Includes bibliographical references.

Sect. I. Preaching as a Christian practice -- Ch. 1. A new focus for teaching preaching / Thomas G. Long -- Ch. 2. Why the idea of practice matters / James Nieman -- Ch. 3. Teaching preaching as a Christian practice / David J. Lose -- Sect. II. The components of the practice of preaching -- Ch. 4. Interpreting texts for preaching / James W. Thompson -- Ch. 5. Exegeting the congregation / Leonora Tubbs Tisdale -- Ch. 6. Interpreting the larger social context / James Henry Harris -- Ch. 7. The use of language / Teresa Fry Brown -- Ch. 8. The preaching imagination / Anna Carter Florence -- Ch. 9. Creation of form / Lucy Hogan -- Ch. 10. Cultivating historical vision / Joseph R. Jeter, Jr. -- Ch. 11. Voice and diction / Teresa Fry Brown -- Sect. III. Assessment and formation -- Ch. 12. Marks of faithful preaching practice / Paul Scott Wilson -- Ch. 13. Methods of assessment / Daniel E. Harris -- Sect. IV. Preaching in the curriculum -- Ch. 14. Designing the introductory course in preaching / Barbara K. Lundblad -- Ch. 15. Finding support from school, denomination, and academy / Gregory Heille.

"Preaching's most able practitioners gather in this book to call for a radical change in how Christian preaching is taught. Arguing that preaching is a living practice with a long tradition, an identifiable shape, and a broad set of norms and desired outcomes, these scholars propose that teachers initiate their students into the larger practice of preaching - the habits of mind, patterns of action, and ways of being that are integral to the ministry of preaching. The book concludes with designs for a basic preaching course and addresses the question of how preaching courses fit into the larger patterns of seminary curricula."--BOOK JACKET.