We welcome you to the
Higher Purpose Forum.
Thank you for stopping by.
our purpose
Win/Win Conversation
We invite you to join us in advancing a new approach to exploring life’s important issues and questions.
Enough already of the half-truths, the partisan, manipulative, and narrow arguments that seem to pass these days for commentary on vitally
important topics.
People entrenched on both sides of important issues actually have a lot in common. They share a desire and conscience to make the world a better place. Starting from this common ground, we need to advance the art of engaging in win/win rather than win/lose conversation.
The purpose of this website is to create a platform for sincere, respectful, open-minded, and robust conversation on important spiritual, public and personal topics.
Food for Thought
We are introducing bite-sized conversations on a wide range of topics relevant to our daily lives. Our topic areas are Justice and Economic Democracy, Race and Providence in America, Unity of Science, Spirituality and Religion, Current Affairs, and Meetings of the Boston Higher Purpose Forum.
We hope that you will find two or three conversations you like among the variety of offerings in our five-category menu. We use the Socratic method – raising questions and guiding answers – to generate and expand a shared understanding.
The servings may be small, but as this website continuously develops and improves, there will be LOTS to enjoy. We plan to add several new conversations to the menu each week.
Our serving style is “Unificationism.”
“Unificationism” is the systematic expression of God’s love and truth as taught by Rev. Sun Myung Moon (1920 – 2012). This understanding is based on an overall awareness of the basic principles at work throughout nature, across human history, and resident in our own conscience – as can be gleaned in the teachings of virtually all theistic religions.
Our Approach Involves “Crowd Sourcing”
The “crowd sourcing” approach of the Higher Purpose Forum is rooted in our sincere belief that:
I. God has an active concern and viewpoint on all issues important to human life
II. God wants to speak to us like a parent seeking to share his heart with his family
III. God can speak through this forum and through YOU.
Whether or not you believe in God,
God can connect with you. He[1] reaches you through your conscience and heart and your study and experience of scripture, nature, science, and history. Because you’re one of a kind, you can be a unique channel of understanding and insight. So we value your engaging in our “conversations.”
The more engagement we generate, the more God can speak, the more wisdom and insight can be revealed and shared.
The objective of our three-step method (Conversation Starter > Discussion (Blog) > White Paper) is to establish a genuine back-and-forth dynamic generating synergy and new insight. We hope that the end result, our White Papers, will offer new and unifying perspectives and solutions to some of the questions of the day.
We hope to tackle all questions and issues openly and respectfully, even the tough ones. Send us your suggestions.
[1] For simplicity, we refer to the one God as “He.” A more accurate pronoun would be He/She.
our promise
Our intention is to allow God to speak and God’s love to be shared.
We will eagerly encourage your participation in and support for this forum.
We will not use your name for anything.
We will not ask you to buy or pay for anything.
If you would like to learn more, please contact the Steering Committee by filling out the “CONTACT US” form.
We will be happy to hear from you.
YOUR SUPPORT
We strongly encourage you to donate to this tax-exempt, 501C3 project. To do so, please use the DONATE tab. Your donations will be used solely i) to maintain and develop this website, and ii) to compensate authors and editors.
We intend to generously compensate all our authors and editors for their valuable work. The more you donate, the more generous we can be. Our intention is that only our Steering Committee will serve on a voluntary basis.
our PROCESS
Moderator/Author
An expert on a narrow topic of applied spiritual understanding. He or she will initiate and moderate the conversation. You are invited to interact directly with the Moderator/Author.
Conversation Starter
A 100 to 200 word topic statement and 3 or 4 related questions posted by the Moderator/Author to initiate a topical conversation.
Conversation Contributions
Your addition to the conversation after reading the “Conversation Starter.” Type your comments into the box below the last line of the “Conversation Starter.” No need to tell us whether you agree. We hope to hear more from you than that. You can help the conversation by digging into one or more of our questions, explaining your insights, sharing your expertise, challenging a premise, whatever….
Discussion Forum
Presents the input/comments submitted by conversation participants to the Moderator/Author. Your submission will be reviewed and edited by the Moderator/Author before being posted. The Moderator/Author is not obliged to post all submissions.
The purpose of the Discussion Forum is to build on the “Conversation Starter” and subsequent discussion. The Moderator will use the Discussion Forum to generate new insights, reference points, and perspective.
White Paper
An approximately 1,000-word posting authored by the Moderator/Author based on the Conversation Starter and the results of the Discussion Forum.
The White Paper (downloadable) is the final product of the Conversation. The White Paper will draw upon the expertise of the Moderator/Author and the insights and understanding generated in the Discussion Forum.
Note: At present, we have a number of “Draft White Papers” posted on the website that are the results of the previous version of this website. You are invited to submit your comments are suggestions on these essays. Your input will be reviewed before these White Papers are finalized.
our Steering Committee
James Edgerly
Jim had a 35-year career in troubled business restructuring. He was Senior Consultant at Arthur D. Little Inc. (Cambridge, MA), and Senior Partner at Theddd Recovery Group (Boston, MA). Jim led the asset acquisition, operational restructuring, and…
Mark Anderson
Mark was first elected to the Arizona State Legislature in 1994. He served for 14 years, authoring numerous significant and innovative pieces of legislation. In 2010, Mark was elected to the position of Justice of the…
Carol Pobanz
Carol Pobanz is a spiritual leader, serving in ministry for over 40 years. With Universal Peace Federation and Religious Youth Service, she led interreligious and art-based service projects in the U.S., Europe, Central America, and…
John Hessell
John Hessell is from Los Angeles, California. He attended University of California – Santa Barbara. In 1977, he founded Original World Products (OWP) in New York City. He served as an executive at OWP for for 33 years, developing multiple…
our Steering Committee
James Edgerly
Jim had a 35-year career in troubled business restructuring. He was Senior Consultant at Arthur D. Little Inc. (Cambridge, MA), and Senior Partner at The Recovery Group (Boston, MA). Jim led the asset acquisition, operational restructuring, and…
Mark Anderson
Mark was first elected to the Arizona State Legislature in 1994. He served for 14 years, authoring numerous significant and innovative pieces of legislation. In 2010, Mark was elected to the position of Justice of the…
Carol Pobanz
Carol Pobanz is a spiritual leader, serving in ministry for over 40 years. With Universal Peace Federation and Religious Youth Service, she led interreligious and art-based service projects in the U.S., Europe, Central America, and…
John Hessell
John Hessell is from Los Angeles, California. He attended University of California – Santa Barbara. In 1977, he founded Original World Products (OWP) in New York City. He served as an executive at OWP for for 33 years, developing multiple…