Foreword

I came of age in an Evangelical environment. Clergy representing

the Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches form a long tradi-

tion in my family. My wife's family claims five generations of Method-

ist clergy. Some years ago we discovered that one of her ancestors who

settled in Virginia was a member of the Church of England, but pre-

sumably became a Methodist under the influence of that magnificent

saint of the saddle, Francis Asbury.

When I was confirmed in the Episcopal Church, I was impressed by

the fact that I was asked only one question, "Do you promise to follow

Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?" This question, from the Order

of Confirmation in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, appears in the

1979 Book of Common Prayer as "Do you renew your commitment to

Jesus Christ?" The answer is "I do, and with God:s grace I will follow

him as my Savior and Lord."