a Doctor in Divinity (honoris causa) from Eastern Nazarene College in Massachusetts.

August 14, 2016 — Dr. Esther Acolatse

Professor Acolatse is an Assistant Professor of the Practice of Pastoral Theology and World Christianity at Duke Divinity School. Her teaching and research cover four main areas: 1) the intersection of psychology and Christian thought, with a particular interest in the gendered body and Christian experience; 2) methodological and hermeneutical issues in the practice of Christian life and the reception of Christian theology, both historical and systematic; 3) the relevance of these themes in the global expression of Christianity; and 4) the search for a common language for the expression and articulation of World Christianity. Her book For Freedom or Bondage: A Critique of African Pastoral Practices (Eerdmans 2014) explores the pitfalls of overvaluing the spiritual world and the language of principalities and powers in biblical interpretation and pastoral practice, themes that have been central to the global expansion of Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity. She holds a masters degree from Harvard (1992) and a PhD from Princeton Theologhical Seminary (1998).

August 21, 2016 — Rev. Dr. Raquel Lettsome

Rev. Lettsome is an itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church with 20 years of congregational ministry experience that transcends denominational lines. For 16 years, she served as the first female Executive Minister of the historic 4000-member St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey.  In 2012, Lettsome parlayed her parish ministry experience into a consulting business to assist pastors and ministers with ministry organization, professional planning, preaching, and teaching. In 2015, she became the managing partner of Say AMEN!, a digital clearinghouse for preaching, teaching, and worship arts. She is currently an Associate Minister at Union A.M.E. Church in Warwick, New York. Lettsome is a published author whose academic and ministerial focus is Biblical interpretation as it relates to African Americans, and specifically African American women. Her books include The African Presence in the Bible: Gospel Sermons Rooted in History (co-authored with Dr. William D. Watley) and Call and Consequences: A Womanist Reading of Mark’s Gospel.  She was the first to earn a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from Princeton Theological Seminary.

September 18, 2016 — Rev. Alan Storey

Rev. Storey is an ordained minister of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and is presently ministering at the Central Methodist Mission (CMM) in Cape Town.  He specializes in facilitating Diversity Engagement Encounters, both within the Church and within other business and education institutions – healing the divisions that still divide us. Alan has spearheaded the transformation of the Stipend Policy within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa over the past number of years, calling the Church to take seriously the Gospel imperatives of economic justice.  He is also a founding member of Sacred Worth which is an organization working for the full inclusion of GLBIT people within the Church. He holds an Honours Degree in Theology and a Masters in Philosophy (Applied Ethics in Economics). Learn more about Alan Storey here and follow him on twitter @ASlowWalk.

September 25, 2016 — Rev. Dr. Teresa Fry Brown

The Rev. Dr. Teresa L. Fry Brown is the Bandy Professor of Preaching at Candler School of Theology, where she has taught since 1994. Fry Brown’s research interests include homiletics, womanism, womanist ethics, socio-cultural transformation, and African diaspora history focusing on African American spiritual values. In addition to five monographs and four books, she has written articles and chapters for over a dozen more, including Delivering the Sermon: Voice, Body and Animation in Proclamation (Fortress Press, 2008); Can A Sister Get a Little Help: Advice and Encouragement for Black Women in Ministry (Pilgrim Press, 2008); and Weary Throats and New Song: Black Women Proclaiming God’s Word (Abingdon Press, 2003). Follow her on twitter @DRFRYB.

October 9, 2016 — Rev. Dr. Cheryl Bridges Johns

Rev. Dr. Cheryl Bridges Johns is Professor of Discipleship & Christian Formation at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary in Cleveland, Tennessee. Her work has included several creation care initiatives—including "Scientists and Evangelicals Initiative on the Care of Creation”—and she has been actively involved in numerous ecumenical initiatives. Her published works include Pentecostal Formation: A Pedagogy Among the Oppressed and Finding Eternal Treasures (Wipf & Stock Pub, 2010). She is co-pastor of the New Covenant Church of God, a church she and her husband, Jackie, planted in 1989. She holds a B.A. from Lee College (1975), an M.A. from Wheaton College (1976) and a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (1987). 

