Richard Foster has been a Quaker pastor in California and Oregon. He taught at George Fox College and now teaches at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. He has written Celebration of Discipline and Freedom of Simplicity (Harper & Row), recently published books that call for increased commitment to live the Christian life. Yet it's obvious from Foster's quick laugh and soft eyes that for him Christian commitment doesn't mean something hard and austere, but something warm and loving.

Henri Nouwen is a Catholic priest and psychologist who has taught at Notre Dame and Yale Divinity School. He has written The Genesee Diary and The Wounded Healer (Doubleday), books that take a look at what it means to be a Christian and a minister in modem society. But Nouwen's prophetic words are tempered by an intense, electric concern for those around him. He's easy to love and his quick, reasoned thinking invites acceptance.

In reading their books, one realizes they are ...