David M. Greenhaw and Ronald J. Allen, editors. Preaching in the Context of Worship. (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2000) Paper, 145 pages. ISBN 0-8272-2956-9.

One of the most critical issues facing the church in the current era is worship. The "worship wars" of recent years have offered more heat than light, and countless churches continue to struggle with conflicts over worship styles. While conflict is not necessary or healthy, clearly the church has much to consider in evaluating the place and nature of worship today.

In this brief volume, David Greenhaw and Ron Allen have assembled a series of ten essays written by an assortment of mainline Protestant writers, both parish clergy and academics. Greenhaw is president and professor of preaching at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, while Allen (a frequent contributor to Preaching) is professor of preaching and New Testament at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis.

The essays cover a variety of topics in addressing the place of preaching in the worship experience. Among the essays are: "Preaching in the Renewal of Worship in the Last Thirty Years" by Marian Young Adell, a United Methodist pastor in Dayton, Ohio; "Altar-ing the World: Community-forming Word and Worship" by Heather Murray Elkins, who teaches worship and liturgy at Drew University; and "Preaching and the Sacrament of Holy Communion" by Paul Scott Wilson, who teaches preaching and worship at Emmanuel College in Toronto.

Greenhaw writes about the use of the arts in worship, while Allen contributes an essay on worship and preaching that take place outside the traditional Sunday morning service. Other essays deal with issues such as the role of music in worship and the use of the lectionary in worship planning. I found problematic the latter essay's critical attitude toward the "christocentrism" of the church year; while we must deal with each biblical genre with integrity, the effective Christian preacher will inevitably be "christocentric" in approaching the preaching event.

One of the most interesting articles in the book was written by a Korean pastor who discusses preaching within the cultural context of the Korean community. The essay didn't fit with the flow of the remainder of the book in that it examined preaching in an ethnic/cultural context rather than as it relates to worship. Nevertheless, I found it interesting to learn more about the topic, and wish I had some of these insights available when I was teaching in the seminary setting and had Korean students in my classes.

Preaching in the Context of Worship is an interesting collection and makes a useful contribution to the present-day discussion of worship in the church.

William L. Self. Defining Moments. (Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing Co., 1999). Paper, 120 pages. ISBN 0-7880-1376-9.

In the hot summer months it may be hard to think about Advent, but those preachers who use the summer to plan their preaching will find this volume useful as they consider their preaching for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany.