{"response":{"docs":[{"system_create_dtsi":"2025-07-03T20:16:37Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2025-07-03T20:38:48Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"381e4414-0f2b-4922-8009-1d363d0b0f50","accessControl_ssim":["c12da6eb-1eee-4d51-b26a-641529c5dcde"],"hasRelatedMediaFragment_ssim":["bc8257c6-8b09-484e-a9a5-eca5a518cba7"],"hasRelatedImage_ssim":["bc8257c6-8b09-484e-a9a5-eca5a518cba7"],"depositor_ssim":["yasmine.abou-el-kheir@ctschicago.edu"],"depositor_tesim":["yasmine.abou-el-kheir@ctschicago.edu"],"title_tesim":["Discovering the Comic Spirit for Preaching in LGBTQ+ Affirming Contexts"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2025-07-03T20:16:36Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2025-07-03T20:16:36Z","isPartOf_ssim":["admin_set/default"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["17db86eb-102d-48c7-8761-298ca5474911"],"hasLease_ssim":["42731e43-82c1-4fe2-9a00-1f229620a066"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["1"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["1"],"institution_tesim":["Chicago Theological Seminary"],"degree_tesim":["Doctor of Ministry in Preaching"],"discipline_tesim":["Preaching"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Chicago Theological Seminary"],"year_tesim":["2025"],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"types_tesim":["Text"],"creator_tesim":["Gilbert, Bodie"],"subject_tesim":["Sermons","Pastoral care","Sexual minorities--religious life","Queer theology","Preaching"],"abstract_tesim":["Traditional homiletical methods may fall short in addressing the needs of LGBTQ+ affirming congregations. Can the comic spirit enliven preaching in these contexts? This is not just a theoretical question but a practical and pastoral one. A praxis for preaching with the comic spirit may be characterized by the intentional use of humor, levity, wit, and comedy to reveal theological insights. Sermons in LGBTQ+ affirming congregations can be more effective by utilizing expressions of the comic spirit that are informed by the respective contexts, with special interest given to the intersectional identities and lived experiences of queer listeners. The author, an openly queer ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, engages this topic as a self-examination of praxis and centers his research primarily within three Houston congregations. Before presenting findings, literary reviews include a queering of cishet scholarship in comic homiletics and an examination of queer theologians as cognate to further inform the contextualized praxis. Where cishet homileticians have studied stand-up comedians, the author bridges the queer research gap by exploring drag performers as muse. A four-part research approach—including surveys, focus groups, field observations, and interviews—serves to inform the developing praxis and prove the thesis: the comic spirit can enliven and enhance preaching in LGBTQ+ affirming contexts. Three homiletical strategies for a queer-informed comic spirit emerge from the project: (1) disarming tension to engage the listener, (2) fostering congregational connection, and (3) balancing depth and levity. Each of these strategies serve to impact the listener through queer-affirming sermons that inspire theological insights."],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/downloads/bc8257c6-8b09-484e-a9a5-eca5a518cba7?file=thumbnail","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["admin_set/default-one_step_mediated_deposit-approving","admin_set/default-one_step_mediated_deposit-depositing","admin_set/default-one_step_mediated_deposit-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"member_ids_ssim":["bc8257c6-8b09-484e-a9a5-eca5a518cba7"],"member_of_collections_ssim":["DMin Papers"],"member_of_collection_ids_ssim":["5fee7d74-6f58-4c88-a3b1-860b847dd7c2"],"file_set_ids_ssim":["bc8257c6-8b09-484e-a9a5-eca5a518cba7"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Theses and Dissertations"],"account_cname_tesim":["ctschicago.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["public","work_editor"],"read_access_person_ssim":["yasmine.abou-el-kheir@ctschicago.edu"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"_version_":1836659645558554624,"timestamp":"2025-07-03T20:38:51.949Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2025-04-21T19:55:14Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2025-07-03T19:50:28Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"ec8c56ea-294e-4004-9625-44934c10ddcd","accessControl_ssim":["0df4a9fe-f27f-4d7c-b053-1dc2443bff47"],"hasRelatedMediaFragment_ssim":["d8b7a35b-6eda-404d-82da-c7555a682085"],"hasRelatedImage_ssim":["d8b7a35b-6eda-404d-82da-c7555a682085"],"depositor_ssim":["jessica.margraveschirm@ctschicago.edu"],"depositor_tesim":["jessica.margraveschirm@ctschicago.edu"],"title_tesim":["Preaching to Remember, Recognize and Re-Invigorate - Empowering Grinnell United Church of Christ Congregational to Re-Imagine its Activist Roots and be a Force for Justice in the Twenty-First