The Center for the Study of Rhetoric Race and Religion Virtual Conference: Understanding the Intersection
The Center for the Study of Rhetoric Race and Religion hosted its first virtual conference on March 13-14, 2025. The Center is an interdisciplinary research hub that explores the interplay of rhetorical practices, racial issues, and religious discussions in society. Our mission aims to cultivate critical scholarship, encourage inclusive dialogue, and create innovative teaching methods that engage with the intricate connections between rhetoric, race, and religion in both historical and contemporary settings.
Below is the schedule for the two-day conference.
If you would like to make a donation to our fundraising efforts, please click here.
Day One:
March 13, 2025
8:30am-9:00am-Opening
9:00am-10:15am
The Rhetoric of Black Preaching
Chair: Carl Frederick Hill, University of Memphis
Missiology for Urban Ministry: The History, Tension, and Mission of The Black Church in Black Preaching and Hip-Hop
Edward Williams, Columbia International University
Abstract:
In Black faith, the person of the Holy Spirit is triune - body, soul, and music. Therefore, this paper critiques Black Church liturgy through a triad model: (1) the body as sacred expression, (2) music as sacred expression, and (3) black preaching as a sacred homiletic. This homiletic includes hip-hop in its pedagogy. From this premise, two proposals will be presented for living out the mission of God in the urban sphere:
· Multicultural Worship
· Intercultural-Improvisational Preaching
These proposals contextualize the spiritual and cultural demographic in urban communities.
Through these missional means, The Black Church embodies a space for an intercultural audience to be their authentic selves without compromising or denigrating their Christian faith. Urban youth are no longer forced to halt at the intersections of faith, art, and culture. As a result, black preaching and hip-hop propel churches to worship interculturally- in the fullness of Christ and the urban experience.
In Black faith, the person of the Holy Spirit is triune - body, soul, and music. Therefore, this paper critiques Black Church liturgy through a triad model: (1) the body as sacred expression, (2) music as sacred expression, and (3) black preaching as a sacred homiletic. This homiletic includes hip-hop in its pedagogy. From this premise, two proposals will be presented for living out the mission of God in the urban sphere:
· Multicultural Worship
· Intercultural-Improvisational Preaching
These proposals contextualize the spiritual and cultural demographic in urban communities.
Through these missional means, The Black Church embodies a space for an intercultural audience to be their authentic selves without compromising or denigrating their Christian faith. Urban youth are no longer forced to halt at the intersections of faith, art, and culture. As a result, black preaching and hip-hop propel churches to worship interculturally- in the fullness of Christ and the urban experience.
Black Preaching and the Oral Tradition
Christopher Harris, University of Memphis
Abstract:
The concept of oral traditions has been tethered and connected to the existence of African Americans since before the time of enslavement and during it as well. To lean into the oral tradition is to lean into the cultural identity of Black expression and embodiment. At the roots of black cultural expression and identity is that of oral tradition and storytelling. This dissertation examines how the oral tradition within the black community and, more specifically, the black church create a vigorous embodiment of expression for the black church and black culture. I seek to examine and be in conversation with James Weldon Johnson’s “God’s Trombone Seven Negro Sermons in Verse alongside historical and contemporary Black sermons, exploring the rhetorical and cultural significance of the Black preaching tradition and Black cultural expression. Conducting both rhetorical and textual analysis, studying the role and impact of oral tradition and storytelling, we can see how oral tradition and storytelling are vital tools for cultural preservation, spiritual resilience, liberating expression, and communal empowerment within the Black church.
Christopher Harris, University of Memphis
Abstract:
The concept of oral traditions has been tethered and connected to the existence of African Americans since before the time of enslavement and during it as well. To lean into the oral tradition is to lean into the cultural identity of Black expression and embodiment. At the roots of black cultural expression and identity is that of oral tradition and storytelling. This dissertation examines how the oral tradition within the black community and, more specifically, the black church create a vigorous embodiment of expression for the black church and black culture. I seek to examine and be in conversation with James Weldon Johnson’s “God’s Trombone Seven Negro Sermons in Verse alongside historical and contemporary Black sermons, exploring the rhetorical and cultural significance of the Black preaching tradition and Black cultural expression. Conducting both rhetorical and textual analysis, studying the role and impact of oral tradition and storytelling, we can see how oral tradition and storytelling are vital tools for cultural preservation, spiritual resilience, liberating expression, and communal empowerment within the Black church.
