Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments First, acknowledgments must go to the Vineyard Christians who shared with me, as well as with the numerous Christians from outside the Vineyard, who were equally generous with their thoughts, energy, and time. This includes the members of the Society of Vineyard Scholars; there can be no better gift for an ethnographer than a group of sharp-minded (and sharp- eyed) intellectuals who belong to the movement being studied! Professor Roy Brooks at the USD School of Law was the first to suggest to me that I might have a career in academics—though I suspect he thought it would be in a different discipline. During my protracted association with it, the University of California, San Diego, anthropology department has provided numerous mentors and colleagues. As for mentors, I am in debt to Suzanne Brenner, Tom Csordas, Jonathan Freedman, Michael Meeker, Steve Parish, David Pedersen, Melford Spiro, and Kathryn Woolard. Colleagues to whom I am indebted include Yoav Arbel, Chris Augsbuger, Sowparnika Balaswaminathan, Waqas Butts, Andrew Cased, Julia Cassaniti, Julien Clement, Jason Danely, William Dawley, John Dulin, Eli Elinoff, Ted Gideonse, Timothy McCajor Hall, Candler Hallman, Jordan Haug, Eric Hoenes del Pineal, Nofit Itzhak, Julia Klimova, Leslie Lewis, Katherine Miller, Marc Moskowitz, Joshua Nordic, Marisa Petersen, Ryan Schram, Greg Simon, Heather Spector Hillman, Allen Tran, Brendon Thornton, Deana Weibel-Swanson, and Leanne Williams. There are others I have shamefully overlooked; forgive me. I finished my dissertation while serving as a wide-eyed, inexperienced visiting assistant professor at Reed College. I don’t want to contribute to the legend of “Olde Reed,” but it was certainly an interesting experience trying to think through the anthropology of Christianity at a school whose unof- ficial motto is “Atheism, Communism, and Free Love.” I’d like to thank ix x / Acknowledgments Doctor Robert Brightman, Rebecca Gordon, Jiang Jing, Anne Lorimer, Tahir Naqvi, Sonia Sabnis, Paul Silverstein, Nina Sylvanus, and Emma Wasserman.
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