Against the easy assurance of a too-enculturated religion, Walter Brueggemann refocuses the preaching task around the decentering, destabilizing, always risky Word that confronts us in Scripture - if we have the courage to hear. These powerful essays, previously available only in journals, are here combined with a newly composed preface and introduction. Includes a foreword from the Reverend William H. Willimon. ContentsForeword William H. WillimonPrefaceIntroduction: At Risk with the Text1. Preaching as Reimagination2. The Preacher, the Text, and the People3. Ancient Utterance and Contemporary Hearing4. An Imaginative 'Or' 5. That the World May Be Redescribed6. The Social Nature of the Biblical Text for Preaching 7. The Shrill Voice of the Wounded Party8. Life or Death: De-privileged Communication9. Preaching to Exiles10. Preaching a Sub-version11. Truth-telling as Subversive Obedience