THE EXPERIENCE of writing this book has left me profoundly grateful for my communities. Thank you, in particular, to Hayley Hemstreet and Laura Achenbaum; to Deidra Coleman and Robert A. Thomson Jr.; to Dan Bolger and Sharan Kaur Mehta; to Rose Kantorczyk and Shannon Klein; and especially to Michael McDowell and Rachel Schneider Vlachos for their help with research for the book. I am grateful to the advisory board members for this project: Harvey Clemons, Greg Cootsona, Daniel Espinoza, Deborah Haarsma, Se Kim, Richard J. Mouw, Wayne Park, and Steve Wells. Thank you to Jeff Smith and to members of our Science in Congregations team at St. Andrews, with whom I discussed the ideas in this book often, and thanks especially to the late Teresa Phillips, who embodied them. I am grateful for Heather Wax’s editing and the guidance she provided. Special thanks to my agent, Kathryn Helmers, for initially believing in the idea for this book. Special thanks to my editor, Katelyn Beaty; to Melisa Blok; and to everyone at Brazos Press. I am most grateful for the support of my family and especially for my husband, Karl, and my daughter, Anika, who give me all my best stories.
This publication was made possible through the support of a grant from Templeton Religion Trust (“Reaching Evangelical American Leaders to Change Hearts and Minds,” TRT0191, Elaine Howard Ecklund PI). The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Templeton Religion Trust or Rice University.