The Black Sermon as Rhetorical Artifact
Andre E. Johnson, University of Memphis
Eric C. Miller argues that "throughout the nation's history, the sermon has stood among the most ubiquitous forms of American oratory." However, he laments that "despite its historical significance, the sermon has rarely been central to scholars of American rhetoric. Miller argues that even in an "increasingly secular age, the sermon continues to exert profound, weekly influence on American life." For Miller, "perhaps more than any other rhetorical genre," the sermon shapes worldviews, reinforces values, and informs the civic practice of millions of citizens." For these and other reasons, he continues, "the sermon demands another look."
In this presentation, I follow Miller's lead by focusing on the African American preaching tradition and the rhetoric of the Black sermon. While the significance of rhetoric in the Black preaching tradition has received increased attention lately, engaging the Black sermon through rhetorical analysis remains limited. I argue that a deep examination of the rhetorical criticism of sermons could significantly enrich homiletical theory. Understanding the intricacies of rhetoric within sermons sheds light on their persuasive elements and contributes to the broader study of preaching and communication within religious contexts.
10:30am-11:45am
The Wolverton Bible and Race: Visions of Chosenness, Segregation, and Sin
Chair: Andre E. Johnson, University of Memphis
Abstract:
How does prophetic rhetoric aid in pursuing justice in the public square? Through an investigation of prophetic rhetoric traditions and prophetic rhetoric types, this research posits that the prophetic rhetor as “hope dealer” offers hearers a pathway to “imaginative abundance” to respond to and mobilize against systems of harm. Agitative rhetoric is redeemed as a necessary tool of liberation in opposition to calls for more palatable rhetorical forms. Hope – inaugurated and eschatological – is considered indispensable to prophetic rhetoric's role in the public square.
1:30pm-2:45pm
The Rhetoric of Black Women
Abstract:
Womanist preaching centers the lived reality of Black women through the hermeneutic lens and emotive expressions within the sermon. Even though the central focus is an African American framework of liberation, womanism offers a useful homiletic in progressive, justice-oriented White congregations, as in the case study of Central Christian Church. The analysis of the case study exegetes the congregation and examines the preacher's persona to understand the effectiveness of the rhetoric using the rhetorical critical method of close reading. The congregation that identifies as a “University Church” values intellect and scholarship, welcoming a reflective inquiry approach to scripture. The “University Church” digests information and makes its own conclusions. Therefore, the preacher is similar to a docent in a museum guiding the listeners past new exhibits representative of theological frameworks from the social location of a Black, queer women and other marginalized realities. The preaching persona adopted by the womanist preacher is one of a “down-to-earth scholar.” The “down-to-earth scholar” is knowledgeable, relatable, and accessible to the listeners. The style of cross-racial preaching adopts elements of conversational preaching with an invitational rhetorical approach that invites the listeners to consider alternative perspectives of the Gospel through an unfamiliar yet relatable social location different from the majority. The cross-racial preaching retains the conviction of traditional Black preaching while welcoming the spectrum of theological understanding within the congregation. The effectiveness of the cross-racial preaching hinges on the shared communal beliefs of a justice-oriented Gospel.
Abstract:
The shift so desperately needed in the lives of African American women today is the courage to choose themselves. Black women are socialized in a way that encourages martyrdom and self-sacrifice. Black women are tired of putting their needs on the back burner. We want more for ourselves and more for other black women. The flourishing of black women demands that we take ownership of the “ abundant life” often touted from the pulpit. I posit an empowerment ethic that offers practical ways for black women to love themselves in ways that usher in the Basileia Tou Theou on earth as it is in heaven.
Hear the Spirit: Ritual Poems & Radical Litanies - Reimagining Sacred Language for Social Justice
Raedorah C. Stewart, Independent Scholar
Abstract:
This paper examines how my book "Hear the Spirit: Ritual Poems & Radical Litanies" (at press, Wipf&Stock, Fall 2025) employs innovative liturgical forms to bridge traditional Christian worship and contemporary social justice movements. Through analysis of selected poems and litanies, I demonstrate how the work reframes religious rhetoric to address racial inequality, environmental degradation, and systemic injustice while maintaining deep connections to historical Black Christian Church liturgical traditions. The collection deliberately subverts traditional liturgical language by incorporating vernacular expressions, protest chants, and contemporary social justice terminology. This hybrid approach creates a new form of sacred discourse that speaks to both spiritual and social transformation. For example, the piece "Litany for Black Lives" weaves together Biblical lamentation, African American spiritual traditions, and modern protest language to create a powerful statement of both religious and social conviction. Drawing on theories of performative rhetoric and liberation theologies, I analyze how these poems function as both spiritual and political speech acts. The work's formal structure - alternating between traditional liturgical forms and radical reinterpretations embodies the tension between institutional religion and womanist prophetic witness. This study contributes to ongoing discussions about the role of religious rhetoric in racial justice movements by demonstrating how traditional liturgical forms can be reclaimed and repurposed for contemporary activism. It also raises important questions about the relationship between sacred language and social change, suggesting new ways religious rhetoric can bridge spiritual practice and social justice work.
