An Ethics of Dust
Luke A. Powery

Rev. Dr. Luke Powery dives into the issues of race through a theology of dust, challenging listeners to think beyond our racial identities and acknowledge our need for one another.

The Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery is the Dean of Duke University Chapel and Professor of Homiletics and African and African American Studies. He holds faculty appointments in Duke’s Divinity School and the Department of African and African American Studies in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. A national leader in the theological study of the art of preaching (homiletics), Dean Powery regularly delivers sermons at Duke Chapel as well as churches throughout the United States and abroad. He is often a keynote speaker and lecturer at educational institutions, conferences, symposia, and retreats.  


Dean Powery was ordained by the Progressive National Baptist Convention and has served in an ecumenical capacity in churches throughout Switzerland, Canada, and the United States. He is a member of the Academy of Homiletics, for which he has served as Secretary; the American Academy of Religion; the Society for the Study of Black Religion; the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality; and the Association for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Life in Higher Education. He served as a member of the executive lectionary team for The African-American Lectionary and is the recipient of numerous scholastic fellowships and awards.
More About the Speaker

  • Discussion Guides

    These discussion guides are designed to help small groups, Sunday school classes, Bible studies, and individuals engage the content of each TheoEd Talk more deeply. 


    Click Here to Download

The Silence of God

By Cole Arthur Riley • November 9, 2024
In this talk, Cole explores how individuals can maintain their faith in a seemingly silent God, particularly in times of suffering and distress. Cole delves into the complex relationship between trauma and spirituality. Cole suggests that, rather than losing belief, individuals can engage in practices that foster a deeper presence to both themselves and the world around them, even in the absence of clear signs of God’s presence.

Inheriting Trauma

By Dr. Moshe Szyf • November 9, 2024
Dr. Szyf delves into the fascinating science of epigenetics and its profound implications for understanding intergenerational trauma. Epigenetics refers to how environmental factors—such as stress, trauma, and life experiences—can influence gene expression without changing the DNA sequence itself. This talk explains how trauma experienced by one generation can leave biological marks on the genes, which may then be passed down to subsequent generations.

The Fourth Temptation

By Reginald Sharpe, Jr. • November 9, 2024
Rev. Sharpe explores the challenge of overcoming the pressure to please others and the inner conflict that arises when the desire to gain approval occasionally wins. He acknowledges that the need for external validation is a natural part of the human experience, but it emphasizes the importance of not allowing that desire to dictate one’s life decisions or self-worth.
More Talks
Share by: