Can practitioners and theorists talk to each other?The answer is yes. This collection brings together top scholars in the fields of pastoral care, systematic theology, and biblical hermeneutics to offer a coherent practical theology for the pastoral mission of the church. As Christians around the world practice their faith, this important scholarly book highlights the salient struggles in contemporary Christian thought and seeks to bring together the best of church and academy for the greater good.ContentsInterpreting Situations: An Inquiry into the Nature of Practical TheologyEdward FarleyRe-Visioning Ministry: Postmodern ReflectionsCharles E. WinquistThe Practical Play of TheologyJames D. WhiteheadTheology on Our Feet: A Revisionist Pedagogy for Healing the Gap between Academia and EcclesiaThomas H. GroomePractical Theology and Religious EducationDon S. BrowningThinking in the Community of Faith: Toward an Ecclesial HermeneuticLewis S. MudgePractical Theology and LiberationRebecca S. ChoppPractical Theology in the Situation of Global PluralismDavid TracyLewis S. Mudge is Robert Leighton Stuart Professor of Theology Emeritus at San Francisco Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union in BerkeleyJames N. Poling is Professor of Pastoral Theology, Care, and Counseling at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.