What the 2024 presidential election cycle revealed is that when Black women speak what the American electorate needs to hear, ironically, many turn a deaf ear, in large part because of the pejoration of rhetoric. This paper examines Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) speech as a rhetorical act of faith-based advocacy, racial justice, and collective moral responsibility. Through the lenses of womanist theology (Grant), theological anthropology (Hopkins), and communication ethics (Arnett, Massingale, Baldwin, Cone), this paper explores how Harris’s rhetorical strategies sought to bridge the nation’s divides while confronting the systemic barriers that ignore, rather than heed, a voice from the center. Her speech, deeply rooted in liberationist traditions, constructs an inclusive moral vision—one that calls the nation to a higher ethical standard. However, her campaign’s ultimate outcome also reveals the limits of ethical rhetoric in a society that often dismisses prophetic voices, even when they emerge from the heart of American democracy.
Lived Religion and Global Religious Rhetoric
Chair: Jeff Miller, University of Memphis
Kerith M. Woodyard, Northern Illinois University
Abstract:
Renowned comic book artist Basil Wolverton (1909-1978), best known for his zany and grotesque illustrations published in MAD magazine, hoped to be best remembered for his commissioned Bible illustrations for the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), an 'end-times' Adventist church led by broadcasting evangelist Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986). Wolverton's wished-for legacy invites critical attention to these drawings, which appeared in church publications aimed at children and adults between 1953 and 1974, and to the segregationist theology, these images supported and helped promulgate during America's civil rights era.
Working to dispel popular misconceptions that Wolverton, who was an ordained elder in the church, merely held "eccentric beliefs" that surfaced in drawings for a ministry with "extreme theological quirks," this essay foregrounds the racist doctrines that defined Armstrongism, particularly its teachings identifying white Anglo-Americans as God's chosen people and locating God's separate inheritances (or blessings) for each race of humanity "within the [geographic] boundaries God has set" (Armstrong 1985a). Examining Wolverton’s textual-visual storytelling involving specific Biblical episodes of divine judgment and retribution in the context of Armstrong’s teachings, this study unmasks interracial marriage and racial integration as the primary “sins” leading to the Flood (in Gen. 6) and the prophesied Apocalypse (in Rev. 12-22). Despite apologists’ insistence that racism “never played a part” in Armstrong’s ministry (Morris 1973, 329-30), this analysis underscores that Wolverton and Armstrong were indeed active participants in the reproduction and maintenance of white supremacy, proselytizers of racial segregation as a sacred and everlasting ideal.
Reclaiming Racial Epistemology: A Historical and Theological Analysis of Race from the 17th Century to Du Bois’ Negro Experience
Rohan Samuels, Kairos University
Abstract:
This proposal examines the historical and theological construction of race from the 17th century to W.E.B. Du Bois' "Negro Experience." It traces epistemological shifts from François Bernier’s 1684 racial classification to Du Bois’ reconceptualization of race as a sociological and existential reality for African Americans.
Grounded in historical epistemology, the project analyzes how Bernier’s typologies evolved into Du Bois’ reflections on race’s social, political, and theological dimensions. Theological perspectives on the "Curse of Ham" and concepts of "nobility" and "genealogical descent" are examined to uncover their role in racial ideologies. Drawing on Claude-Olivier Doron’s framework, the project decouples "race" from "racism," enabling a nuanced approach to how race was conceived as kinship, lineage, and moral inheritance.
This initiative addresses critical gaps by engaging both historical European frameworks and Du Bois’ articulation of Black identity. The study interrogates race as a rhetorical and theological construct, offering fresh insights into how racial knowledge is produced, contested, and reclaimed.
12:00pm-1:00pm- Keynote Address
Title: Hope Dealer: Prophetic Rhetoric and the Public Square
Michael W. Waters, Christian Theological Seminary
How does prophetic rhetoric aid in pursuing justice in the public square? Through an investigation of prophetic rhetoric traditions and prophetic rhetoric types, this research posits that the prophetic rhetor as “hope dealer” offers hearers a pathway to “imaginative abundance” to respond to and mobilize against systems of harm. Agitative rhetoric is redeemed as a necessary tool of liberation in opposition to calls for more palatable rhetorical forms. Hope – inaugurated and eschatological – is considered indispensable to prophetic rhetoric's role in the public square.
