The Church of God of Prophecy in Cleveland, Tenn., has a global outreach program that works in Africa.

Matthew Hedstrom is an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia. He wrote his dissertation on the search for spirituality in mass-market books.

The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in Los Angeles builds churches and has trained local people to carry on the work in east, west and south Africa.

Jeanne Kilde is a professor of religious studies at the University of Minnesota. She has written about the Left Behind series of books.

The Rev. Michael McClaflin is Africa director for the Assemblies of God, headquartered in Springfield, Mo. Through partnerships with local churches, the Assemblies of God evangelizes, starts churches, trains pastors, assists displaced refugees, runs mobile clinics and baby shelters, digs wells and works on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

Benedict Giamo is an associate professor of American studies at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. He has written about the spiritual in the works of Jack Kerouac and teaches a course about Kerouac and other Beat writers. He is the author of several books: On the Bowery: Confronting Homelessness in American Society; Beyond […]

Rick Hemphill is spokesman for the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Colorado Springs, Colo. Since 1884, the alliance has been evangelizing, starting churches, educating Christian church leaders and offering medical care in Africa.

The Rev. Clyde Lanier is senior pastor of Westwood Missionary Baptist Church in Winter Haven, Fla. The church’s missionaries have helped spawn 200 churches in Kenya, and they continue to evangelize there.

Connie Neal is the author of The Gospel According to Harry Potter: Spirituality in the Stories of the World’s Most Famous Seeker (Westminster John Knox Press, 2002) and What’s a Christian to Do With Harry Potter? (Waterbrook Press paperback, 2001). She has also helped churches start Harry Potter Book & Bible Clubs for kids and youth, along with education for […]