Published In cooperation with the American Indian Studies Research Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington.

In The New Voice, Amos Wilder carries forward and combines two areas of activity represented in his earlier, groundbreaking publications. One of these is that of the theological critic, concerned with modern literature as it illuminates the quests of our age and the vicissitudes of our religious tradition, as found in his Modern Poetry and the Christian Tradition and Theology and Modern Literature. The other area is that of biblical scholarship, especially in its recent concern with hermeneutics and the modes of language, as represented by his volume on early Christian rhetoric, The Language of the Gospel. Wilder seeks in the present book to deepen and correct the approach of the theological critic by urging that rhetorical criteria should receive primary attention and that language should be explored in new ways. Wilder therefore examines certain aspects of biblical genre and style as ways of illuminating modern rhetoric and its underlying assumptions. It is a main theme of the work that the disorders and travail of our time should be construed in a positive light, and that the most significant writing of the period not only illuminates contemporary reality but fashions a language in which the abiding legacies and archetypes of the past can again be brought to speech. Writers specially discussed in the book range from Musil, Proust, Eliot, and Gide to Sartre, Perse, Beckett, Lowell, David Jones, and the exponents of open verse. The work of many others is brought into relation with the task defined by Pound as naming things accurately and by Stevens as "making the bread of faithful speech."

Before European settlers arrived in North America, more than 300 distinct languages were being spoken among the continent's Indigenous peoples. But the Euro-American emphasis on alphabetic literacy has historically hidden the power and influence of Indigenous verbal and nonverbal language diversity on encounters between Indigenous North Americans and settlers. In this pathbreaking work, Phillip H. Round reveals how Native North Americans sparked a communications revolution in their adaptation and resistance to settlers' modes of speaking and writing. Round especially focuses on communication through inscription—the physical act of making a mark, the tools involved, and the social and cultural processes that render the mark legible. Using methods from history, literary studies, media studies, linguistics, and material culture studies, Round shows how Indigenous graphic practices embodied Native epistemologies while fostering linguistic innovation. Round's broad theory of graphogenesis—creating meaningful inscription—leads to new insights for both the past and present of Indigenous expression in a range of forms. Readers will find powerful new insights into Indigenous languages and linguistic practices, with important implications not just for scholars but for those working to support ongoing Native American self-determination.

Transition is the word we use to describe the time following significant change. In congregations, that change might be the departure of the pastor, a catastrophe such as Hurricane Katrina or 9/11, or simply the changes caused by growth. Transition calls for clergy with special training to respond to the needs generated by the special time. “Task, training, and time limit” are the hallmarks of transitional ministry. Trained intentional interim clergy must have the skill and experience to lead congregations during transition. However, transitional or interim ministry has a bad reputation in some places. As one diocesan leader said, “We have never had a church in this diocese that was so bad off that an interim was needed.” Indeed, there are some “sick” churches, but most congregations have some good things happening and some things that need attention. Intentional interim ministry can be medicine for the sick, but in most cases it is better compared to vitamins that are taken to promote health. This book seeks to clear up misconceptions about transitional ministry and present an accurate and up-to-date picture of transitional ministry and to describe the various settings in which this specialized ministry can be helpful. Chapter authors, all expert in transitional ministry in mainline Protestant denominations, include: Robert Friedrich, John Keydel, George Martin, Loren Mead, Barry Miller, Nancy Miller, Ineke Mitchell, Ken Ornell, Molly Dale Smith, and Rob Voyle.