The Sound of the Genuine
Recorded at the 2024 Disciples Preaching Retreat, this keynote from Dr. Frank A. Thomas offers reflections on the state of preaching today. Dr. Thomas challenges preachers to be honest and vulnerable with ourselves and in our preaching.
Recorded at the 2024 Disciples Preaching Retreat, this keynote from Dr. Frank A. Thomas offers reflections on the state of preaching today. The Sound of the Genuine challenges preachers to be honest and vulnerable with themselves and in their preaching.
The phrase “the sound of the genuine” comes from a commencement address by Howard Thurman — a call to discover and remain true to one’s deepest inner voice. Dr. Thomas draws on this tradition in addressing the pressures that pull preachers away from honest, vulnerable proclamation: the temptation to perform competence rather than preach from the truth of one’s own life and faith. This keynote is a call to the inner work that sustains preaching over the long arc of a ministry.
Dr. Thomas is the director of the Compelling Preaching Initiative and teaches homiletics at Christian Theological Seminary.
This keynote is available in both English and Spanish.
Spanish Version
You might also find helpful:
- Legacy Preaching Series — A collection of video interviews on compelling preaching hosted by Dr. Thomas at Christian Theological Seminary.
- Sermon: Rev. Dr. Frank Thomas — A sermon from Dr. Thomas at the 2024 Disciples Preaching Retreat.
- Recovering the Soul of Preaching Through Rest — Dr. Casey T. Sigmon’s 2025 retreat keynote on rest, attention, and the interior life of the preacher.
- Preaching in the Age of Chatbots — Rev. Dr. Casey T. Sigmon’s keynote on AI, discernment, and what makes human preaching irreplaceable.
