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. Contents Interpreting Situations: An Inquiry into the Nature of Practical Theology Edward Farley Re-Visioning Ministry: Postmodern Reflections Charles E. Winquist The Practical Play of Theology James D. Whitehead Theology on Our Feet: A Revisionist Pedagogy for Healing the Gap between Academia and Ecclesia Thomas H. Groome Practical Theology and Religious Education Don S. Browning Thinking in the Community of Faith: Toward an Ecclesial Hermeneutic Lewis S. Mudge Practical Theology and Liberation Rebecca S. Chopp Practical Theology in the Situation of Global Pluralism David Tracy Lewis S. Mudge is Robert Leighton Stuart Professor of Theology Emeritus at San Francisco Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley James N. Poling is Professor of Pastoral Theology, Care, and Counseling at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.