A note of gratitude

Dear reader,

One year ago today we launched this publication with an ambitious vision. But in the summer of 2012, when our core leadership first assembled, we routinely asked one another how we would convince readers to stop by and how we would convince scholars and writers to commit their time to writing for an unknown publication. We had no idea whether we’d sink or swim, but we jumped out anyway.

In our first year we have published nearly 150 pieces and attracted a regular readership from more than 170 countries. We have filmed and recorded interviews with Peter Brown, Tessa Rajak, Martin Marty, Leila Ahmed, Stephen Prothero, and others; published essays written on a wide range of subjects like Russian identity and the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church and marijuana in Kentucky, Jewish feminist movements, the religious influences on Steve Jobs, and a reconstruction of the Maccabean history; published reviews by leading and emerging scholars in many of the fields in religious studies; and we have launched MRB Radio with Arthur Remillard.

We are fortunate to have the devotion of a stellar editorial board who consistently commissions and edits reviews, a production team led by Brian Davidson that selflessly carries on important work without any public recognition, and the cooperation of an impressive array of contributors. But the only reason MRB has had any success thus far is because you have given us a chance to earn your time. And as excited as we are about 2013, we are even more eager to build on these foundations in the coming year. Our commitment to intellectually robust discourse is the same, but our vision for what we can accomplish together is expanding.

On behalf of the entire editorial board and Advisory Board let me thank you once again for making MRB one of your reads. If you should ever feel that you want to solidify your support even further, please click on our support page to find out how you can help sustain our work.

Oh, and have a piece of cake today.

Gratefully,

Timothy Michael Law
editor-in-chief