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Acknowledgments Thanking others in print always causes me a bit of anxiety because I fear I will fail to recognize someone who truly deserves a word of appreciation. But many deserve to be publicly thanked—and even praised—so I must go on. First of all, I must thank Bill and Carolyn Heard for their passion to have a forum where leading scholars can dialogue about important issues in faith and culture in a civilized manner and on a balanced playing field—and their willingness to fund such a project! Without them, the Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum in Faith and Culture would be a dream rather than a reality. As always, I thank Dr. Chuck Kelley, NOBTS president, for his support and encouragement. I must thank my former assistant, Rhyne Putman. He did everything he was asked to do and more—and all of it with a cheerful attitude. As in past years, he maintained the Greer-Heard website. He also oversaw any number of other things that didn’t fall under somebody else’s job description.. The forum would never have come off successfully without the efforts of J. P. Cox and his staff at the Providence Learning Center. J. P. is a true professional. I also am grateful to Vanee Daure and her team for the work they did in media support. Sheila Taylor and the NOBTS cafeteria staff must be applauded for serving numerous meals of all varieties to large numbers. Without the high-quality graphic art and public relations work of Boyd Guy and Gary Myers, the task would have proven too great. Lisa Joyner of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia, deserves a word of recognition for her work in producing the conference programs and CD case covers. I am appreciative of the Evangelical Philosophical Society (EPS) for sponsoring a “special event” that took place in conjunction with the GreerHeard Forum. I also thank Scott Smith for his efforts in publicizing the event and Joe Gorra for providing EPS support materials. I am grateful to NOBTS provost Steve Lemke for making it possible for several university groups to attend the event. His efforts, along with those of Archie England and Page Brooks and their respective staffs, were much appreciated. Our contributors, Paul Knitter and Harold Netland, along with Terry Tilley, Doug Geivett, and Mark Heim, must all be thanked. Keith Yandell was scheduled to speak, but illness at the last moment kept him from being able to attend. Nevertheless, his paper was read at the conference, and I am very xvii pleased to have it as part of this book. In addition, Millard Erickson, Paul Copan, and Paul Eddy were all present and read papers for the EPS event, which are included in this book. Furthermore, I must thank Nancy Fuchs Kreimer and the late John Hick for being willing to contribute chapters for the book. Brantley Scott and the staff at the NOBTS campus LifeWay bookstore deserve a word of thanks for working so hard at the book signing and for going the extra mile to ensure that all the books ordered actually arrived on time. This was a massive undertaking, but they never complained. Michael West, past editor-in-chief of Fortress Press, must be thanked for his enthusiasm for fair-minded, respectful dialogue on important issues and his interest in publishing the fruit of the Greer-Heard Forum. I am especially grateful for Michael’s successor, Will Bergkamp. Though we have not known each other very long, I sense that he too has the same passion for dialogue that Michael and I share. Without his support and encouragement, this project would never have been completed. I look forward to more fruitful work together on such projects. Susan Johnson of Fortress Press also deserves a word of thanks. Her cheerful attitude, eagerness to help in any way possible, and consummate professionalism are much appreciated. As always, my wife, Marilyn, and my children must be thanked. I suspect they enjoy the rush that accompanies an event like the forum, but they still make numerous sacrifices. I mentioned earlier the passing of Professor John Hick. In a very real sense, this book would not exist without the pioneering work of John Hick. I never met him personally. All of our interaction was via e-mail. When I invited him to contribute a chapter, he initially declined. In response, I told him that “reading a book on pluralism without John Hick is like playing...

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