Evangelical Zen, Second Edition

Foreword

(wrote a foreword)

Kyogen Carlson

Afterword

“A brave, intimate exploration of what it means to have faith, to live that faith, and to meet the world in its multitudinous beauty. Paul Louis Metzger walks his talk.”

Sallie Jiko Tisdale

Foreword

“With rare honesty and humility, evangelical theologian Paul Louis Metzger journeys with his dear friend, the late Abbot Kyogen Carlson, in offering Christian and Buddhist reflections on some of the most daunting challenges facing humanity, i.e., religious intolerance, nationalism, xenophobia, and climate change. This book will delight all pilgrims seeking light for the path.”

Thomas John Hastings

“To the rhetorical question posed by the ancient prophet, ‘Do two walk together unless they have made an appointment?’ (Amos 3:3 NRSVue), Paul Louis Metzger with Kyogen Carlson, in this creative, innovative, and courageous book answers not with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ but with ‘why not?’ This is a learned and wise book and all of us who recognize that the journey itself is the goal will be the better off from using it as an active road map.”

J. Jayakiran Sebastian

“This book makes me want to argue with the author—about what makes some people uneasy in conversation with evangelical Christians, about interpretations of Job, about the relationship to suffering in diverse lifestances, and a host of other subjects. But the humility and insight he demonstrates in sharing his spiritual reflections make me want to do so only in the gentlest way. Disagreement melts into conversation, a journey of co-discovery through mutual vulnerability.”

Rachel S. Mikva

“Paul Louis Metzger and Kyogen Carlson, with their evangelical Christian and Zen Buddhist communities, invite us to share in the hard work and rich rewards of seeking common ground through friendships that recognize rather than erase particularity and difference. In doing so, they embody a path of constructive engagement across deep difference and disagreement that is sorely needed in today’s dangerously polarized public arena. This is a wise and hopeful book.”

Wes Markofski

“Paul Louis Metzger, an evangelical Christian theologian well-versed in Japanese culture and customs, has written a thought-provoking book that provides helpful insights for both Americans and Japanese. His years of interaction with a Zen Buddhist priest have enriched his learning and this book.”

Kiwa Fukushima

“When it comes to interreligious interchanges, theology often gets more attention than relationships. That’s not true of Paul Louis Metzger’s Evangelical Zen. Although filled with stunning theological insights, it models how evangelical Christians and Zen practitioners can and should be in relationship. An inspiring read.”

Terry C. Muck

“Through cross-cultural reflection in Japan, and his relationship with Buddhist priest Kyogen Carlson, Paul Louis Metzger pursues multifaith engagement in the way of Christ. For those asking, ‘What would Jesus do?,’ in a pluralistic world where Christians live among adherents of the religions, Evangelical Zen provides a helpful example for Christ’s followers, and others, to emulate.”

John W. Morehead

“In a world of what they call ‘gated affinity groups,’ Paul Louis Metzger, an evangelical theologian, and Kyogen Carlson, a Zen Buddhist priest, enter into a dialogue about their understandings of God, reality, culture, religion, and the world around them. Read this book, not just for the insights it offers, but the way in which it models the kind of conversation our world desperately needs.”

Frederick W. Schmidt

“Books about the theory of intercultural or interreligious encounter abound, but this delightful series of reflections by evangelical theologian Paul Louis Metzger is different. Drawing upon his rich experience with the culture of Japan and a deep friendship with the late Abbot Kyogen Carlson, a Zen Buddhist, Metzger leads us on an intensely personal journey across religious, cultural, ethnic, and national boundaries in search of our common humanity as God’s creatures. Wise and witty, this is a ‘must-read’ for anyone concerned with issues of the gospel and cultural or religious others in our globalizing world.”

Harold A. Netland

“The most important prerequisite for being human is to have awareness that what one holds to be true is not the only truth in the world. Out of such awareness comes an unending stream of truths. We are being made truly human by the power of these myriads of truths. This is a guidebook that demonstrates to the readers how such truths are to be brought forth.”

Shizuka Sasaki