Inquiring and Discerning Hearts

"Portaro and Peluso have produced a book which gives us useful information and updated resources to make the case that needs to be made for ministry in higher education. . . . One of the real strengths of this book is that it places the story of Protestant campus ministry within the context of American society since the 1950s. . . . Inquiring and Discerning Hearts is a very useful book. It articulates the need for a clear vision of mission on campus as supporting the vocational and faith development of young adults, and of students, faculty, and staff of the over 3,000 institutions of higher education across the country. It argues that the support of these missions must come from the local base, from the congregations and diocesan networks, from alumni, faculty, and friends of the ministry, rather than from any national or provincial fund. It pulls together the history of campus ministry since the 1940s and demonstrates that the lofty goals three large Protestant denominations set for themselves were never adequately structured or funded to make them realizable. . . . Take this book as food for our journey in campus ministry, as we tell the story of where we have been and build structures to support that ministry into the next century." - Jacqueline Schmitt, Anglican Theological Review