Chair: Courtney V. Buggs, Christian Theological Seminary
Cross-Racial Proclamation: Womanist Preaching in a Pre-dominantly White Congregation
Cross-Racial Proclamation: Womanist Preaching in a Pre-dominantly White Congregation
Nicole McDonald, Chicago Theological Seminary
Womanist preaching centers the lived reality of Black women through the hermeneutic lens and emotive expressions within the sermon. Even though the central focus is an African American framework of liberation, womanism offers a useful homiletic in progressive, justice-oriented White congregations, as in the case study of Central Christian Church. The analysis of the case study exegetes the congregation and examines the preacher's persona to understand the effectiveness of the rhetoric using the rhetorical critical method of close reading. The congregation that identifies as a “University Church” values intellect and scholarship, welcoming a reflective inquiry approach to scripture. The “University Church” digests information and makes its own conclusions. Therefore, the preacher is similar to a docent in a museum guiding the listeners past new exhibits representative of theological frameworks from the social location of a Black, queer women and other marginalized realities. The preaching persona adopted by the womanist preacher is one of a “down-to-earth scholar.” The “down-to-earth scholar” is knowledgeable, relatable, and accessible to the listeners. The style of cross-racial preaching adopts elements of conversational preaching with an invitational rhetorical approach that invites the listeners to consider alternative perspectives of the Gospel through an unfamiliar yet relatable social location different from the majority. The cross-racial preaching retains the conviction of traditional Black preaching while welcoming the spectrum of theological understanding within the congregation. The effectiveness of the cross-racial preaching hinges on the shared communal beliefs of a justice-oriented Gospel.
“I found god in myself and loved her, I loved her fiercely”: A Empowerment Ethic for
Black Women
Christy Woodbury-Moore, Memphis Theological Seminary
The shift so desperately needed in the lives of African American women today is the courage to choose themselves. Black women are socialized in a way that encourages martyrdom and self-sacrifice. Black women are tired of putting their needs on the back burner. We want more for ourselves and more for other black women. The flourishing of black women demands that we take ownership of the “ abundant life” often touted from the pulpit. I posit an empowerment ethic that offers practical ways for black women to love themselves in ways that usher in the Basileia Tou Theou on earth as it is in heaven.
Hear the Spirit: Ritual Poems & Radical Litanies - Reimagining Sacred Language for Social Justice
Raedorah C. Stewart, Independent Scholar
Abstract:
This paper examines how my book "Hear the Spirit: Ritual Poems & Radical Litanies" (at press, Wipf&Stock, Fall 2025) employs innovative liturgical forms to bridge traditional Christian worship and contemporary social justice movements. Through analysis of selected poems and litanies, I demonstrate how the work reframes religious rhetoric to address racial inequality, environmental degradation, and systemic injustice while maintaining deep connections to historical Black Christian Church liturgical traditions. The collection deliberately subverts traditional liturgical language by incorporating vernacular expressions, protest chants, and contemporary social justice terminology. This hybrid approach creates a new form of sacred discourse that speaks to both spiritual and social transformation. For example, the piece "Litany for Black Lives" weaves together Biblical lamentation, African American spiritual traditions, and modern protest language to create a powerful statement of both religious and social conviction. Drawing on theories of performative rhetoric and liberation theologies, I analyze how these poems function as both spiritual and political speech acts. The work's formal structure - alternating between traditional liturgical forms and radical reinterpretations embodies the tension between institutional religion and womanist prophetic witness. This study contributes to ongoing discussions about the role of religious rhetoric in racial justice movements by demonstrating how traditional liturgical forms can be reclaimed and repurposed for contemporary activism. It also raises important questions about the relationship between sacred language and social change, suggesting new ways religious rhetoric can bridge spiritual practice and social justice work.
Turning a Deaf Ear: The Pejoration of the American Dream
Jackie Lyde, Duquesne University
What the 2024 presidential election cycle revealed is that when Black women speak what the American electorate needs to hear, ironically, many turn a deaf ear, in large part because of the pejoration of rhetoric. This paper examines Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) speech as a rhetorical act of faith-based advocacy, racial justice, and collective moral responsibility. Through the lenses of womanist theology (Grant), theological anthropology (Hopkins), and communication ethics (Arnett, Massingale, Baldwin, Cone), this paper explores how Harris’s rhetorical strategies sought to bridge the nation’s divides while confronting the systemic barriers that ignore, rather than heed, a voice from the center. Her speech, deeply rooted in liberationist traditions, constructs an inclusive moral vision—one that calls the nation to a higher ethical standard. However, her campaign’s ultimate outcome also reveals the limits of ethical rhetoric in a society that often dismisses prophetic voices, even when they emerge from the heart of American democracy.
