Curriculum Vitae


Campus Education
Breaker
1992 Ph.D. Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA In co-operation with University of California, Berkeley Comprehensive Exams passed with Distinction Homiletics
1982 M.Div. Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton, New Jersey.
1976 B.A. Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.
Graduated with honors. Speech Communication.


Professional Experience Breaker
2002-2009 Dean of the Seminary and Vice President for Academic Affairs, San Francisco Theological Seminary
1999-present

Professor of Homiletics and Speech-Communication, San Francisco Theological Seminary

Courses taught include:

  • Introduction to Homiletics 
  • Performance Studies and Preaching
  • Preaching as Theatre
  • Preaching the Gospel of Mark
  • Advanced Homiletical Theory
  • Reformed Worship
  • Fundamentals of Speech
  • Oral Interpretation
1993-1999 Associate Professor, Homiletics and Speech-Communication
San Francisco Theological Seminary
1993-1994 Acting Dean and Associate Professor, Homiletics and Speech- Communication,
San Francisco Theological Seminary.
1987-1993 Assistant Professor, Speech-Communication and Homiletics,
San Francisco Theological Seminary.
1985-1987 Instructor in Speech and Homiletics,
San Francisco Theological Seminary.
1982-1985 Assistant Pastor,
Pluckemin Presbyterian Church, Pluckemin, NJ.
1982-1985 Adjunct Faculty in Speech and Preaching
Princeton Theological Seminary
1981 Intern Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church, Wichita, Kansas
1978-1979 Director of Concerts, Three J's East Management, Princeton, NJ
1977-1978 Director of Public Affairs, WPOW Radio, New York, NY


Ordination
Breaker
Ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament, June 4, 1982 Elizabeth Presbytery, The United Presbyterian Church

Publications
Breaker

Books Authored and Edited

New Interpreter’s Handbook of Preaching, Associate Editor. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2008

Performance in Preaching: Bringing the Sermon to Life, Co-editor with Clay Schmit. Grand Rapids,
            Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008

Purpose of Preaching, Editor. St. Louis:  Chalice Press, 2004

Birthing the Sermon: Women Preachers on Creative Process, Editor. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001

Performing the Word: Preaching as Theatre. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998

Women’s Preaching Annual Series I, Volume 3, Co-editor with Lucy Rose. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998

Women’s Preaching Annual Series I, Volume 2, Co-editor with Lucy Rose. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997

Women’s Preaching Annual Series I, Volume 1, Co-editor with Lucy Rose. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996

Articles, Chapters, and Sermons

“It Takes A Cloud” in Reclaiming the Imagination: The Exodus as Paradigmatic Narrative for Preaching. David
          Fleer and Dave Bland, eds. (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2009).

“Finding the Power to Preach When You’re Exhausted” in Best Advice for Pastors and Preachers.
          William J. Carl III, ed. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2009).

“Introduction to Part 6: The Preacher’s Performance”; “The Preacher’s Creative Process”; “The Use of the Pulpit”;
          and “Weekly Sermon Preparation Using the Handbook of Preaching” in New Interpreter’s Bible Handbook
          of Preaching. Paul Scott Wilson, ed. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2008).

“The Preacher’s Creative Process: Reaching the Well” in Performance in Preaching: Bringing the
            Sermon to Life. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008).

“Fins on the Left, Fins on the right: Reading Context in Seminaries” in C(H)AOS THEORY: A
            Handbook for Chief Academic Officers. Kadi Billman and Bruce Birch, eds. (Pittsburgh:
            Association of Theological Schools, 2008).

“Seeing Jesus: Preaching as Incarnational Act” in Purposes of Preaching. Jana Childers, ed.
            (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2004).

"Preaching as Incarnational Act," The Pastor's Guide to Effective Preaching, (Kansas City, MO: 
            Beacon Hill, 2003) 133-143.

“Wanting the Best: Wayne Shaw and the Academy of Homiletics,” Preaching Through Tears:
            Essays in Honor of Wayne Shaw, ed. John D. Webb and Joseph D. Grana II,
            (Lincoln, IL: Lincoln Christian College, 2000) 19-23.

