New Cohort Starting Summer 2025
Led by the Rev. Dr. Professor John Dickson, The Communicating Christ in Skeptical Times special topic cohort explores the challenges and opportunities of Christian leadership and ministry in our increasingly secular setting. Before coming to Wheaton, Dr. Dickson spent over two decades preaching, teaching, researching, writing, podcasting, pastoring, and media-ing in 'post-Christian' Australia. He brings all these loves together in three focused units, featuring a stellar cast of visiting professors and practitioners.
You can look forward to learning from practitioners such as...
Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing
British author and
public intellectual
Peter Wehner
Award-Wining Journalist and
Presidential Speechwriter
Topic 1 - The 'Communicating Jesus’ unit bridges two worlds—the study of the historical Jesus of the Gospels and the vital task of articulating the life, teaching, deeds, death, and resurrection of Jesus against a rising tide of doubt and antagonism toward the Christian Faith.
Topic 2 - The ‘Communicating in Public’ unit draws on the learnings of the prerequisite courses ‘Public Christianity for a Post-Christian World’ and ‘Communicating Jesus’ to provide an account of Christian verbal persuasion in skeptical times, whether in the pulpit or the public square. Students will submit their own speeches and sermons to detailed critique by leading Christian preachers and communicators.
Topic 3 - The ‘Communicating in the Media’ unit focuses on the theory and skills needed for Christian engagement in a variety of local and national media, including TV and radio interviews, writing opinion pieces for print and online outlets, podcasting, video presentations, and more. Students will have hands-on experience, guided by experienced journalists, podcasters, and documentary filmmakers. The emphasis is not on technical matters of media engagement—no previous media experience is needed—but on the communication skills required for the various formats.