Wesley Allen

Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics
Director, Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence

Email

wesleya@smu.edu

Office Location

Selecman 211c

Phone

214-768-3732

Education

Ph.D., Emory Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 1996; M.Div., Yale Divinity School, 1990; B.A., Birmingham-Southern College, 1987

Teaching Specialties

Introduction to Worship; Introduction to preaching, preaching the New Testament; exegesis for preaching; preaching in postmodernism; preaching through the liturgical year; theology in preaching; prophetic preaching; preaching in the context of worship

Research Interests

Preaching in postmodernity; conversational homiletics; cumulative approaches to preaching; preaching and the Synoptic Gospels; preaching theologically

Selected Publications

:: The Sermonic Bridge: Analogy as Key to More Relevant Proclamation (Westminster John Knox, forthcoming).

:: The Gospel of Mark: An Exegetical and Theological Commentary for Preaching (Westminster John Knox, 2026).

:: Preaching and the Thirty Second Commercial: Lessons from Advertising for Preaching, Preaching and… Series (Westminster John Knox, 2021).

:: Protestant Worship: A Multisensory Introduction for Students and Practitioners (an enhanced eBook available on Cokebury.com, 2020).

:: Biblical Preaching Handbook, editor (Westminster John Knox, 2019).

:: Preaching in the Era of Trump (Chalice Press, 2017).

:: Preaching and the Human Condition (Abingdon, 2016).

:: The Sermon without End: A Conversational Approach to Preaching, co-authored with Ronald J. Allen (Abingdon, 2015).

:: Moving Beyond Heterosexism in the Pulpit, co-authored with Emily Askew (Cascade, 2015).

:: Matthew, Fortress Biblical Commentaries (Fortress, 2013).

:: Determining the Form: Structures for Preaching, Elements of Preaching Series (Fortress, 2008).

:: The Homiletic of All Believers: A Conversational Approach (Westminster John Knox, 2005).

Professional Distinctions

Ordained elder, The United Methodist Church, Indiana Annual Conference; Past President of the Academy of Homiletics; Co-Series coordinator of the Westminster Homiletics Monograph; Editor of Elements of Preaching series, Fortress Press, 2007-09; Chair of the Hermeneutics and Biblical Studies Group, Academy of Homiletics, 2003-06; Steering Committee for the Bible and Homiletics Consultation, Society of Biblical Literature, (2004-06).

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