November 20, 2016 — Rev. Dr. Thomas Long

The Rev. Dr. Thomas G. Long is Bandy Professor Emeritus of Preaching and Director of the Early Career Pastoral Leadership Program at Candler School of Theology. Long’s primary area of research is homiletics. His introductory textbook, The Witness of Preaching, was named one of the 25 most influential books in preaching for the last 25 years by Preaching magazine in 2010. His books on the Christian funeral, Accompany Them with Singing and The Good Funeral, have generated interest both in the academy and the media. Long is also deeply interested in biblical studies, practical theology, and liturgy. He holds degrees in Chemistry from Erskine College (1968), an M. Div. from Erskine Theological Seminary (1971), and a Ph.D Princeton Theological Seminary (1980).

December 18, 2016 — Rev. Meghan Feldmeyer Benson

The Rev. Meghan Feldmeyer Benson is chaplain of Duke Divinity School, where she "helps guide students and staff to turn their hearts and minds to knowing God more deeply". Originally from Colorado, she is an ordained elder in the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church. She has degrees in religious studies and psychology from Southern Methodist University (1998), and an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School (2002). Prior to becoming chaplain at Duke Divinity School, Benson worked for nine years as director of worship at Duke Chapel. 

January 1, 2017 — Rev. Megan Pardue

Rev. Megan M. Pardue is Senior Pastor at Refuge in Durham, North Carolina and an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene. A native of Portland, Oregon, she attended Southern Nazarene University, earning a BA in Theology in Ministry.  She attended Duke Divinity School, graduating in 2012 with a Master of Divinity.  In addition to pastoring, Megan works at a Teaching Assistant in the Department of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School. 

January 8, 2017 — Rev. Dr. Susan Dunlap

The Rev. Dr. Susan Dunlap is Adjunct Assistant Professor and Director of the M.Div./M.S.W. Dual Degree Program at Duke Divinity School where she has been teaching since 1995. She teaches in the area of pastoral care in times of grief and illness, as well as the integrative courses for the M.Div./M.S.W. program. She has published two books, Counseling Depressed Women and Caring Cultures: How Congregations Care for the Sick. She also serves as the chaplain at Urban Ministries of Durham. She is currently researching and writing on the topic, "The Religious Lives of People Living in Extreme Poverty." She holds a B.A. from University of California at San Diego, an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from Duke Divinity School, and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. 

January 15, 2017 — Rev. Dr. Richard Lischer

The Rev. Dr. Richard Lischer is the James T. and Alice Mead Cleland Professor of Preaching at Duke Divinity School, where he’s been on faculty since 1979. In his scholarly work Dr. Lischer has sought to portray proclamation, ministry, and rhetoric as integrated theological activities. His book The Company of Preachers was named 2003 Best Book in Ministry/Leadership by Christianity Today and his most recent book, Reading the Parables, was named one of the Top 10 books for parish ministry in 2014 by the Academy of Parish Clergy. He has held many distinguished lectureships, including the Lyman Beecher Lectures at Yale Divinity School. His work has been twice anthologized in Best Christian Writing. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 from the Academy of Homiletics, and was named a Henry Luce III Fellow in Theology for 2012-13. He has a masters degree in English from Washington University (1967) and a Ph.D in Theology from University of London, King’s College (1972).

February 12, 2017 — Rev. Dr. Eboni Marshall Turman

Rev. Dr. Eboni Marshall Turman is the Assistant Professor of Theology and African American Religion at Yale Divinity School. Her research interests include womanist/feminist liberation theologies and ethics; the black radical tradition; black women and theological liberalisms; black womanist aesthetics; and dogmatics in the African American Christian tradition. After earning her B.A. at Fordham University, Dr. Marshall Turman did her graduate work at Union Theological Seminary, earning her M.Div., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Christian Social Ethics. She is an ordained minister in the National Baptist Convention, USA. She is the author of Toward a Womanist Ethic of Incarnation: Black Bodies, the Black Church, and the Council of Chalcedon (Palgrave MacMillan, 2013) and roughly a dozen scholarly articles and chapters. Her book A Womanist Companion is due out from Wipf & Stock in December 2016, and she is currently working on her next monograph, tentatively titled, Black Women’s Burden: Sexism, Sacred Witness, and Transforming the Moral Life of the Black Church. Follow her on twitter @ebonithoughts.

