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Acknowledgements I have a great many people to thank for their support and assistance during the research and writing of this book. First and foremost, I want to thank the ATS Lilly Theological Research Grants program, which awarded me a faculty fellowship in 2011–2012 that supported my sabbatical travel to Israel and Palestine, India, Japan, and Turkey in the spring of 2012. This practical experience proved invaluable in helping ground my understanding and presentation of the four world religions engaged in this text. My understanding of each was greatly enriched by firsthand conversation about, observation of, and participation in different religious beliefs and practices in these nonChristian contexts. I also want to thank the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg for the generous eight-month sabbatical; and in particular, Dean Robin Steinke and President Michael Cooper-White for their strong advocacy of my work and its role in our seminary community. Several people read and commented upon different drafts of different chapters, and their suggestions were of great assistance to me. Any errors or misrepresentations that remain are my responsibility alone. In particular, I want to thank Rabbi Carl Choper, Brooks Schramm, Richard Payne, and Zeyneb Sayilgan for their helpful comments. Of the many, many people I met and spoke with in my travels, the following individuals warrant particular mention and thanks. While I was in Israel I had several insightful conversations about Judaism in general, and the history of Judaism in Israel in particular, with Dr. Ophir Yarden, Director of Educational Initiatives, Interreligious Coordinating Council of Israel. In addition, I was hosted at the Shabbat service at Kehilat Kol Haneshama, a Reformed synagogue, by Dr. Sarah Bernstein, Associate Director of the ICCI. She and her husband, Rabbi Michael Marmur, Ph.D., Vice President for Academic Affairs of Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem campus, welcomed me warmly to their home for the Shabbat meal, and the conversation around the table was lively and very interesting. I am deeply appreciative of their hospitality. In Japan, the monastic community who hosted me at the Shingon temple in Koyasan was kind and gracious, including providing English translations for the recitations at the morning service. Kaori Kodama was an excellent guide to Koyasan: she took me all around the mountain, giving me an excellent ix introduction to the history and contemporary religious practices of the monastic communities and the many pilgrims who visit each year. There were two people in particular who facilitated my experience in Kyoto. First, Dr. Eisho Nasu, professor of Shin Buddhist studies at Ryukoku University, helped get me oriented to the university (including a much-treasured Internet connection!), the Monbou Kaikan, and the Nishi Hongwanji, the mother temple for Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. Second, Daisuke Sasaki, graduate student in the program for training priests at Ryukoku, toured me around a variety of temples in Kyoto. In particular, he guided me around Daitokuji, the headquarters of one school of Rinzai Zen. In addition to a fabulous multi-course traditional Zen meal at one of the temples in the complex, one of the monks at the temple where Daisuke lives invited us for a brief Zen service and then a formal tea ceremony. This was one of the highlights of my trip to Japan. While I was in Istanbul, Dr. Faris Kaya hosted me at the Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture and gave me an excellent introduction to the history and role of Islam in Turkey, and the work of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. Hakan Gülerce, graduate student at Istanbul University, was extraordinarily gracious with his time and energy: he spent several days taking me through some of Istanbul’s many mosques, and introducing me to Turkish coffee and the best baklava in the city. Also, he facilitated a meeting with Arzu Çerkez and Gülçin Kaya who took me to their dershane, where we had prayers, ate dinner, and then read from Nursi’s works. All the women in the madrasah were very kind and welcoming to me. Finally, I spent a lovely day with Nazil Inal, who gave me a different, secular perspective on Istanbul. Finally, Moses Penumaka was of great assistance to me both in planning my trip to India and offering support while I was there. During the trip, I was hosted and toured by a variety of people. In Chennai, my friend and colleague Monica Melanchthon, formerly of Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, graciously showed me around Chennai, including the San Thome Church and St. Thomas Mount Church...

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