I first learned about The Beatitudes Society when I worked with The Fund for Theological Education (now The Forum for Theological Exploration). TBS supports emerging church leaders with progressive commitments. There is a lot out there for conservative and fundamentalist church leaders, so I was so excited to learn about this unique nonprofit! Now I'm on the board. I'm always so impressed with the level of support leaders gain from TBS to advance their ministry in the public square, and with the caliber of the leaders.
I got involved with The Beatitudes Society as a mentor to their summer fellowship program and have since joined the board and helped with the launch of the new year-long intensive Beatitudes Fellowship program. What distinguishes The Beatitudes Society from any number of leadership programs is its commitment to locating and identifying emerging, explicitly Progressive, Christian leaders who are bringing the resources of the church to bear on the pressing issues of our time: immigration reform, mass incarceration, police violence, inter-religious dialogue, and more. I highly recommend that interested persons visit their website to learn more about the program and its growing network of Fellows.
Full disclosure, it was my husband, Michael Kieschnick, co-founder of Working Assets/CREDO, and I who founded The Beatitudes Society in the wake of the 2004 elections, kidnapped by the far Right. We were asking where all the "Coffins" had gone? Where were the prophetic Christian leaders (like William Sloane Coffin) who love a Jesus who lived the beatitudes, who reached out to the least, the last, the lost, the lonely, who courageously, challenged systemic oppression, who spoke truth to power? After ten years, we are incredibly proud of the young and gifted Beatitudes fellows who have taken a courageous stand in the public square for justice for all - Alison Harrington on the border and Heber Brown in Baltimore to name just two. We are positioned to equip this generation with the skills and the networks to turn the world upside down in the name of Love.