How Do You Sustain Hope and Resist Disillusionment While Doing Good?

Jun 13, 2022

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“Disillusionment is the loss of a lie that we have believed.” —Peter Greer, HOPE International

Most people who work in humanitarian and helping professions end up in a familiar cycle: idealism leads to disillusionment which leads to either cynicism, or hope.

Peter Greer and Chris Horst, both with HOPE International, have seen it again and again. For their new book, “The Gift of Disillusionment: Enduring Hope for Leaders After Idealism Fades,” they interviewed Christian leaders from around the world who have overcome disillusionment, gleaning lessons for the rest of us.

In this episode, Jamie and Kent ask them about:

Takeaways from those interviews
How to define hope
Shepherding young idealists
Words of advice for people experiencing disillusionment for the first time
Why it’s important for the American church to find diverse voices, and why it was important for this book
How to assess whether an organization is the right fit for you—and how HOPE assesses how candidates are the right fit for them

RESOURCES:

“The Gift of Disillusionment: Enduring Hope for Leaders After Idealism Fades” by Peter Greer & Chris Horst

Where are you on the journey from idealism to enduring hope? Take the test that accompanies Peter & Chris’ book here

"On Being a Good Neighbor", sermon draft by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This episode produced by Laura Finch

Theme Song “Turning Over Tables” by The Brilliance

(Note to the listener: In this podcast, sometimes we'll have evangelicals, sometimes we won't. We thinking learning how to do good better involves listening to lots of perspectives, with different insights and understanding with us. Sometimes it will make us uncomfortable, sometimes we'll agree, sometimes we won't. We think that's good. We want to listen for correction. Especially in our blind spots.)

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