“Lectionary Messages,” The Minister’s Manual 2001, ed. James W. Cox (San Francisco: Jossey-
            Bass, 2000.) 185-187, 191-192, 196-198, 201-203,

“With Both Ears Tingling,” Patterns of Preaching: A Sermon Sampler, ed. Ronald J. Allen     
            (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 1998) 117-123.

“The Future of the Church,” The American Organist, Vol 29, No.10, Oct.1995, 38-42.

“P.T. Forsyth,” The Concise Encyclopedia of Preaching, ed. Richard Lischer and William Willimon
            (Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993.)

“One Stone Upon Another,” Blessed Is She: Sermons by Women. ed. David Farmer and Edwina Hunter
            (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1990)

Selected Articles on Lectionary Texts

Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary,
Year A, Volume 3,  David Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, eds.
            (Louisville: Westminster John Knox 2010)
            Homiletical Perspective, Day of Pentecost
            Homiletical Perspective, Trinity Sunday
            Homiletical Perspective, Proper 3

Lectionary Homiletic, David Howell, ed.(Midlothian, VA)
            Preaching the Lesson, Sundays in February, 2011
            Preaching the Lesson, Sundays in June, 2003
            Preaching the Lesson, Sundays in February, 2001.
            Preaching the Lesson, Sundays in October, 2000.
            Preaching the Lesson, Sundays in February, 2000.
            Preaching the Lesson, Sundays in May, 1999.
            Preaching the Lesson, Sundays in August, 1996.

Word and Witness, Paul Scott Wilson, ed.(New Berlin, WI: Liturgical Press)
            Lectionary Passages, December 21, 1997
            Lectionary Passages, July 1, 1991
            Lectionary Passages, January 14, 1990
            Lectionary Passages, November 11, 1990
            Lectionary Passages, July 6, 1986


Selected Church Magazine Articles

“Our Best Thoughts” Outlook (Vol. 192, No.8) September 6, 2010
“Clumsiness” Outlook (Vol. 192, No. 7) April 5, 2010
“From Med School Atheism to Faith” Outlook (Vol. 191, No.38) November 16, 2009
“Beloved Browne Barr,” Outlook (Vol. 191, No.28) August 17/24, 2009
“Anomie,” Outlook (Vol. 191, No. 17) May 18, 2009
“Of Weather and Worship,” Outlook (Vol. 191, No.6) February 23, 2009
“Gratitude and Attitude,” Outlook (Vol. 190, No.39) November 24, 2008
“Finding the Preacher’s Voice,” Outlook (Vol.190, No.28) September 1, 2008
“A Guiding Hand,” Outlook (Vol. 190, No.17) May 19, 2008
“Getting Too Far from Luke” Outlook (Vol. 190, No.6) February 25, 2008
"Prayer Changes Things," Thirty Good Minutes Program Guide, September, 2003, 1-2.
"It Doth Not Yet Appear," Covenant Connection, Vol. 5, No. 1, April, 2002, 6-7.
“The City” The Living Pulpit, Vol. II, No. 2, April-June, 2002, 37.


Television Performances

“The Kyphotic Woman,” A Sermon preached on Thirty Good Minutes (The Chicago Sunday
            Evening Club, Chicago, IL) WTTW, Channel 11, February, 2005.

"Simplicity," Three Meditations on America at Worship, (Faith and Values Media, The Hallmark
            Channel, December 2002

"Saying Grace,” A Sermon preached on Thirty Good Minutes (The Chicago Sunday Evening Club,
            Chicago, IL)  The Odyssey Channel,  March 1, 2001.

“With Both Ears Tingling,” A Sermon preached on Great Preachers (Odyssey Productions and the
            National Interfaith Cable Coalition, co-producers) The Odyssey Channel, April 11, 2000.

