Teresa L. Fry Brown
- PhD, Iliff School of Theology and University of Denver, 1996
- MDiv, Iliff School of Theology, 1988
- MS, University of Central Missouri, 1975
- BS, University of Central Missouri, 1973
The Rev. Dr. Teresa L. Fry Brown is the Bandy Professor of Preaching, a chaired professorship created in 1986 with a gift from B. Jackson Bandy that is considered by many to be the country’s premier chair in homiletics. Fry Brown has taught at Candler since 1994, and in 2010, she became the first African American woman to attain the rank of full professor. She also served as the Director of Candler’s Black Church Studies program until 2015.
Fry Brown’s research interests include homiletics, womanism, womanist ethics, socio-cultural transformation, and African diaspora history focusing on African American spiritual values. In addition to five monographs and four books, she has written articles and chapters for over a dozen more, including Delivering the Sermon: Voice, Body and Animation in Proclamation (Fortress Press, 2008); Can A Sister Get a Little Help: Advice and Encouragement for Black Women in Ministry (Pilgrim Press, 2008); and Weary Throats and New Song: Black Women Proclaiming God’s Word (Abingdon Press, 2003).
A former speech pathologist, Fry Brown is ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church and currently serves as the denomination’s historiographer, executive director of research and scholarship, and editor of the AME Review. She currently serves as the vice chair of the AME General Officer's Council, and convened the inaugural AME Scholar's Convocation in 2018. She is a member of several scholarly guilds, including the Society for the Study of Black Religion; the Academy of Homiletics, where she currently serves as 2nd vice president; and the American Academy of Religion, where she is the co-chair on the Womanist Approaches to Society and Religion group.
In 2014, Candler students chose Fry Brown as “Faculty Person of the Year.”
Selected Publications
Books
African American History & Devotions: Readings and Activities for Individuals, Families, and Communities, Abingdon Press, 2018
Delivering the Sermon: Voice, Body, and Animation in Proclamation, Fortress Press, 2008
Can a Sistah Get a Little Help?: Advice and Encouragement for Black Women in Ministry, Pilgrim Press, 2008
African American History Month Devotions, Abingdon Press, 2006
Weary Throats and New Songs: Black Women Proclaiming God's Word, Abingdon Press, 2003
God Don't Like Ugly: African American Women Handing on Spiritual Values, Abingdon Press, 2000
Chapters and Articles
"Prophetic Truth Telling in a Time of Fatigue and Fragmentation," in Questions Preachers Ask, Westminster John Knox, 2017
"Reestablishing the Purpose and Power of the Preached Word through Black Church Studies," The Black Church Studies Reader, Palgrave Macmillan, January 01, 2016
"Matthew 15:1-11, 12-20, 21-28: Homiletic Strategy Entries," Feasting on the Gospels, Matthew vol 2, Westminster John Knox, December 09, 2013
"Opening Pandora's Box: Reflections on Sexuality for the Bible-Based Church," Doing Church: A Practical Guide for Ministry, New Seasons Press, January 01, 2010
"Poetic Persuasion: A Master Class on Speaking the Truth to Power," Our Sufficiency is of God: Essays on Preaching in Honor of Gardner C. Taylor, Mercer University Press, March 01, 2010
"Birthing A Sermon," Birthing the Sermon: Women Preachers on Creative Process, Chalice Press, January 01, 2001
"How Beautiful Are the Feet" Award, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, 2020
Emory Williams Distinguished Teaching Award, Emory University, 2017.
Faculty Person of the Year, Candler School of Theology, 2014
Lifetime Achievement Recognition Award, American Academy of Religion Black Religious Scholars Group
Candler Black Excellence: Teresa Fry Brown on Mentorship, March 12, 2021
Service of Word, King Week, Cannon Chapel, January 23, 2020
"Watch Night services hold significance for many metro Atlanta churches" - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 30, 2019
"'Do the work your soul must have': Honoring Katie Geneva Cannon" - The Presbyterian Outlook, February 4, 2019
Preaching at San Francisco Theological Seminary's Montgomery Chapel during Black History Month, February 23, 2018
Sermon: "Say A Word" - Alfred Street Baptist Church, September 16, 2018
A Conversation with Rev. Dr. Teresa Fry Brown, The African American Preaching Legacy Series, October 16, 2017
"Lessons From an Angry Preacher" - Service of Word and Table, Cannon Chapel, September 26, 2017
Ash Wednesday Sermon, Cannon Chapel, March 1, 2017
Candler Convocation, Cannon Chapel, August 25, 2016
Service of Word, Cannon Chapel, October 27, 2015
"Emanuel AME Church: the latest victim of violence against black churches," - Religion News Service, June 18, 2015
"On-the-Job Courage" - Prophetic Voices Centennial Academic Conference, Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, March 20, 2015
"Power and Paucity of 21st Century Preaching" - Candler Practical Ministry Webinars, November 11, 2014
"Did Obama's pastor preach hate?" - The Christian Science Monitor, March 28, 2008
Selected Courses
Introduction to Preaching
Preaching, Language, and Popular Culture
Contemporary Black Preaching
Black Church Studies Reflection Seminar
Transformative Voices
Women and Preaching
Prophetic Voices for a New Century