| abstract |
This dissertation examines one of the most overlooked theological areas in the Seventh-day Adventist church: the preaching of social justice. A national shift towards police reform is occurring, and the recent killing of unarmed African Americans has sparked a desire in younger generations of Adventists for the church to engage with social justice issues. Some of the early Adventists urged pastors not to be involved in social justice issues, but to stay true to the Bible; they recommended that we preach only the doctrines of the church, coupled with end-times events. The notion of Seventh-day Adventists refraining from being involved in social justice is quickly being reconsidered, given the national shift towards addressing and reforming systems of injustice that disproportionately affect marginalized communities, such as police brutality.
The aim of this dissertation, therefore, is to develop a model for including social justice preaching in the Seventh-day Adventist church. The dissertation proposes that social justice preaching is biblical and remains faithful to the original intent of the scripture. In order to substantiate this claim, this dissertation focuses on the Gospel of Luke and shares stories of Jesus protecting and ministering to the marginalized of his time. This dissertation is also practical in nature, providing clergy and lay leaders alike with ways to preach social-justice-oriented sermons to the congregation that is biblical and Christ-centered.
This dissertation includes a context-based sermon series on social justice, which I conducted from within my ministerial context in Murfreesboro, NC. In order to educate my congregation on social justice and to track the effectiveness of my sermons, I asked participants to complete surveys before and after all three sermons of the series. At the conclusion of the sermon series, a focus/debrief group was created to communicate the next steps and collect congregant's reflections on the series. Ultimately, the church recognized the need for social justice issues to be discussed and the need to minister to the wider community.
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