This is a practical book about preaching, written for preachers by two practical theologians who themselves preach Sunday by Sunday. It is a practical book because it is grounded in an innovative and highly original theory about the nature of preaching known as the SIFT method. This theory draws together the best of contemporary scholarship about hermeneutics with compelling insights from modern research concerning psychological type.

After presenting the theory, Leslie J Francis and Andrew Village provide concrete examples of the SIFT method of biblical hermeneutics and liturgical preaching. This approach releases the gospel message to be proclaimed and to be heard in a full and rounded manner that touches all of the human mind and soul.

Part 1 Preaching and Hermeneutics
1 Preaching and meaning
2 Preachers as readers
3 Perception and evaluation in reading
4 Reading the Bible
5 Reading the Spirit
6 Reading the context

Part 2 Preaching and Psychological Type
7 Theology and individual differences
8 Models of personality
9 Understanding psychological type
10 Psychological type and faith
11 Psychological type and reading the Bible
12 Psychological type and preaching