EDITOR S FOREWORD<br > Preaching has captured the attention of increasingly large<br >segments of the American public. Lay parish committees seeking<br >pastoral leadership consistently rank preaching as the most desirable<br >pastoral skill. Seminary courses and clergy conferences on preaching<br >attract participants in larger numbers than ever. Millions of viewers<br >watch television preachers every week.<br > What is good preaching? is the question of both those who hear it<br >and those who do it. Hearers answer that question instinctively，<br >tuning in the preacher who meets their needs， whether in the pulpit<br >of the neighborhood church or on a broadcast. Preachers need to<br >answer more intentionally.<br > Time was that a good thick book on preaching would do it， or a<br >miscellaneous smattering of thin ones. The time now seems ripe for<br >a different kind of resource---a carefully conceived， tightly edited<br >series of books whose scope covers the homiletical spectrum and<br >whose individual volumes reveal the latest and best thinking about<br >each specialty within the field of preaching. The volumes in the<br >Abingdon Preacher s Library enable the preacher to understand<br >preaching in its historical setting; to examine its biblical and<br >theological underpinnings; to explore its spiritual， relational， and<br >liturgical dimensions; and to develop insights into its craftsmanship.<br > Designed primarily for use in the seminary classroom， this series<br >