The author writes: 'Many men and women have told me that they like to read books which help them to understand and practice their faith in a more enlightened fashion. With this in mind I have written Word and Spirit which consists of material drawn from different sources: articles for magazines, courses I have taught, and conference talks I have given. I have also written nine chapters specifically for this book. Some of them are short and simple and others longer and a little more difficult. In all of them I have aimed to steer a middle course between an abstract academic approach and a more pastoral and spiritual one. It is my hope that this pastoral potpourri will be useful to the members of prayer groups, people who have attended Christian initiation courses such as RCIA or Alpha, and Catholics who have attended on-going formation courses who want to read books which are not only relevant in current circumstances but which also act as springboards to reflection, heartfelt prayer and efforts to establish the kingdom of God by means of evangelisation.'
