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A Third Award for A Baptist Preacher’s Buddhist Teacher

Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. signs copies of his award-winning book, A Baptist Preacher’s Buddhist Teacher, at the SGI-USA Chicago Culture Center, Jan. 26. Photo by Bob Nardi

The fascinating new book by Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, titled A Baptist Preacher’s Buddhist Teacher (Middleway Press), is earning high praise.

The book, which discusses how Dean Carter’s interfaith journey with SGI President Daisaku Ikeda made him a better Christian, received its most recent gold award from Nautilus Book Awards in the Religion / Spirituality of Western Thought category. The book award program’s mission is “to celebrate and honor books that support conscious living and green values, high-level wellness, positive social change and social justice and spiritual growth.”

The semi-autobiographical book has also received two other gold awards: the 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards in the Religion (Eastern/Western) category; and the 2019 Illumination Book Awards in the Biography/ Memoir category.

The most recent award marks the 18th award granted to a book published by Middleway Press—the SGI-USA’s publishing arm.

In the final pages of his book, Dean Carter writes of the relationship between President Ikeda and him:

I can say unequivocally that of all the spiritual and philosophical leaders I have met—many of them the twentieth century’s most revered—it is this Japanese lay Buddhist, still unknown to many outside of his native country, who has been the most impressive in terms of sincerity, learning, action, integrity, achievement, and global vision. Daisaku Ikeda has captured my heart, my mind, and my spirit in a way that I find difficult to describe—except to say that at last, after many years, I have found another mentor. (p. 129)

A Baptist Preacher’s Buddhist Teacher is available for $14.95 at major bookstores, including Amazon.com. Please note that it is available at select SGI-USA bookstores but not on the SGI-USA website. For more details, visit middlewaypress.com.

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