Memories seldom happen in straight lines with chronological precision, but occur most often in spirals. Paul Ingram's essays collected in Faith as Remembering were created from memories. These memories, often in unpredictable ways, pushed him to new insights about the nature of Christian faith--insights often not desired, always unexpected, and always toward new directions of theological reflection.

Theologians all too often write with an unintentional, and sometimes intentional, universalism. Ingram does not intend to write this way. These essays reflect his memories and are the sources of the theological conclusions he draws as a historian of religions who now finds himself a practicing process theologian. As a process theologian, Ingram does not even argue that the conclusions drawn here will be ones he will affirm in the future. All human knowledge is incomplete, and there are always new surprises for anyone practicing the art of theological reflection. But Ingram's hope is that the essays gathered together in Faith as Remembering will inspire readers to engage their memories as the foundation for drawing their own unique conclusions.

Paul O. Ingram, the editor, is Professor of Religion Emeritus at Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, Washington). He is the author of Wrestling with God, Wrestling with the Ox, The Modern Buddhist-Christian Dialogue, and The Dharma of Faith.