February 26, 2017 — Rev. Katie Aumann

Rev. Katie Owen Aumann serves as the Presbyterian campus minister at Duke University. Katie found a spiritual home within the Prespeyterian campus ministry when she was an undergraduate student at Duke in 2006, majoring in Public Policy and minoring in Religion. She went on to receive her MDiv from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2011. Katie has a passion for preaching, creative worship, teaching and working with college students. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, baking cookies, reading novels and watching college basketball (Go Blue Devils!). She blogs on ministry and theology at Presbyterian Outlook (Read her blog). 

March 5, 2017 — Bishop Ken Carter

Bishop Ken Carter serves as resident bishop to the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. He is a graduate of Columbus College (B.S.), Duke University Divinity School (M.Div.), the University of Virginia (M.A.) and Princeton Theological Seminary (D.Min.). Bishop Carter is the author of eight books, most recently Pray For Me: The Power in Praying For Others (Upper Room, 2012). His books reflect on topics related to practical ministry: stewardship, spiritual gifts, baptism, the Wesleyan means of grace, and intercession. He was also a contributor to the Wesley Study Bible and the Feasting on the Word series. Follow him on twitter @bishopkencarter.

March 26, 2017 — Mitri Raheb

Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb is the President of Bright Stars of Bethlehem a non-profit organization supporting people in Palestine through initiatives spearheaded by the Diyar, a consortium of Lutheran institutions founded by Dr. Raheb in 1995. Dr. Raheb is also the President of Dar al-Kalima University College and serves as the Pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. 

Born and raised in Bethlehem, Palestine, Dr. Raheb is the most widely published Palestinian theologian to date. He has authored 16 books including: I am a Palestinian Christian; Bethlehem Besieged. Dr. Raheb participates in theological dialogue, peace building and dream making throughout the world. Follow him on twitter @RahebM.

April 2, 2017 — Student Preacher Sunday

April 14, 2017 — Bishop Anne Hodges-Copple

Anne Hodges-Copple is the Bishop Diocesan Pro Tempore and VI Bishop Suffragan of North Carolina. She is the first female bishop to serve in the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. Her work focuses on ministry in higher education, young adult ministry, ministry among Spanish-speaking communities, the ordination process for the diaconate, companion diocese relationships with Costa Rica and Botswana, ecumenical and interfaith work and pastoral care of retired clergy and their spouses. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University in 1979 and served as the Episcopal chaplain to Duke University from 1992 until 2005. Follow her on twitter @bishopannehc.

April 23, 2017 — Rev. Dr. Barbara Brown Taylor

Barbara Brown Taylor is a New York Times best-selling author, professor, and Episcopal priest. In 2014, the TIME magazine placed her in its annual TIME 100 list of most influential people in the world. Her first memoir, Leaving Church, won a 2006 Author of the Year award from the Georgia Writers Association. Her last book, Learning to Walk in the Dark, was featured in TIME magazine. She is a graduate of Emory University (B.A., 1973) and Yale Divinity School (M.Div., 1976). She has served on the faculty of Piedmont College since 1998 as the Butman Professor of Religion & Philosophy and has been a guest lecturer at Emory, Duke, Princeton, and Yale. (Image credit: Kenny Simmons) 

May 7, 2017 — Rev. Dr. Edgardo Colon-Emeric

Rev. Dr. Colón-Emeric is Assistant Professor of Christian Theology at Duke Divinity School. Originally from Puerto Rico, his research engages the thought of figures like Thomas Aquinas, John Wesley, and Bartolomé de las Casas with the intent of achieving mestizajes of classical theology, Methodist experience, and Latino history. Colón-Emeric is an ordained elder in the North Carolina Conference; he was founding pastor of Cristo Vive UMC and continues to serve in Hispanic Ministries in Methodist churches in North Carolina.