Realistic Hope in 2024
At a time when the forces pulling our world apart often seem to be gathering strength, realistic hope is a precious commodity. Our conviction at Fetzer is that we as a human family can find this hope in the shared message of our great faith traditions.
Over the past two years, we have brought together teams of distinguished scholar-practitioners from nine of the world’s faith traditions to explore the traditions’ deep convergence, and we will be releasing the initial results of their work in 2024.
On Realistic Hope: A Reflection on Advent, Diwali, and Hanukkah
“Every spiritual journey is a pilgrimage, an exercise in anticipation and hope.” — Image Journal, “Every Breath a Birth”
The closing months of the year often come with mixed emotions. Although this season is typically marketed as joyful and filled with cheer, gratitude, and connection, our lived reality likely resembles something different.
All Our Relations: A Reflection on Lakota Spirituality
An interview with Siniti and Victoria Oneda by Fetzer Institute Program Officer Chelsea Langston Bombino.
And I say the sacred hoop of my people was one of the many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father. —Black Elk
Civic Friendship in Jewish Thought
Recently, the Fetzer Institute had the honor of interviewing our partner, Dr. Shira Billet from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). Dr. Billet's research focuses on the beginnings of modern Jewish philosophy and its place within the history of philosophy, especially ethics, political philosophy, and philosophy of religion.
In Service of Love and Justice in the Black Church: A Conversation with Dr. Jacqueline Rivers
The Fetzer Institute recently had the privilege of speaking with partner Dr. Jacqueline Rivers, the executive director of the Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies, which focuses on exploring the relationship between religion, particularly within the Black church tradition, and public life. Collaborating with ecumenical Black church leaders, Dr. Rivers advocates for a civic love ethic inspired by Dr. King, that transcends political binaries. Dr.
Dear Spiritual Innovators, You Are Not Alone
The first time I heard the word “spiritual innovator” was at a gathering at the Fetzer Institute called Sharing Spiritual Heritage. I looked around the room of extraordinary spiritual leaders and thought that perhaps they had made a mistake by inviting me. However, when they started to raise questions, questions I’d been holding deeply and with great discomfort on my own for so long, I felt a deep sense of relief and kinship, like I’d found a new family.
Effective Philanthropy: Learning from Our Partners
In 2022 we took a big leap with our partners: We initiated a standardized survey of funded partner perceptions administered by the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP). Relationships are the bedrock of our work, and we wanted to deepen into different ways of listening to our partners. Are we helpful? Do we understand the nature of partners’ organizations and work? Are we transparent? The survey was anonymized as one way to level power dynamics, and it was designed to identify patterns that transcend individuals.
Inhabiting the Story of Our Future
Every person has a story. In fact, each of us finds ourself in the middle of our story. Take a deep breath. Find the center of your heart, or your center of gravity.
Where are you in your story?
This is what more than 300 people experienced at the beginning of Fetzer’s session at South by Southwest (SXSW), Inhabiting the Story of Our Future. (At max capacity one could call it a sold-out show.)
You Say Unity, I Say Belonging…
In a time when divisions seem to be widening, what can philanthropy learn about how its language helps to bridge or exacerbate those divides? Are the terms we use meaningful to grantees and those they exist to serve? These are the driving questions behind Fetzer’s early involvement in a national Civic Language Perception Project with Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE).
Toward a Spiritual Infrastructure of the Future
Spiritual innovation is happening all around us. From taking church to the streets of Skid Row to proclaiming rest as resistance within a productivity-obsessed culture, spiritual innovators are expanding the boundaries of how we access the divine and seek meaning in today’s chaotic times.