Gift and Duty: Where Grace and Merit Meet

Is the Christian concept of grace anathema to the social structure of merit-making found in Buddhist karmic communities? Are all Buddhist forms of merit-making purely for religious purposes to assuage cosmic consequences or are there other reasons? Are there not Christian churches who operate under a legalistic view of Gods divine wrath and are in essence living as karmic communities of the Christian type? The result of discussions about these and other questions is the volume you now hold in your hand. SEANET proudly presents what is number 14 in its series of missiological reference texts Gift and Duty: Where Grace and Merit Meet. Each of the ten authors presented here represent a particular perspective both Christian and Buddhist that can inform the other. The goal of this volume is to lead to a deeper understanding of the significance of diverse religious and cultural perspectives. From India to Japan and all the Buddhist countries in between thoughtful Christian scholars ponder what we share inter-religiously what is unique about the good news that God has come close to us in Jesus and how that can be expressed through local vocabulary categories concepts and values. Each year wise men and women probe another dimension of this issue. This year the focus is karma and grace. The dialogue is absorbing and provocative for anyone who studies religion or pursues peace. --Miriam Adeney Associate Professor of World Christian Studies Seattle Pacific University Paul H. de Neui is Professor of Missiology and Intercultural Studies and Director of the Center for World Christian Studies at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago Illinois.