Cultivating Cognitive Virtues Through Prophetic Humour: A Homiletic Strategy for Critical Engagement in Politically Fraught Times

In an era marked by political polarization and competing narratives of truth, this paper examines how humour in prophetic preaching cultivates cognitive virtues essential for critical engagement with unjust systems. In this paper I argue that Jesus’ use of hyperbole, irony, and satire in the Synoptic Gospels models cognitive virtues such as pattern recognition, error detection, and intellectual humility—skills that empower congregants to interrogate dominant narratives and envision transformative alternatives. Integrating Walter Brueggemann’s prophetic imagination and Steven Gimbel’s Cleverness Theory, this study demonstrates how humour disrupts oppressive ideologies and equips communities to evaluate political rhetoric and misinformation. Addressing the AAR’s 2025 theme of “Freedom,” this work offers a homiletic method grounded in biblical exegesis, positioning humour as a pedagogical tool for fostering cognitive agility and resistance to authoritarian epistemologies.