“A Shameless Path”, A Sermon preached on Thirty Good Minutes (The Chicago Sunday Evening
            Club: Chicago, IL) The  Odyssey Channel, 1999.
Professional Associations And Activities
Breaker
1985-present

Academy of Homiletics
     President 2010-2011
     Executive Committee 1993-2007; 2008-present
     Treasurer 1993-2007
1985-present Society of Biblical Literature
      Member
1997-2002

Associate Editor, Journal of Communication and Religion
     Publication of the Religious Speech Communication Association
2000-2003 Editorial Board, Word and Witness
     Published by Liturgical Press (New Berlin: Wisconsin)
1985-present

Religious Communication Association.
     Chairperson: Oral Interpretation and Theater 1990-1992
     Vice-Chairperson: Oral Interpretation and Theater 1989-1990


Community Activities
Breaker
1996-2002 Co-host, “Mosaic” television program, KPIX-TV, San Francisco.
1994-present Co-host, Marin Women’s Hall of Fame broadcast, Marin Access Cable TV.
1995-1997 Marin Abused Women's Services, Public Relations.


Professional Association Presentations
Breaker
October 1992         “Spirituality and Worship,” The First International Consultation on Practical
Theology, Jung-Ju City, Jeonla Buk Do, Korea.
December 1989 “Berries Red,” a one-woman play, presented at the Academy of Homiletics Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
December 1989 “Preaching as Theology and Theatre”, presented at the Academy of Homiletics Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
November 1988 “Berries Red,” a one-woman play, presented at the Speech Communication Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.


Selected Lectures And Sermons
Breaker
2011 Kaleidescope Conference on Stewardship, Keynote Speaker Phoenix, Arizona
2010 Bast Lectures in Preaching, Western Theological Seminary, Holland MI
2010 Proclaiming the Text Conference Preacher, Montreat Conference Center, North Carolina
2009 Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts (FUMMWA) Annual Conference Preacher
2009 Wardlaw Lectures in Preaching, Association of Chicago Theological Schools
2009 Han Yang University, Seoul, Korea 70th Anniversary Symposium, Keynote Speaker "Love in Truth and in Deed"
2008 University of Auckland, New Zealand School of Theology, Lecture "The Preacher's Creative Process"
2008 Hanshin Presbyterian Church Conference for Pastors, Keynote Speaker Three lectures on hermeneutics and preaching
2008 Sydney, Australia, Education for Life and Ministry Center Conference, Keynote Speaker; Two lectures on preaching and performance
2008 Melbourne, Australia, Centre for Theology and Ministry Conference Keynote Speaker; Three lectures on women in ministry
2006 The Donald Macleod Lectures in Preaching, Princeton Theological Seminary
2006 Ocean Grove Association, The Great Auditorium, Preacher. Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
2006 Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, TX Conference on Preaching, Keynote Speaker.
2005 The T.J. and Inez Raney Preaching Series, Little Rock, Arkansas.
2005 Exodus or Exile Conference on Preaching, Salt Lake City, Keynote Speaker.
2004 The Leslie R. Smith Lectures in Preaching, Lexington Theological Seminary Lexington, Kentucky.
2004 Center of Theological Inquiry, Cape Town, South Africa
2003 Barton College, Wilson, NC, Sprinkle Lectures in Preaching, Keynote Speaker
2003 Festival of Homiletics, Atlanta, GA, Keynote Speaker and Preacher
2002 The Goodson Academy of Preaching, Blackstone, VA, Conference of United Methodists, Keynote Speaker
2002 Ocean Grove Association, The Great Auditorium, Preacher. Ocean Grove, New Jersey
2002 Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York, NY. Preacher
2001 Princeton Theological Seminary, Conference on Preaching, Preacher and Speaker
2001 Phillips Theological Seminary, Annual Pastors' Conference, Keynote Speaker and Preacher.
2001 Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, Bangor, PA. Conference Keynote Speaker
2001 Festival of Homiletics, Washington, D.C. Keynote Speaker and Preacher
2000 Western National Leadership Conference, Jackson Hole, WY, Preacher

The above is a brief sample of recent lectures and presentations. A complete list is available in the Dean's Office, San Francisco Theological Seminary.
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