With the ongoing development of critical biblical studies, exegesis has become an academic discipline that often stands quite apart from the weekly homiletical work of the clergy. The two endeavors, interpretation and proclamation, which at one time were mutually informed and supportive, are now practically divided by divergent methods, interests, and goals. Narrative Reading, Narrative Preaching provides an exegetical and homiletical approach that seeks to break down these barriers.

The opening chapter charts a model for bridging this gap, setting down the framework for a narrative approach to reading and preaching the Bible that is "ecclesially located, theologically fashioned, and critically engaged." In an innovative and practical approach, the authors of the remaining chapters elaborate on the scope and value of narrative reading and preaching. Successive exegetical discussions consider the issues involved in interpreting the Gospels and Acts, the Epistles, and the Book of Revelation. Each exegetical chapter includes an exemplary reading by a New Testament scholar and is followed by a homiletical reflection that considers the exegesis from a preacher’s perspective and provides a sample sermon on the passage.

Seminarians, pastors, and students of the Bible will find here an engaging study that provides practical guidance for both exegesis and sermon preparation.

Timid topical preachers can now be confident preachers of the biblical narrative. The gulf between the academic specialist in biblical studies and the parish minister pushed to prepare a weekly sermon no longer exists. Teachers of homiletics and teachers of hermeneutics are now on the same page. Narrative Reading, Narrative Preaching illustrates narrative elasticity in proclaiming the coherence of God’s story from Genesis to Revelation. Such an achievement is a happy and welcome relief for the academy and the pulpit.–J. Alfred Smith Sr., senior pastor, Allen Temple Baptist Church

Stocked with ideas drawn from across the centuries-from Augustine to the Yale theologians-this book is a thoughtful and sophisticated contribution to narrative hermeneutics. The give-and-take between biblical scholars and homileticians is most rewarding.–Thomas G. Long, Bandy Professor of Preaching, Candler School of Theology, Emory University