Rev. Dr. Tracy Ross is the visionary and host of “Word and Witness: The Preaching Podcast,” the first digital-facing theological platform in the Howard University School of Divinity’s history. The inaugural initiative was developed under the $1.25 million Compelling Preaching Initiative grant awarded to the school by Lilly Endowment Inc. 

Preview a couple of the most recent episodes of the podcast intended to “elevate Black preaching,” while expanding “theological education beyond traditional models” and engaging “faith leaders and listeners in culturally relevant, theologically rich conversations,” per its host. 

Subscribe to the School of Divinity’s channel to catch every episode! 

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Episode Recap: 'Faith in Action: Advancing Advocacy, Theology, and Community Healing in Ministry' featuring Dr. Harold Dean Trulear

In this rich and reflective episode of "Word and Witness: The Preaching Podcast," host Rev. Dr. Tracy Ross engages Dr. Harold Dean Trulear, associate professor of applied theology and director of the Black Congregations Resource Center at Howard University School of Divinity. Together, they explore the prophetic heart of preaching, its formation, its imagination, and its sacred call.

Trulear reflects on his early preaching days, sharing how he used to ground himself in the words of Jeremiah 1 before stepping into the pulpit. As he humorously notes, “Now that I’m 70 years old, I can’t read that one anymore before I preach. I’m not young.” But age, he reminds us, doesn’t disqualify the calling. It deepens it.

With decades of wisdom, Trulear offers a powerful reframing of preaching. It is not just about giving direction but about creating an image of what could be.

“I’ve become convinced in the last 10 to 20 years that preaching is less about giving direction and more about painting a picture, more about setting a framework, giving people, stimulating imagination that leads to action, as opposed to telling people what to do.” ~Dr. Harold Dean Trulear

This conversation invites listeners to reimagine the sermon as a spiritual framework that activates faith, nurtures accountability, and breathes life into communities longing for healing and justice.