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Acknowledgments When a project takes as long as this one has, there are many people to thank—too many to do justice to here. Still, I wish to acknowledge a few people who have been central to the development of this work. It was while I was living and working in New York City that William Lazareth’s preaching initially grasped me and set my life on a very different course. It was he who first put Martin Luther into my hands and into my head. Then there were the extraordinary teachers whose own love for Luther continues to expand my understanding: George Forell, Scott Hendrix, Timothy Lull, and George Lindbeck. These scholars in particular stand out among the many whose work has influenced my thinking. Special thanks must go also to Gene Outka and Margaret Farley, who invited me into a conversation that opened up a wider view of the Church, the place Luther occupies within it, and the possibilities that Luther’s theology continues to provide today. Margaret Farley’s careful and faithful work on human agency has served to focus my own questions, and her intellectual influence is discernible throughout the pages that follow. More than teachers, these scholars have been friends and mentors, encouraging, prodding, and urging me forward with a kind of vocational devotion that would have delighted Luther. My colleagues here at Gustavus Adolphus College have likewise gifted me with their confidence and support; those within the Religion Department especially have helped me carve out the time necessary to complete this project. They have also challenged and informed my thinking with the generosity and care that exemplifies the best sort of scholarly solidarity. In addition to these, I give special thanks to Linda Backman, my longtime friend and theological conversation partner, who first invited me to come hear Pastor Lazareth preach. Without Linda’s hospitality and steady confidence I could not have stayed the course. Finally I thank my family, and in particular my father, whose life in the ministry and in pursuit of meaning paved the way by teaching us the power of historical perspective and the importance of honoring curiosity for its own sake. ix ...

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