Edward Hess, M.A., M.S. was born into a culture with deep roots in Protestant Evangelical Christianity. He was also born into an opportunity to embrace the securities of a thriving family business. While he explored each of these traditions with great due diligence, the force of his intellectual and spiritual integrity would not let him settle for either of them. As a result, and not without a period of disorientation and experimentation, he found himself seeking intellectual and spiritual growth in self and others. He understands from personal experience what it means to have to sacrifice personal security for the sake of personal integrity, and what it means to let go of clinging to a deeply ingrained religious way of believing for the sake of seeking authentic spiritual growth.