3:00pm-4:15pm
Lived Religion and Global Religious Rhetoric
Chair: Jeff Miller, University of Memphis
The Unquantifiable Soul: A Phenomenological Investigation Regarding the Weights and Measures of Human Worth
Tiffany Petty Gilliam, Duquesne University
This research, which stems from my participation in the Rhetoric, Race, and Religion course at Duquesne University during the fall of 2024, delves into the complex relationship between social racism, lived experiences, and rhetorical participation in religious contexts. The paper draws on both historical and contemporary examples, examining how personal friendships, hymns, and the phenomenological experiences of individuals provide new perspectives on race and religion. Through the lens of these lived experiences, the paper explores how race and religion are rhetorically contextualized, offering new meaning and invitations to engage in rhetorical dialogue.
This research, which stems from my participation in the Rhetoric, Race, and Religion course at Duquesne University during the fall of 2024, delves into the complex relationship between social racism, lived experiences, and rhetorical participation in religious contexts. The paper draws on both historical and contemporary examples, examining how personal friendships, hymns, and the phenomenological experiences of individuals provide new perspectives on race and religion. Through the lens of these lived experiences, the paper explores how race and religion are rhetorically contextualized, offering new meaning and invitations to engage in rhetorical dialogue.
Do You Condemn Hamas? How Linguistic Terrorism Attempts to Conscript Potential Resistance
E. Michelle Ledder, Independent Scholar/Metropolitan AME Church
Abstract:
Despite, or perhaps because of, fragile ceasefire talks and over 440 days of Israel’s acute, extravagant, and unrestrained attacks on Gaza, the West Bank, and connecting Arab states, some people remain frozen by words that refuse to relinquish their power. The question, “Do you condemn Hamas?” (still) inundates interviews, social media commentary, and news articles to interrogate anyone who interrupts Israel’s version of the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. This paper explores language as linguistic terrorism, which conscripts potential resistors to its side with manipulatory wording. How religious language succumbs to linguistic terrorism, uses linguistic terrorism, and has the power to dismantle linguistic terrorism will serve as a primary interlocutor.
Far-Right Rhetoric, Race, and Religion: The Politics of Identity in Bangladesh
Ridita Mizan, Illinois State University
Abstract:
Far-right rhetoric is no longer confined to the West; it now shapes global political discourse, reinforcing racial and religious hierarchies. While Western far-right movements frame Islam as a threat, similar exclusionary rhetoric operates in Muslim-majority countries like Bangladesh. Historically, Bangladesh’s social structures have been shaped by, in many cases, through caste-based religious conversions, Arabization, and neoliberal/neocolonial economic policies, all of which continue to influence political control. In early 2025, the Trump administration suspended U.S. foreign aid to Bangladesh, prompting the country to strengthen ties with China. Trump’s later remark that he would “leave Bangladesh to Modi” signaled a geopolitical realignment, raising concerns about Bangladesh’s sovereignty and increasing India’s influence. This shift reflects a broader trend: far-right leaders are reshaping global alliances while reinforcing racial and religious divisions. In Bangladesh, these same exclusionary narratives deepen caste, class, and religious hierarchies. This paper examines how Bangladesh’s political elites use far-right strategies – including religious nationalism, racialized exclusion, and suppression of dissent – to consolidate power, mirroring tactics used in Western far-right movements. The 2024 student uprising, which demanded reforms, highlights growing resistance but also exposes how both the state and political activists weaponize religious identity to control discourse. Using critical race theory (Crenshaw), postcolonial analysis (Said, Spivak, Bhabha), and global far-right studies (de Jonge et al.), this paper argues that far-right rhetoric is a global phenomenon shaping identity politics. Drawing on Sen, it explores how Bangladesh’s internal struggles reflect broader manipulations of racial and religious identity in global power structures.
At Home in the Nursery of Ideas: The Role of Empathy, Forgiveness, and Dialogue in Healing Racial Injustice
Anthony Joseph Luchini, Duquesne University
Anthony Joseph Luchini, Duquesne University
Abstract:
This paper examines the role of educational seminars in fostering critical consciousness and restorative dialogue. Framed by the voices of various black scholars (including James Baldwin, Dwight Hopkins, and Eboo Patel) and grounded in Eliade's notion of sacred and profane space, the work explores the idea of the classroom as a sacred space for learning where vulnerability, listening, and compassion are possible. The work concludes by extrapolating this notion through an analysis of the Gayle Jones novel, The Healing, looking specifically at forgiveness as the path toward healing racial injustice.
