Statement on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

The following statement, as presented by the Executive Committee, has been adopted by the Academy of Homiletics and its journal, Homiletic, beginning in January 2025:

Since our founding in 1965, the membership of the Academy of Homiletics has grown to be an ecumenical, global, and increasingly diverse body. As part of our continued growth and commitment to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) we encourage scholarship and teaching, inclusive membership, and organizational practices that embody and enact these values.

As a guild, we seek to create an institutional culture that intentionally welcomes, appreciates, respects, and celebrates differences in things that include, but are not limited to, language, race, ethnicity, culture, color, gender identities, sexuality, ability, age, national origin, and theology. This commitment deepens our scholarship and welcomes the respectful contributions of all our members. The Academy of Homiletics confronts scholarship or practices that exclude or deny the inherent worth and dignity of anyone, particularly underrepresented and minoritized perspectives and people. Similarly, we attend to the issues of power, status, and privilege in ways that promote equity. The witness of both the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament testifies to a God who delights in the diversity of the world and calls everyone to expand who we recognize as neighbor in the human and other-than-human family.

In our organizational practices, we commit to transparency and honesty, recognizing that these values help create an inclusive environment that supports mutual flourishing.

We acknowledge that this statement is living and growing as our understanding and practices evolve over time.