Magnifying Religious Ideologies: A Critical Discourse Analysis on Christian Sermons

This study examined critically the selected Christian sermons using the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to uncover the discursive strategies, semantic features, and ideologies embedded in religious language. Anchored in Fairclough’s Three-Dimensional Framework, the analysis focused on fifteen sermons from five Christian churches in the Philippines, delivered between 2021 and 2023. Employing Longacre’s theory of hortatory discourse and Paul’s semantic categorization, the study revealed how sermons utilized apostolic authority, expert knowledge, and personal experience to establish credibility; presented moral and social problems to construct persuasive narratives; and employed motivational appeals, including fear, hope, and social proof. Semantically, the sermons blended traditional religious vocabulary with terms related to material, economic, and social realities, thereby shaping congregants' beliefs, behaviors, and perceptions of power and authority. The findings underscored how religious discourse both reflected and reinforced ideologies, serving as a vehicle for spiritual influence and sociocultural regulation.