This paper examines the role of educational seminars in fostering critical consciousness and restorative dialogue. Framed by the voices of various black scholars (including James Baldwin, Dwight Hopkins, and Eboo Patel) and grounded in Eliade's notion of sacred and profane space, the work explores the idea of the classroom as a sacred space for learning where vulnerability, listening, and compassion are possible. The work concludes by extrapolating this notion through an analysis of the Gayle Jones novel, The Healing, looking specifically at forgiveness as the path toward healing racial injustice.
4:30pm-5:45pm
Abstract:
Drawing from Frank Thomas’ work on preaching dangerous sermons within the African American context, this proposed paper aims make such applications to political speech in the realm of Black politics, the public discourse of African American civil religion, the verbiage of Black political activists during crisis situations as a voice from the Black Church, and messages of hope that bridges the eschatological with the existential drawing from an African American Pauline hermeneutical grid. The panel aims to make the case that rhetoric that meets the moment in a racially polarized context carefully integrates a combination of quiet resistance through coded language, extreme caution, hyperbole, implied meaning, deflection, and enation as messaging strategies.
Panelists:
Titus Bryant, Trinity United Church of Christ
Tabitha S. Morton, Prairie View A&M University
Michael D. Royster, Prairie View A&M University
Marcus W. Shields, University of Edinburgh
Panelists:
Titus Bryant, Trinity United Church of Christ
Tabitha S. Morton, Prairie View A&M University
Michael D. Royster, Prairie View A&M University
Marcus W. Shields, University of Edinburgh
5:45pm-6:00pm-Closing Remarks
Day Two:
March 14, 2025
8:30am-9:00am-Opening
Chair: Carl Frederick Hill, University of Memphis
The Quest of Two Kings and The Rhetoric of Becoming
The Quest of Two Kings and The Rhetoric of Becoming
Daylan Woodall, First Missionary Baptist Church
Abstract:
The legacies of Martin Luther King Sr. and his son, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., are celebrated for their contributions to civil rights, Black Faith, and The Black church in America. However, notwithstanding their accomplishments, both men shared a common foe that they contended with in their public and private lives. The struggle with this foe marked the entire life experience of the older King. In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, the younger King gave it a name; he called it “a degenerating sense of nobodiness".
Despite being separated by a generation and coming of age in divergent socioeconomic contexts both Martin Luther King Sr and Martin Luther King Jr lived in a society that devalued and dehumanized them individually and their people collectively. However their response to this problem is among one of their more invaluable contributions. They responded to a sense that they were nobody with aspiration. They did not aspire to attain personhood, but bring the broader culture to an awareness of their inalienable personhood. This aspiration was suffused through all of their discourse. They responded to the darkness that characterized their world by narrowing their focus on how their lives fit within the will of God, their source of greater light and higher truth.
When the contributions of both Kings are viewed together they represent the development of distinctive rhetorical expression, a rhetoric of becoming. The aim of this paper is to define the rhetoric of becoming as a distinct rhetorical expression that represents the convergence of a particular understanding of race, religion, and society, describe the experience of "nobodiness" as the multifaceted context from which a rhetoric of becoming emerges and finally demonstrate how both generations of Kings utilized this rhetorical expression to make progress towards transcending their circumstances and transforming the social, political and cultural landscape in America.
King's Prophetic Call for Guaranteed Income
N L Transou, University of Memphis
Abstract:
This study comparatively analyzes the strong ethos of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s prophetic discourse and solution for economic and racial inequalities: guaranteed income. Exploring two prophetic discourses with two different racial audiences, King exposes and addresses racial and economic disparities with the same religious rhetoric. Examining his prophetic discourses, namely "The Other America" and "Where Do We Go From Here," I argue that the substance of King's content and character, like that of the prophets of old, was not influenced by context. Drawing on Andre E. Johnson’s understanding of African American prophetic tradition, the analysis elucidates the consistency of King’s prophetic rhetoric despite the racial dynamics of his audience. First, King employs pessimistic prophecy to describe the plight of African Americans in both sacred speeches. Second, he utilizes mission oriented prophecy to call for conciliation and support of guaranteed income in each discourse. And lastly, King appropriates celebratory prophecy to close the two sacred speeches while offering hope and assurance.
