Contemporary Preaching through a Bakhtinian Framework

Daniel J. Gregory outlines a new methodological approach to homiletics rooted in Bakhtinian theory, entitled “chronotopic contextualization”. The method offers preachers a transformative way to move from Scripture to sermon by focusing not merely on what biblical authors say, but on what they do through their writing. By examining the communicative action embedded in the textual, sociohistorical, and ideological layers of the biblical chronotope, this framework enables preachers to discern the author’s likely purpose, rhetorical strategy, and intended effect on early listeners. Drawing on insights from speech-act theory, literary hermeneutics, and Bakhtinian chronotopes, Gregory’s approach provides a richer interpretive framework than traditional evangelical homiletics, which often concentrate primarily on locutionary content. Through this expanded vision, preachers gain access to a thicker description of the text, allowing them to perceive the biblical author’s action in writing with greater nuance.From this vantage point, the preacher can then reason analogically in constructing the homiletical cross-section, determining how to perform an action in proclamation analogous to the biblical author’s action in writing. By attending carefully to the congregation’s contemporary worldview, the preacher can contextualize the ideological force of the text with clarity and accuracy. Chronotopic contextualization thus provides a practical and intellectually robust pathway for faithful preaching—one that bridges ancient communicative intention with contemporary pastoral realities, enabling sermons that speak with precision, depth, and transformative purpose.