Fulfilled in Our Hearing: History and Method of Christian Preaching

"Preaching is the gifted expression of God's saving power inside human language," writes Guerric DeBona. Now, with this groundbreaking book, he presents an overview and synthesis of the history of preaching from a Catholic perspective. He identifies the major movements and historical currents in preaching that have occurred in the Christian era and places these developments in context. Fr. DeBona offers special emphasis on the emergence of the "new homiletic" in the twentieth century and examines in detail the inductive methods of preaching. Then he covers liturgical preaching, drawing from the USCCB's influential document Fulfilled in Your Hearing; multicultural preaching, with an emphasis on African-American and Hispanic preaching; and contemporary preaching, which looks at the theoretical issues at stake in "postmodernism." Concluding with an examination of the future of preaching in the electronic age and a bibliography, this book, described by Gerard Sloyan in his foreword as "a remarkable tour of the homiletic horizon," is sure to open up a discussion about where Christian preaching has been and where it might be headed. †

Guerric DeBona, OSB, who holds a PhD from Indiana University, is assistant professor of homiletics at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana. He is the co-author of Savior on the Silver Screen; Lift Up Your Hearts: Homilies for the 'A' Cycle; and Lift Up Your Hearts: Homilies for the 'B' Cycle.