Using images connected with the art and craft of weaving, Christine Smith discusses the special vision that women bring to the task of preaching. She looks at the significance of feminist theology, psychology, and philosophy in terms of their impact on the preaching of all men and women. Among other topics, she considers the authority of the preacher, God language, and global feminism.

How can a person preach a word of hope and faith in a world filled with violence and suffering? Christine Smith says one must encounter and name the evil that oppresses persons in the world--evils such as handicapism, ageism, sexism, heterosexism, white racism, and classism. She argues preaching is an interpretation of our present world and an invitation to a profoundly different world. It is a form of passionate weeping in a universe filled with suffering and oppression; a form of confession where preachers can shape sermons to call our communities to honest reflection; and it is a form...