Princeton’s graduate program in religion prepared me to teach a wide range of courses to undergraduates. Most my career was spent at Clemson University, where I helped start the Department of Philosophy and Religion, and at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where I was the Martin Distinguished Professor. Over the years, I also had visiting professorships at Oberlin College, Miami University, West Virginia Wesleyan College, and Emory University. A highlight of my personal development was a summer spent in India in a Fulbright study program. Along the way, I found I really enjoyed research and writing as much as I enjoyed teaching. Much of that got directed to editing or co-editing some major reference works such as the three-volume Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience, the four-volume Encyclopedia of Religion in America, and the second edition of the Encyclopedia of Religion in the South. I also loved attending conferences and giving papers for colleagues to dissect. That dimension of my career led to my serving as president of the American Society of Church History, following in the footsteps of my Princeton mentor, John F. Wilson.

Engagement in the religious life of the community was central to my professorship at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Although different from the academic classroom, public presentations became great stimuli for expanding my own thinking. I learned lots from the folks who attend such programs. After I retired in 2008, I was able to devote much of my time to another passion—playing the organ. I’m now in my 12^th year as a church organist. Music has been almost a second career.