I Heard the Preaching of the Elder: A Discussion with Tyshawn Gardner

In today’s episode, Claire is joined by Tyshawn Gardner to discuss his Baylor University Press book I Heard the Preaching of the Elder. Kelly Miller Smith, Sr. is noted as preacher extraordinaire,civil rights leader, theology professor and assistant dean, and pastor. Born and raised in the all-Black town of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, Smith stands apart as one of only twelve African Americans to deliver the distinguished Lyman Beecher Lectures at Yale University and was recognized by Jetmagazine as one of the most prolific preachers of the twentieth century. In I Heard the Preaching of the Elder, Tyshawn Gardner examines Smith’s ethical development, preaching, and ministry as one of America’s most distinguished leaders and one of Christianity’s most effective gospel proclaimers. Gardner provides an in-depth analysis of the understudiedprofile of this pastor-activist to present Smith as a unique leader who leveraged three platforms in shepherding a city to overcome its racially unjust past. Smith’s platforms as preaching pastor of First Baptist Church, CapitolHill (Nashville), professor and assistant dean at Vanderbilt Divinity School, and local champion of civil rights proved a rare combination and marked him as one of the nation’s most admired leaders. Smith’s ability as strategist and organizer is only eclipsed by his skillful ability to bring the Word of God tobear on social crises as a herald of the good news. I Heard the Preaching of the Elder provides valuable insights for a new cadre of contemporary women and men emerging as Christian leaders as they prepare to carry the message of Christ from the sanctuary to the street. Gardner’s masterful narrative celebrates Smith and his distinctive preaching model, which bears striking similarities to the political and civic rhetoric of the ancient Greco-Roman rhetoricians. The homiletical innovations of Smith have broader reach and implications than the concerns of the Black church—they are contributions to the preaching task of the whole church. Tyshawn Gardner currently serves as associate professor of Preaching and holder of the David E. Garland Endowed Chair in Preaching at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, where he teaches Preaching I, Preaching During the Civil Rights Era, and courses in the PhD in Preaching program. Dr. Gardner is an ordained Baptist minister and a seasoned pastor withover twenty years of pastoral experience. His research interests include Christian preaching, Kelly Miller Smith, Sr., social crisis and prophetic preaching, and the African American preaching tradition. Dr. Gardner is a decorated veteran of the U.S. Navy and served in both Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-60). He has published two books, Sacred Anthropology: Prophetic Radicalism for Pulpit and Pew with Fortress Press (2022), and Social Crisis Preaching: Biblical Proclamation for Troubling Times with B&H Academic (2023) which wasnamed Book of the Year by Preaching Magazine in 2024.    Prior to his appointment at Truett Seminary, Dr. Gardnerserved as associate professor and director of the Preministerial Scholars Program at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, as Senior Pastor of Plum Grove Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as Vice President for StudentAffairs at Stillman College (2019-2022), and as the President of the Tuscaloosa Chapter of the SCLC from 2016-2019. Dr. Gardner received a BA in Business Administration from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa and MDiv from Beeson Divinity School at Samford University, in Birmingham, where the Dean and faculty selected him as the Most Distinguished Student in 2014.  Dr. Gardner served as a teaching assistant for the renowned homiletician Robert Smith, Jr. while matriculating at Beeson Divinity School. He earned the ThM and PhD in Christian Preaching with distinction from the Southern BaptistTheological Seminary in Louisville, KY.