Tony Campolo, Professor Emeritus at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, and Mary Albert Darling, associate professor of communication at Spring Arbor University, team up again in this book following their last collaboration, The God of Intimacy and Action. Here they are concerned about practicing "the spiritually charged communication" demonstrated by Jesus as he connected with people. The book is organized around the three themes of his ministry: preaching, teaching, and healing. To help facilitate this ambitious task, Campolo and Darling have enlisted additional commentary from Brian McLaren, Shane Claiborne, and Mindy Caliguire through interviews and emails during the writing of the book.
As imitators of Christ, each one of us is challenged to heal the souls of others. To participate in this process, we must first become more aware of how we relate to others. Darling presents the Prayer of Examen as a good starting point for self-awareness and being receptive. She then offers other exercises which open us to others and deepen our relationship with God: a spirit of freedom from the prison of fear (centering prayer), sacred listening (cultivating silent moments), connecting through questions (reflecting on questions Jesus asked), conflict (dealing with anger), redeeming conflict (forgiveness), and shaping powerful narratives (Jesus and storytelling).
The last section of the book revolves around Campolo's suggestions for teaching and preaching effectively. One of his points is: "Messages to draw people to the Kingdom of God must be marked by passion lest they be little more than religious lectures."
