Being public speeches, sermons always act within the cultural and political contexts and frameworks of their time. Like under a magnifying glass, they grant insight into the complex relationship between the Christian religion and the political sphere. The articles in this volume focus on the changes that this relationship has undergone from the time of Charlemagne to the present day. Research in sermon-history is thereby understood as a decidedly interdisciplinary project. Just as sermons always go beyond the purely internal religious matters, research on sermons requires a multi-perspective approach: theology and political science, historical, literary and social studies can each assert their own interests and their own approaches to the phenomenon of sermon.