We could never have predicted the end from the beginning. We started with three case study events sponsored by the Center for Christian Studies at Gordon College (Mass.). Titled Christians Engaging Culture: Models for Public Policy Practitioners, Politicians, and Scholars, the project featured three of our essayists. It was while processing the various response papers for these three events that we decided to expand the number of case studies in our projected book. Alas, space limitations then precluded the possibility of publishing some excellent response papers. However, we now wish to acknowledge those many scholars who contributed to the success of these events.

In November 2004, Susan Drake Emmerich was the featured speaker at the first case study event hosted at Gordon College, presenting an earlier version of the essay included in this volume. This event was convened by Steve Bouma-Prediger (Hope College, Mich.) and Harold Heie. Vern Visick (New College—Madison, Wis.) presented a response to Dr. Emmerich’s paper. John Wilson, editor of Books & Culture, served as the reporter for this event as well as for the two subsequent case study events, with his reports appearing in the Books & Culture segment of the Christianity Today web site. 

In October 2005, Paul DeWeese was the featured case-study speaker at Calvin College (Mich.), with the event co-sponsored by the Paul. B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity & Politics at Calvin College (Corwin Smidt, Director). Titled “Confrontational Politics versus Finding Principled Common Ground,” this event was convened by Stephen Monsma and Corwin Smidt. The responses to Dr. DeWeese’s paper were presented by Amy Black (Wheaton College, Ill.) and a panel consisting of Vern Ehlers (U.S. House of Representatives), Bill Hardiman (Michigan House of Representatives), George Heartwell (Mayor, Grand Rapids, Mich.), and Jerry Kooiman (Michigan House of Representatives).

 In May 2005, Jim Waller was the featured case study speaker at Whitworth College (Wash.), with the event co-sponsored by the Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith & Learning at Whitworth College (Dale Soden, Director). This event was convened by George Marsden (University of Notre Dame, Ind.) and Dale Soden. The respondents were Julia Stronks (Whitworth College) and Ron White (former Dean of San Francisco Theological Seminary). 

We express our deep appreciation to all those persons and institutions named above for their strong contribution to this CCS project. We also wish to thank Dan Russ, the present Director of the Center for Christian Studies, for his strong support of the initial project, as well as Debbie Drost and Jeremy Martin, staff members at the Center for Christian Studies, for their excellent handling of many of the logistical details of these case-study events.