Good writing "doesn't just happen," say the authors. It takes work and a basic understanding of rhetorical situations. "Whatever our goals, we want readers to be affected by our writing," they assert. "The work of writing clarifies who we are in relation to both God and the world about us."

In the World equips readers to become better writers. It also introduces quality writing with over forty classic and contemporary selections from numerous writers, including Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, John Donne, Henri Nouwen, Walter Wangerin Jr., and Charles Darwin.

This second edition contains a completely updated and revised rhetoric section and added contemporary essays that represent a broad range of ethnicity, gender, and point of view.