Historically, people who have risen to the occasion to speak of faith for their generation have been keenly aware of their own limitations-whether Moses, who was ""slow of speech,"" or Isaiah, who was concerned that he spoke with ""unclean lips."" The question both Moses and Isaiah seem to be asking is, who am I to speak for God? And we wonder in turn, was it they who spoke, or God who spoke through them? These biblical images carry the weight of the question raised by the essays in this volume.

How is preaching both the work of God and yet also a function of the individuals own person and...