Doing My Best to Give You an Amen: Black Preaching Rhetoric and Collaborative Grantwriting Practices
Abstract:
In this talk, I share one initial finding from my ongoing research into grantwriting from “below,” about how grassroots, radical, or Black-led food justice movements navigate a grants ecosystem not built for them. One longtime friend, mentor, and research collaborator of mine, Rev. Chris Battle, shows how he draws on and repurposes his 40 plus years working within the Black oral preaching tradition for his grants vision-casting and storytelling (a community literacy practice definitely unincluded in current grants scholarship). As I analyzed our interview transcripts, I uncovered many moments where I, because of lots of time spent together, not just in food justice spaces but also in church spaces, responded in our grantwriting conversations to his preaching rhetoric with appropriate call-and-response interjections, letting him know with an “Amen” or “Come on, Preacher,” when he was really on a roll with calling out food disparity in our community or casting a vision for holistic healing for the zip code. So, in this presentation, I wonder (more than conclusively argue) about the need for community-engaged literacy scholars to not just allow for or expect community members to draw on their home literacy practices in unexpected and creative ways, but for us to do the work to be ready to respond and collaborate in those practices ourselves, breaking down assumptions about the divides between oral vs. written literacy, or technical vs religious rhetoric.
10:30am-11:45am
Kelly Sauskojus, Clemson University
Abstract:
In this talk, I share one initial finding from my ongoing research into grantwriting from “below,” about how grassroots, radical, or Black-led food justice movements navigate a grants ecosystem not built for them. One longtime friend, mentor, and research collaborator of mine, Rev. Chris Battle, shows how he draws on and repurposes his 40 plus years working within the Black oral preaching tradition for his grants vision-casting and storytelling (a community literacy practice definitely unincluded in current grants scholarship). As I analyzed our interview transcripts, I uncovered many moments where I, because of lots of time spent together, not just in food justice spaces but also in church spaces, responded in our grantwriting conversations to his preaching rhetoric with appropriate call-and-response interjections, letting him know with an “Amen” or “Come on, Preacher,” when he was really on a roll with calling out food disparity in our community or casting a vision for holistic healing for the zip code. So, in this presentation, I wonder (more than conclusively argue) about the need for community-engaged literacy scholars to not just allow for or expect community members to draw on their home literacy practices in unexpected and creative ways, but for us to do the work to be ready to respond and collaborate in those practices ourselves, breaking down assumptions about the divides between oral vs. written literacy, or technical vs religious rhetoric.
10:30am-11:45am
Chair: Solomon Cochren, University of Memphis
James Baldwin and the Prophetic Tradition
Thomas M. Fuerst, Memphis Theological Seminary and First Church of Memphis
Abstract:
In The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin positions himself within what I call Prophetic Dialectical Tension, which articulates the ambiguities of belonging to a community while also experiencing exile for criticizing that same community. Herein, I argue that the first half of Baldwin’s autobiographical material in The Fire Next Time situates him not merely in the realm of the religious or even the Christian, but in the tradition of prophetic figures found in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the African American Prophetic Tradition. With masterful discursive navigation, he adopts the persona and generic constraints of these traditions to rhetorically identify with – indeed, belong to - his Black church readers. However, given the nature of prophetic rhetoric, he also subverts that audience’s rhetorical expectations and, thus, threatens his position in the community. He does this by breaking down the secular-sacred binaries and identifying as a secular prophet. The prophetic genre (and his use of spiritual autobiography) announces his membership in the Black church’s rhetorical community while, at the same time, guaranteeing his inevitable exile therefrom.
Civil Rights, Black Power, and Black Liberation
Josh Harper, Meridian Community College.
Abstract:
Black liberation is one that often times embodies the Civil Rights Movement (CRM) and the Black Power Movement (BPM). These two movements are often compared and contrasted by various notable scholars. The conclusion of their arguments is that the two movements were not vastly different. This is a problematic assumption that is inaccurate and incomplete. The CRM was predicated on assimilating with the white power structure. That is to say, its focus was to be accepted, unlike The Black Panther Party, which labored to be free and separate from the systemic vitriol. The two had polar opposite theological frameworks, thus producing two different outcomes of which only one was successful. The impetus behind the CRM was Christian doctrine, whereas the BPM-centered agency and autonomy provided more opportunities for black people and communities to be liberated.
"I Have Witnessed Too Much Hell Right Here": A Critical Rhetorical Analysis of Pastor Troy’s Vice Versa
Carl Frederick Hill, University of Memphis
Abstract:
Pastor Troy’s 2001 song titled Vice Versa is arguably a hip-hop masterpiece. This song creates a hypothetical inverse of what is understood as heaven and hell. To begin, Pastor Troy’s understanding of heaven and hell in his song is the eschatological eternity from a Christian perspective. Troy utilizes his lyrical genius to convey the difference between heaven and hell and the potential of the difference between the two to describe his reality. Troy’s verse shows an astute understanding of theology, Black Spirituality, prophetic rhetoric, philosophy, etc. His words constitute a rhetorical strategy to convey the complexities of the reality of suffering in light of the abstract or metaphysical concept of the afterlife. This paper seeks to analyze Troy’s verse in this song to further the understanding of Black Life and Black Theology. Further, this paper aims to read Troy’s controversial lyrics as prophetic resistance to hegemonic systems in society and the social constructs of the music industry.
