In this article, the authors explore their motivations for conceiving of and assembling the current issue on comparative religious studies as a viable pedagogical orientation for our troubled times. Situated in both the history of comparison as a method and scholarship on effective pedagogy, it argues that disciplined, scholarly, sound comparative thinking (whether at the level of textbook authorship, course design, or selection of classroom activities) can help us to respond to our students dynamically, reflexively, and, most importantly, humanely.