By the time I got to college I was planning to be a minister, and I assumed my ministry would be either youth ministry or pastoral ministry. In seminary I was immediately attracted to theology, and with encouragement from some of my professors I came to believe that I had a gift for teaching. For me writing is an opportunity to extend the teaching ministry which God has given me.

I expect that the four books that have influenced me the most are The Apostolic Preaching and Its Developments by the New Testament scholar C. H. Dodd, which fixed in my mind what the earliest Christian message was; For Faith and Freedom by the Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford, Leonard Hodgson, which showed me that a systematic theology could be faithfully Christian, carefully reasoned, and deeply felt, all at the same time; and The Foolishness of God by John Austin Baker and On Being a Christian by Hans Kung, from which I learned the possibilities of combining biblical and theological learning into a book that speaks profoundly to the contemporary situation.

I think it is now indispensable.

In seminary.

I enjoy the entire process--getting an idea about a book or article, figuring out what to include and what to omit and what sequence of ideas to follow, making notes and outlines, writing the first draft, and--especially--rewriting so as to be clear and, if possible, forceful and graceful, too.

Concerning Fundamentalism, Philip Wise and I belong to a discussion group whose members hold doctorates in theology. In conversations with the group we sensed a need for a book that was not technical (there are a lot of wonderful technical books), that was fair-minded and kind, and that would assure Christians who are not Fundamentalists that they can be faithful to Christ without becoming Fundamentalists.

We hope it will help our readers to understand Fundamentalism accurately. We also hope it will help our readers to be able to get along with Fundamentalists and to resist the temptation to feel entitled to be contemptuous of everything about Fundamentalism.

I am Professor of Divinity at the Beeson Divinity School of Samford University in Birmingham. This is my thirty-fifth year of teaching Christian theology to persons who are preparing for Christian ministry. I also lecture occasionally in universities and colleges and preach frequently in churches.

My wife Caroline and I love our times of being with our two children and their families. We also like to visit with our many friends. We enjoy traveling, dining out, movies, and novels.

I have heard people speak of boredom and I think I understand what it is, but, to the best of my memory, I have never experienced it myself.