Rev. Dr. Alise Barrymore serves as Lead Pastor of The Emmaus Community in Chicago, Illinois. Rev. Dr. Barrymore’s area of study arises from the intersection of three conversation partners:
- Deductive-narrative – celebratory foci of the “New Homiletic”
- Conversational ethic, which is distinctive in the “radical postmodern” school of homiletical theory
- Womanist theologies of the historic Black Church
Alise seeks to expand the importance of Black preaching beyond the boundaries of racial homogeneity into the pews of the uttermost parts of the global, multi-ethnic church. As a result, the goal of her dissertation is to offer a methodology of preaching that takes seriously the rhetorical strategies of the African American [Pentecostal] preaching tradition to that end that such proclamation will facilitate the creation of postmodern, multi-ethnic congregations. Her dissertation will include a deep reading of the Divided by Faith Trilogy in conversation with Reconciliation Theories. The end result will be the proposal of a homiletic that prioritizes Black preaching for non-Black hearers.
She chose CTS because of the opportunity to learn in a cohort setting—one that was both shaped by the visionary leadership of Dr. Frank A. Thomas and complemented by a diverse teaching faculty. Having been a practitioner for decades, she desired an environment that was theologically diverse, intellectually rigorous and that honored the rhythms of congregational life.
Some of Alise’s recent achievements include:
- Being named Honoree, The Chicago Defender, Women of Excellence (2021)
- Serving as a Guest Lecturer at “Purplish: A Womanist Pedagogy of Preaching” (2021)
- Presenting at the Academy of Homiletics, Rhetoric Group, “A Close Reading of ‘Receive Ye the Holy Ghost’ by William J. Seymour (2017)
- Receiving the John Randall Hunt Prize For Outstanding Doctor of Ministry Thesis, McCormick Theological Seminary (2010)
- Developing her Thesis Project – “Authenticity and Relevance in a Postmodern Context: A Conversation Between the Black Church and the Emerging Church”
- Serving as a contributor of “More Than ‘Just Us:’ Justice in African American Churches in a Post-Civil Rights Era” The Justice Project, Baker Books (2009)
