Meet an innoFaither: Kevin Singer
Meet Kevin Singer, innoFaith’s new Communications and Engagement Director and faith-rooted social innovator. An evangelical Christian deeply committed to pluralism, Kevin founded Neighborly Faith to support young evangelicals to dialogue with people of other faith traditions. Kevin, who is also an Aspen Institute Religion Fellow, loves living in a religiously and politically diverse part of the country in Raleigh, NC. We’re thrilled to have him join the innoFaith team!
What faith(s), if any, do you practice? How does your tradition and/or spiritual practice inspire or influence you as an innovator?
I am an evangelical Christian. Political narratives on evangelical Christians often leave out how they are innovating for the good of others “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). I recently wrote about one example where World Vision (an evangelical humanitarian org) partnered with Islamic Relief to save countless lives in Africa during public health crises. Evangelicals are also on the front lines of innovating to provide better disaster relief, immigration policies, and human trafficking.
Promoting dialogue across faiths is a passion of mine, and I am particularly inspired by the work of E. Stanley Jones, an influential evangelical leader and author who spent decades sharing his faith in India. Jones developed a unique method of gathering people from different religions (“the round table”), where instead of debating one another on theology, participants sat together to share their religious experiences. He also founded India's first Christian psychiatric hospital and the Sat Tal Christian Ashram, a spiritual retreat center and interracial/interreligious community-living experiment modeled after Mahatma Gandhi’s ashrams.
What are you currently working on?
Since 2015, I have directed Neighborly Faith, a small non-profit that equips young evangelicals for dialogue with people of other faiths. My newest experiment there is working with Windrider Studios to introduce short films to dialogue events between Cru and MSA to promote deeper connection.
I’m also really excited about joining the Aspen Religion Fellows program, an 18-month fellowship that equips leaders to bring the power of pluralism to the spaces where they live and work.
What can we find you doing when you’re not working?
I’m probably eating bean-to-bar chocolate at Videri Chocolate Factory in downtown Raleigh, my closest thing to a sanctuary outside of church, or watching the Chicago Bears and trying not to scream.
What is piquing your curiosity these days?
Anything and everything that Simran Jeet Singh is doing. He is producing a fascinating documentary series, UNDIVIDED, traveling across the country to discover how the fight for freedom has shaped and been shaped by our diverse religious communities throughout American history. He also put out an edited book this year, Modeling Religious Pluralism, that I just received and can’t wait to dig into.
What is something you’d like help on?
I want to know all the things happening in faith and innovation. I think it’s a fascinating field because it takes something normally seen as squishy and connects it to measurable progress on human flourishing. I want innoFaith to be a hub for all of the opportunities, stories, people, and organizations working in faith and innovation – a big task – but there is so much more out there than people realize. I’d love to partner with as many folks as possible to make this happen.
What is something you can offer others in the innoFaith network?
I’m a good thought partner when it comes to engaging conservative audiences, evangelical Christians, and Muslims. I also have good experience pitching the press, scaling initiatives in higher education, building ecosystems, and making meals for multiple children in 20 minutes or less.
You can find Kevin on LinkedIn, via email, or on his personal Substack where he writes about bridge-building, pluralism, and his experiences in the Aspen Religion Fellows program.
Meet an innoFaither is our series to introduce the inspiring optimists in the innoFaith world and what they’re working on and thinking about. We hope it helps you find and engage with each other across the network to advance faith-rooted social innovation and interfaith collaboration for social impact. Or just meet some cool people. Find the full series at innofaith.org/meet-an-innofaither.