Dr. Thomas Grier Long is the Bandy Professor of Preaching at Candler School of Theology

Candler School of Theology

Candler School of Theology, Emory University, is one of 13 seminaries of the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1914, the school was named after Warren Akin Candler, a former President and Chancellor of Emory University and a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South...

 at Emory University

Emory University

Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...

 in Atlanta, Georgia. He received his BA degree from Erskine College

Erskine College

Erskine College is a four year, Christian liberal arts college located in Due West, South Carolina.-Early history:Established in 1839 by the Associate Reformed Synod of the South as an academy for men, Erskine College became the first four year, church-related college in South Carolina...

 in 1968, the Master of Divinity

Master of Divinity

In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...

 from Erskine Theological Seminary

Erskine Theological Seminary

Erskine Theological Seminary is an institution of graduate theological and pastoral education. The Seminary is based in Due West, South Carolina, United States, and also offers classes at four extension sites in the region: Augusta, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina and...

 in 1971, and the Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary

Princeton Theological Seminary

Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...

 in 1980. He began his career as a preacher at McElroy Memorial Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

McElroy Memorial A. R. Presbyterian, Chamblee, Georgia

McElroy Memorial Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church was organized June 3, 1953. It was formerly Candler Road Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, organized February 13, 1949. The building, now for sale, stands at 3593 Clairmont Road, Chamblee, Georgia, United States, in DeKalb County. The...

 near Atlanta, Georgia and since that time has taught at a number of seminaries, including Erskine

Erskine Theological Seminary

Erskine Theological Seminary is an institution of graduate theological and pastoral education. The Seminary is based in Due West, South Carolina, United States, and also offers classes at four extension sites in the region: Augusta, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina and...

, Columbia

Columbia Theological Seminary

Columbia Theological Seminary is one of the ten theological institutions affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . It is located in Decatur, Georgia. Dr. Stephen A. Hayner is the seminary's president.-Description:...

, Princeton

Princeton Theological Seminary

Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...

, and Candler

Candler School of Theology

Candler School of Theology, Emory University, is one of 13 seminaries of the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1914, the school was named after Warren Akin Candler, a former President and Chancellor of Emory University and a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South...

.

In 1996, Dr. Long was named one of the twelve most effective preachers in the English speaking world by Baylor University

Baylor University

Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...

, along with the likes of Fred Craddock

Fred Craddock

Fred Craddock is the Bandy Distinguished Professor of Preaching and New Testament, Emeritus, in the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He is an ordained minister of the Christian Church from rural Tennessee. He is the director of the Craddock Center, a non-profit service group which...

, Billy Graham

Billy Graham

William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...

, James Forbes

James A. Forbes

James Alexander Forbes, Jr. is the Senior Minister Emeritus of the Riverside Church, an interdenominational church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. He was the first African American minister to lead this multicultural congregation, and served it for 18 years.- Early life and...

, Barbara Brown Taylor

Barbara Brown Taylor

Barbara Brown Taylor is an American Episcopal priest, professor, and theologian and is one of the United States' best known preachers....

 and William Willimon. He was ordained in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church as it exists today is the remnant of a small denomination, which was formed from the Synod of the South, a division of the Associate Reformed Church...

 and currently a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA)

Presbyterian Church (USA)

The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...

.

Dr. Long's field is in Homiletics

Homiletics

Homiletics , in theology the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific department of public preaching. The one who practices or studies homiletics is called a homilist....

and is a strong proponent of the two pillars of preaching: strong exegetical work held alongside with strong presentation skills. Preaching magazine named his Witness of Preaching one of the 25 most influential books on preaching in the past 25 years. A standard textbook in seminary and undergraduate preaching courses, the book advocates exegetical method seeking to discern a claim from the text to provide clarity of focus and function in sermons.

Books and Publications

• Accompanying Them With Singing: The Christian Funeral (2009), ISBN 978-0664233198
• The Witness of Preaching, Second Edition (2005), ISBN 0664229433, ISBN 978-0664229436
• Testimony: Talking Ourselves into Being Christian (2004), ISBN 0787968323, ISBN 978-0787968328
• Beyond the Worship Wars: Building Vital and Faithful Worship (2001)
• Hebrews (Interpretation) (1997) ISBN 978-0804231336
• Preaching and the Literary Forms of the Bible (1989) ISBN 0800623134