The Dalai Lama, Hands of Peace

By Peter Zehren

I was honored to be in the receiving line when the Dalai Lama came to Riverside Church. Riverside and New York Theological Seminary have has a long relationship and it was extraordinary to feel the presences of peace as his hand blessed me.

Speaking mostly to the Tibetans in the New York Metro area, the Dalai Lama made a plea to heal dishonesty and take personal responsibility. As a people, “it is our responsibility to help.” He asked for understanding and patience with the Chinese government, with being kept out of Tibet, and with continuing to stand up for justice by the way we lead our lives.

“Dialogue,” he said, “is the critical function and only solution” to the political troubles in Tibet. I found that most poignant as my own person reflections have taken me through an exploration of Daniel Yankelovich’s book, The Magic of Dialogue: Transforming Conflict Into Cooperation. Yankelovich outlines dialogue as a method of communicating where both sides honor the other, where opinions and concepts are melded together, combining all aspects of conversation. In the colloquial, it’s a “both and.”

The thrust of what was said centered around being a good person. An appeal was made to teach “Tibetan ways” to the next generation with an admonition that “our survival as Tibetans depends on it.” Then, honoring the greater good, the Dalai Lama added, “Please keep doing well. Always do the best you can. Do the right thing and remember, this must be taught to the community.



Peter Zehren is Vice President for Development and Institutional Advancement at New York Theological Seminary.

NYTS Sing Sing Program makes a difference

By Peter Zehren

With tears in their eyes and applause for a man who made a difference, the folks at Mattie’s Diner in Buffalo, NY watched as his story unfolded on TV. Gerald Balone has made returned to the neighborhood where he was involved in a robbery that left three people dead. He spent 37-and-a-half years in prison. And, his life was changed by New York Theological Seminary’s Sing Sing ministry when he earned the seminary's Master's of Professional Development.

Gerald had just got off the night shift at Alcoholic and Drug Dependency Services where he works with rehabilitation. He also helps with re-entry but believes his most important ministry is with prevention, going into the schools and telling his story to kids.

Balone will readily tell you Buffalo is the second poorest city in the nation. “Most people would move on from here if they could. I’m right where I’m supposed to be, in the same neighborhood I started in helping out.”

Balone is proud of being a 1999 graduate of NYTS’s Sing Sing program. He struggled through his GED in prison, and then continued through getting his degree. Through hunger strikes, protests and plenty of struggles Balone made it. Now, in his words, “I’m probably the happiest person you’ll ever know.”

An Interesting Mix of Religion and Politics

by Peter Zehren

At the common table everyone has a place and every voice is honored. New York Theological Seminary gathers people from six continents with a myriad of cultural backgrounds and faiths from Buddhists and Muslims to Jewish and Christian religions. It is with that spirit of inclusivity that I attended an Interreligious Dialogue Event at the United Nations recently.


Should faith have a seat at the political table?

Sister Joan Kirby presented a proposal for a Decade of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding and Cooperation for Peace. The thrust of the proposal is to promote partnerships between UN member states and religious communities to further social good. A lively conversation ensued around the changing world order, fear of anything “religious” by politicians, even the use of terminology was seen as a possible deterrent to gaining the needed “buy-in” by a state to introduce the proposal, and several supporting states to move it forward.

Is dialogue stalled by terms and shifting power structures?

The point was made that religions or faiths (a term some from the eastern tradition were more comfortable with) are seen as a subset of culture. Kirby underscored, “religions transcend country boundaries and cultures.” Perception is key here. I raised the issue of changing world order. As countries like China and India surge forward the need to understand other cultures and faiths around the globe becomes more important than ever. The political, economic and faith sectors will need to work together.

Do faith-based efforts address social issues better?

One person shared her view that religious communities have addressed problems of poverty in developing countries more successfully through missionaries than some UN programs. The resources and efforts put forth from this sector have certainly assisted in a substantial way to disasters, health epidemics and poverty. That is why the sector should have a voice at the political table.

How can an interfaith effort gain support?

Unpredictable partnerships within the faith sector as well as other sectors could help gain the necessary backing. Already Europe has come out against this proposal which was compiled by interreligious and faith-based organizations at a conference in Geneva, Switzerland in 2008 hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Conference of NGOs in a Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO). While the effort is laudable, many felt it may need a smaller test program to fine tune it before moving forward at the UN.

Peter Zehren is Vice President for Development and Insitutional Advancement at New York Theological Seminary.

Tutu Says God Calls Fundraisers to Change Injustice

As we stood applauding, Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke a warning, “Provide a preacher a podium and a captive audience and you cannot expect me to remain within the timeframe.” As keynote at the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) 47th International Conference in Baltimore, Tutu lauded over 3,000 fundraising professionals for making possible the peaceful transition out of Apartheid. Tutu explained U.S. donations supported many of the anti apartheid efforts.

I was proud at that moment to think of New York Theological Seminary’s former President Moses William Howard, Junior’s work as president of the North American Regional Conference on Action Against Apartheid, the largest United Nations-sponsored conference of anti-apartheid activities ever held in the United States.

Tutu went on,“Philanthropy is the opposite of selfishness.” And that, as we all know, extends beyond dollars. Tutu’s eyes teared as he remembered Berkley students in the 70s protesting against injustices happening 10-thousand miles away. “Without the honorable calling of fundraisers,” he said, “we would not be free today. And, Nelson Mandela might have died in prison, not living to be acknowledged as a global icon of forgiveness.”

Tutu reflected, “Yours is a very noble profession. Our civil society efforts would have been hobbled if not for your generous support.” He went on to caution, “Structured help is another chain that binds; what is needed is an understanding free of chains.” In other words, when aid programs neglect to factor in a cultural understanding, they can be more restrictive than helpful. “Help should empower people by partnering equally, uplifting them.”

I was proud when Tutu’s lilting voice rang out, “You actually have a noble profession, a noble calling, a noble vocation.” He added, we must all work towards equality, a world where those who have more help those with less. “When those who are different are ignored, it presents a recipe for disaster… a dire, unsustainable situation. That is not how God intended it to be.”

Tutu whispered gracefully, “God is saying hey, hello-o-o, we are all family.”  He closed by thanking all of us for being part of “philanthropy’s noble calling to help change situations of injustice.”

Peter Zehren is Vice President for Development and Insitutional Advancement at New York Theological Seminary.