12:00pm-1:00pm:
Special Guest: Elizabeth (Lizzie) Howard, Editor, Peter Lang Press
Dr. Elizabeth (Lizzie) Howard is the Acquisitions Editor for Media and Communication at Peter Lang. After obtaining degrees from Oxford University and Uppsala University (Sweden), she was awarded a PhD. from Cardiff University in 2020. She joined Peter Lang in 2023 and acquired titles in all areas of Communication, Journalism, Public Relations, and Media Studies.
1:30-2:45pm
Chair: Kyle Chitwood, University of Memphis
Rhetorical Analysis of Bishop Mariann Budde’s Inaugural Prayer Service Sermon.
Rhetorical Analysis of Bishop Mariann Budde’s Inaugural Prayer Service Sermon.
LaMont J. Johnson, Sr., Shaw University
Darius Benton, University of Houston-Downtown
Abstract:
The intersection of rhetoric, race, and religion is exemplified in the sermon delivered by Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde during the 2025 U.S. Inaugural Prayer Service. This paper will conduct a rhetorical analysis of her sermon, examining how religious discourse shapes public understanding of unity, democracy, and social justice. Employing frameworks from religious communication and homiletics, this study will interrogate how Bishop Budde’s sermon addresses racial and cultural perspectives within the broader sociopolitical landscape (Budde, 2025).
Religious rhetoric, particularly in homiletics, serves as both a means of persuasion and a moral compass for the faithful (Hogan, 2019). Bishop Budde’s sermon strategically employs scriptural allusions, ethical appeals, and prophetic voice to challenge divisions while calling for national unity. Her invocation of Jesus’ teachings on love and mercy (“love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”) underscores a theologically grounded argument for social cohesion beyond political affiliation.
Furthermore, from a racial and cultural perspective, Budde’s sermon resonates with the historical tradition of prophetic preaching in Black and liberation theologies, which critique systemic injustice while affirming human dignity (Mitchell, 2008). Her plea for mercy toward marginalized communities—immigrants, LGBTQ individuals, and laborers—aligns with the ethos of inclusive faith-based advocacy (Smith, 2021). This analysis will thus contribute to understanding how religious rhetoric negotiates the tensions between faith, racial justice, and civic responsibility in contemporary America.
Rhetorical Realism and the Dead End of the Prosperity Gospel.
Reginald Bell Jr., Monmouth College
Abstract:
In this presentation, I analyze Joel Osteen's rhetoric from the summer of 2020. Using Dana Cloud's Big Five Strategy—narrative, myth, affect, embodiment, and spectacle—I contend that Osteen aimed not to challenge the prevailing anti-black reality at local economic or state levels but rather to steer public discontent regarding George Floyd's death and the ensuing protests.
3:00pm-4:15pm
Harmonizing (and/or Polarizing) Voices: Exploring Rhetorical Acts through Various Musical Situations
Abstract:
Music is a rhetorical instrument – an overture to hail audiences and amplify meaningful discussions of decorum (or a well-crafted lack of decorum). This panel will explore three musical situations (Tinarwen’s “Elwan,” Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”) viewed through the rhetorical lens to display examples of how musical consumers critically engage music’s rhetorically generative potential.
Chair: Natonya Listach, Middle Tennessee State University
Panelists:
Natonya Listach, Middle Tennessee State University
Jason Mikel, University of Memphis
Rusty Woods, University of Memphis
4:30pm-5:45pm
Confronting Toxic Christianity: A Womanist Perspective
Abstract:
This panel brings together distinguished Womanist scholars to explore the concept of Toxic Christianity and its implications on individuals and communities, particularly from the perspective of Black women. The discussion will focus on identifying harmful practices, proposing solutions, and envisioning a more inclusive and compassionate faith community.
Panelists:
Annette D. Madlock, Independent Scholar
Dianna Watkins Dickerson, University of Memphis
Ayo Morton, Virginia State University
Kimberly P. Johnson, Tennessee State University
Kami J. Anderson, Independent Scholar
Madison "Mocha" Hunter, University of Memphis
Natonya Listach, Middle Tennessee State University
5:45pm-6:00pm-Closing Remarks
