The essays included in this volume of the JSCE are fairly typical in that they reflect issues of perennial interest to members of the Society of Christian Ethics--from concerns about poverty and violence to questions about the virtues necessary to avoid a politics of despair. For example, John Langan's essay--which is a revised version of his presidential address to the SCE--focuses on the political situation in the United States after the election of 2004. His meditation on the virtue of hope transcends this specific context and is directly relevant to several of the other essays we publish here. Although we could catalog the many connections across these essays, we leave that to our readers. Suffice it to say that thanks to the talented authors who have shared their work with us; we are delighted to bring out another rich and provocative volume.