Century"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2025-04-21T19:55:13Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2025-07-03T19:50:28Z","isPartOf_ssim":["admin_set/default"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["ab29e800-3b80-42cd-a005-863220f5d41a"],"hasLease_ssim":["28fd1bc5-9f78-4d6c-9f24-a35b429f1b8c"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["0"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["0"],"institution_tesim":["Chicago Theological Seminary"],"degree_tesim":["Doctor of Ministry in Preaching"],"discipline_tesim":["Preaching"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Chicago Theological Seminary"],"year_tesim":["2025"],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. Project"],"types_tesim":["Text"],"creator_tesim":["Margrave Schirm, Jessica L."],"keyword_tesim":["Activist","Abolition","United Church of Christ","Abolitionist","Justice","Activism","Social Justice","Preaching"],"subject_tesim":["Church History","Christian Life","Church Renewal","Social Justice","Preaching","Religion and Politics","Congregational Church"],"abstract_tesim":["This Doctor of Ministry project investigates how justice-oriented, activist preaching can re-invigorate and reorient Grinnell United Church of Christ (UCC) to fulfill its historical and contemporary commitments to social justice. Located in Grinnell, Iowa, a small town with a population of 10,000, Grinnell UCC is a predominantly white, highly educated, and middle-class congregation, with a rich history rooted in abolitionism and a commitment to justice, inclusivity, and economic equity. This project explores the role of preaching in mobilizing the congregation to reclaim its abolitionist roots, engage in contemporary struggles for justice, and transform into a force for ethical and political activism in the Twenty-First Century.\r\n\r\nThe church’s commitment to social justice has evolved through multiple historical movements, including the Social Gospel Movement of the early Twentieth Century and the Civil Rights Movement, and most recently, through its adoption of an Open and Affirming covenant and a focus on accessibility and economic justice. Despite these efforts, there is an ongoing need to deepen the congregation’s engagement with justice in ways that address both historical and contemporary issues, particularly through the lens of abolitionist and liberation theologies. This project, therefore, examines how preaching through an activist and social justice-oriented lens can catalyze the congregation’s growth in this way and reimagine its role in promoting justice.\r\n\r\nBy remembering the church’s abolitionist past, recognizing its current justice priorities and re-invigorating the congregation’s imagination of a more just world in the future, this research aims to empower Grinnell UCC to take more effective action in its local context, with a focus on how privilege and positionality can be leveraged in the pursuit of justice. Ultimately, this work seeks to inspire both the present congregation and future generations of Grinnell UCC members to continue the church’s legacy of justice, ensuring that the faith community remains a vital force for positive change in the world, rooted in the teachings of Jesus with a commitment to the flourishing of all people.\r\n\r\n"],"rights_statement_tesim":["https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"thumbnail_path_ss":"/downloads/d8b7a35b-6eda-404d-82da-c7555a682085?file=thumbnail","suppressed_bsi":false,"actionable_workflow_roles_ssim":["admin_set/default-one_step_mediated_deposit-approving","admin_set/default-one_step_mediated_deposit-depositing","admin_set/default-one_step_mediated_deposit-managing"],"workflow_state_name_ssim":["deposited"],"member_ids_ssim":["d8b7a35b-6eda-404d-82da-c7555a682085"],"member_of_collections_ssim":["DMin Papers"],"member_of_collection_ids_ssim":["5fee7d74-6f58-4c88-a3b1-860b847dd7c2"],"file_set_ids_ssim":["d8b7a35b-6eda-404d-82da-c7555a682085"],"visibility_ssi":"open","admin_set_tesim":["Theses and Dissertations"],"account_cname_tesim":["ctschicago.ir.atla.com"],"human_readable_type_tesim":["Etd"],"read_access_group_ssim":["public","work_editor"],"read_access_person_ssim":["jessica.margraveschirm@ctschicago.edu"],"edit_access_group_ssim":["admin"],"_version_":1836656604038037504,"timestamp":"2025-07-03T19:50:31.329Z","score":1.0},{"system_create_dtsi":"2025-04-04T03:00:14Z","system_modified_dtsi":"2025-07-03T15:54:57Z","has_model_ssim":["Etd"],"id":"8181f9fa-91c2-4053-86d0-e286f2cee640","accessControl_ssim":["cf77f9f8-1ddc-4815-83e6-0f12a0c34623"],"hasRelatedMediaFragment_ssim":["7507d833-2c0f-44d0-97b6-a199af589be8"],"hasRelatedImage_ssim":["7507d833-2c0f-44d0-97b6-a199af589be8"],"depositor_ssim":["dezo.schreiner@ctschicago.edu"],"depositor_tesim":["dezo.schreiner@ctschicago.edu"],"title_tesim":["Overcoming The Challenges of Preaching in An Intercultural Congregation"],"date_uploaded_dtsi":"2025-04-04T03:00:13Z","date_modified_dtsi":"2025-07-03T15:54:57Z","isPartOf_ssim":["admin_set/default"],"hasEmbargo_ssim":["a53ce632-919d-4253-9ee8-1bad7f866a90"],"hasLease_ssim":["90b3afed-2b4d-4af6-9327-296ba05d5709"],"show_pdf_viewer_tesim":["0"],"show_pdf_download_button_tesim":["0"],"institution_tesim":["Chicago Theological Seminary"],"degree_tesim":["Doctor of Ministry in Preaching"],"degree_granting_institution_tesim":["Chicago Theological Seminary"],"year_tesim":["2025"],"resource_type_tesim":["D.Min. 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