Co-preaching : The Practice of Preaching in Digital Culture and Spaces

Abstract: The purposes of this article-based thesis are to explore and understand preaching as a practice in general,and the practice of preaching in digital culture and spaces in particular. Informed by the practicetheory of Theodore Schatzki, it presents the results of a cross-case analysis of four di!erent case studiesof the practice of preaching in digital culture and spaces in Swedish protestant churches. Based on theanalysis, I argue that the deep relationality of the practice of preaching involves not just humans andtexts but also material arrangements and that this feature often is ampli"ed in digital culture and spaces.While there were examples of a decrease, overall, there was an increase in interaction, negotiation, andinterdependency. In light of this, I contend that the practice of preaching in digital culture and spacesis characterized by co-preaching. Moreover, I argue that some of the implications of co-preaching arethe enabling and encouragement of dialogue, imagination, and the priestly function of the priesthoodof all believers, but also an increased vulnerability for the co-preachers involved.