The Thousand-Petaled Lotus: A Discussion Between Buddhists and Christians explores the opportunities, challenges, and surprises inherent in sincere multi-faith interactions between followers of the Buddha and the Christ. Van Gorder encourages us to appreciate that faith is often an experienced and relational 'form of life' before it is entombed within beliefs and rituals. Creative and empathetic meetings between Buddhists and Christians will not only examine complex questions of ultimacy; they can also foster constructive partnerships for social justice and healing friendships rooted in respectful listening. The dynamism of the Buddha and the Christ, the Gospels and the Dharma, and the Sangha and the Church offer rewarding resources to discover fresh streams of buoyant encouragement and transformative insight for any genuine heart - Christian or Buddhist -- set on pilgrimage.A.Christian van Gorder is married to Vivian and has seven children. He has invested his life as a writer and educator in the United States, China, Singapore, the Netherlands, Ireland, and West Africa. His doctorate in Multi-faith interactions from the Queen's University of Belfast and his teaching and research in that area - along with his love for Buddhism and Buddhists - has been the steady motivation for his years of explorations in Buddhist-Christian dialogues. Dr. van Gorder was born in Pittsburgh and now teaches at Baylor University.

A. Christian van Gorder is Associate Professor of Religion at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He has also taught at Messiah College in Pennsylvania and the Yunnan University in Kunming, China. He is the author of No God but God: A Path's to Muslim-Christian Dialogue on God's Nature, and co-author of Three-Fifth's Theology: Challenging Racism in American Christianity.