When some students in his religion class at Morehouse College in Atlanta told him about Daisaku Ikeda and his commitment to peace, Edward Carter Sr - founding dean of the Martin Luther King International Chapel - had no idea who he was. He regretted that he himself, a disciple of Martin Luther King, a Baptist pastor devoted to the cause of creating peace through education and action, a social science graduate and professor of religion at Morehouse College which Dr. King's was alma mater, was unaware of the work of this Buddhist leader, president of the International Soka Gakkai, an organization with millions of adherents worldwide committed to a movement for peace, culture and education on a global scale. All of this was the starting point that prompted Carter to deepen his knowledge of Daisaku Ikeda, going so far as to entertain an important interfaith dialogue with the Buddhist leader, which was also achieved through a number of direct meetings in Tokyo. From that journey came the urgency of this book written by a Baptist pastor in gratitude for the work done for peace by a Buddhist teacher. The book's subtitle captures its essence: how my interfaith journey with Daisaku Ikeda made me a better Christian.
"There are basically two ways for a practitioner-or at least that is the case in Christianity-to relate to practitioners of other religions who are as dedicated to their faith as Christians are to their own. One is to convert them; the other is to learn respectfully from them, not seeking uniformity but harmony."
"In my opinion Daisaku Ikeda represents an example of what it means to be a 'global citizen.' He has dialogued with ambassadors, anthropologists, economists, educators, historians, journalists, jurists, linguists, politicians, scientists, social engineers, sociologists, theologians and urban planners, and also with me, completely changing my life."
The author
Lawrence Edward Carter Sr is a Baptist pastor and dean of the Martin Luther King Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta, an institution at which he is also a professor of religion. Born in Dawson, Georgia, and raised in Columbus, Ohio, he graduated from Virginia's University of Lynchburg in social sciences and psychology, then continued his academic career at Boston University, where he earned Master of Divinity degrees in theology and Master of Sacred Theology degrees in religious assistance, as well as a doctorate in pastoral psychology and counseling. He has one son, Carter, and lives in Stonecrest, Georgia, with his wife Marva.
