Fourth Cohort of Historic PhD Program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric Announced
From left: Rev. Dr. Brigitte Franklin, Rev. Luis Gierbolini, Rev. Dr. Mary Whitley Moss, Dr. Nick Peterson, Dr. Courtney V. Buggs, Rev. Leah J. Burgess, and Rev. Dr. Melaine Rochford.
Director of the program Rev. Courtney V. Buggs, PhD, shares, “We are excited to welcome five new students to Cohort 4 of the PhD program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric. Our new students come from across the country and bring energy, curiosity, and eagerness as they engage doctoral studies. I am particularly looking forward to their explorations of preaching from differing angles of entry such as poetics and Afro-Latino expressions, as well as continuing the program tradition of research on understudied Africana transformative preaching voices.”
The celebrated leaders selected to Cohort 4 are Rev. Dr. Brigitte Franklin of Englewood, OH; Rev. Dr. Melaine Rochford of Brooklyn, N; Rev. Dr. Mary Whitley Moss of Baton Rouge, LA; Rev. Leah J. Burgess of Prince George’s County, MD; and Rev. Luis Gierbolini of Lafayette, IN.
Accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in 2016, the PhD program welcomed its first three cohorts of students in 2017, 2020, and 2023. The program aims to develop practitioner-scholars connected to the church and the academy with critical awareness of the history of African American preaching and other forms of sacred rhetoric in the United States, the theologies informing this history and practice, the signature skills involved in the practice of African American preaching and sacred rhetoric, and the gifts these traditions can offer the wider, global church. Students complete their studies in a cohort format with an initial focus on course work followed by comprehensive exams and culminating with a written dissertation.
The PhD program grew out of the visionary leadership of its founding director Rev. Frank A. Thomas, PhD, the Nettie Sweeney and Hugh Th. Miller Professor of Homiletics at Christian Theological Seminary and was established with the unwavering support of the Christian Theological Seminary Faculty and Board of Trustees. Rev. Courtney V. Buggs, PhD, serves as Director of the program and Assistant Professor of Homiletics at CTS. Rev. R. Nick Peterson, PhD, is Assistant Director of the program and Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Worship at CTS. Administrative and clerical support is provided by Program Coordinator Rose Arant.
More information about the PhD program, including how to apply, can be found on its website: www.cts.edu/phd-program
Christian Theological Seminary (CTS) is a fully accredited ecumenical graduate school open to all with historic roots in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ. CTS offers masters and doctoral degree programs through its School of Theology and School of Counseling, accessible mental health services through the Counseling Center, and collaboration to address systemic social justice issues through the Faith & Action Project.
Stephanie Seeger
Christian Theological Seminary
(317) 931-4437
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