The Better Samaritan Podcast: Recent Episodes
Wheaton HDI
The Better Samaritan is a podcast with Kent Annan & Jamie Aten where we’re learning—along with you—how to more helpfully love our neighbors, from everyday acts of kindness to navigating complex humanitarian challenges facing the church and society. Join us as we interview experts with insight on learning to do good, better.
“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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @peterkgreer | @chrishorst | @hopetweets (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
"This issue is not going away, and it’s not a one church issue. Has spanned the church world in all denominations. I think it’s something that God is exposing because he loves the church and wants to see her well." —Danielle Strickland Danielle Strickland spent 22 years as a Salvation Army officer in 3 countries, fighting exploitation and human trafficking, before becoming a church planter and teacher. At a Canadian megachurch where she was serving, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse came to her to share her story of abuse by the head pastor. What ensued led to an investigation and ultimately, Danielle's resignation from the church. In this episode, Danielle shares a step-by-step timeline of what happened in the Meeting House investigation: what worked, and what didn't work, and how it all affected the survivor. Jamie and Kent talk with her about how a church can prepare for and be a safe space for survivors. Danielle gives an update on what is currently happening at the Meeting House, as more survivors have come forward, and gives a final exhortation to church leaders: center Jesus by centering the people he did. That's always the oppressed. If there comes a time when it's necessary to choose between protecting the reputation of a particular church and protecting a survivor, choose the survivor. That's what Jesus did. RESOURCES: Until Every Woman is Heard Prayer Movement "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @djstrickland (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When Paul McLaughlin went to his advisor, Mark McMinn, to pitch a dissertation on wisdom psychology, Mark told him: “Paul, that sounds like a great topic, but psychologists do not really study wisdom.” Paul proved him wrong, and years later they’ve together crafted a book on it: As Christians, what can we learn from the science of wisdom? And how we can cultivate this virtue in our hectic, tragic modern world? In this episode, Kent and Jamie also query Paul and Mark on topics like: What’s the difference between information and wisdom?: What’s the cost of operating without wisdom? What are some practices for cultivating wisdom? What is the relationship between adversity and wisdom?
RESOURCES: Paul and Mark’s book: A Time for Wisdom: Knowledge, Detachment, Tranquility, Transcendence (Templeton Press, 2022) "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
84 million people have been forcibly displaced around the world. Add to that a recent 5 million from Ukraine, and the world’s borders are under tremendous pressure. According to Ali Noorani, founder of the National Immigration Forum, that creates a deep sense of fear that our borders are out of control. To ‘do something’ used to mean to treat refugees & immigrants in the harshest way possible. But how do we, as a country, uphold our values of both freedom and fairness in this area? Ali has concrete recommendations for the nation and for the church.
RESOURCES: Ali’s book: “Crossing Borders: The Reconciliation of a Nation of Immigrants” "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @anoorani (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As a helper, you want to help, serve and honor those you work with. That might be as a church leader, disaster relief worker, nurse or barista. But as an imperfect person, you may need to do some soul-searching in order to most effectively help those around you. Dr. Holly Oxhandler’s book, The Soul of the Helper: Seven Stages to Seeing the Sacred Within Yourself So You Can See It In Others, is an invitation for helpers to become curious about their inner landscape. What is happening within us impacts the ways that we serve others—and we have to pay attention to this intersection. For example, we may be trying to act out some of the things we are seeking without offering an open-palmed, unconditional presence. Join us in this episode for an invitation to look deep within yourself and examine your own motives and soul health … so that your service is out of abundant love. RESOURCES: "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @hollyoxhandler (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How has militarism shaped our idea of the way a Christian ‘should’ be? Does it make sense to put theology at the center of what it means to be an evangelical—even if pastors would like it to be? Jamie and Kent sat down with Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of “Jesus and John Wayne,” to ask her these questions and talk about her take on evangelicals’ relationship with the ‘outsider’—plus—the dangerous byproduct of attention to global persecution of Christians.
RESOURCES:
"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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @kkdumez (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 1995, a book was published with a provocative opening: "The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind." (Christianity Today would go on to award this Book of the Year.) Today on the podcast, the author of that book—prominent evangelical historian Mark Noll—looks back on the last 30 years of the movement ahead of the book’s re-release. He talks with Jamie and Kent about the vast diversity in the movement, populism and the way it permeates Christian politics, and the tension between evangelicalism and science. They also discuss ways for students and young professionals to cultivate a life of the mind; Mark says “...the ideal Christian is either a thinking activist, or an active thinker.” RESOURCES: The Scandal of the Evanglical Mind—releasing March 31, 2022 "On Being a Good Neighbor", sermon draft by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This episode produced by Laura Finch Photo credit: William Koechling Theme Song “Turning Over Tables” by The Brilliance Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In just 13 days, two million Ukrainians have so far been absorbed into other nations in the European Union—not in camps, but in homes, welcomed with open arms by 27 nations. How much more can Europe absorb? Roger Sandberg, VP of Field Operations for Medical Teams International, was asked by the government of Poland to operate a clinic on the border of Ukraine. He just arrived in the region, and joins us to update on the humanitarian response to the crisis. RESOURCES: Roger’s organization: Medical Teams International CT: Moldova Welcomes 100K Ukraine Refugees, With Evangelicals Opening Doors "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @medicalteams (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin is the founder and Executive Director of Soulfire International Ministry and Senior Vice President of Ministry Impact at the American Bible Society. Previously, she ran the Trauma Healing Institute at the American Bible Society. She spoke with Kent and Jamie about questions like:
How do you define impact in ministry?
What steps can local churches take to make sure they are helping victims of trauma—and not making things worse?
What is normalized stress, and how can the church respond to it?
Dr. Martin received her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she was the recipient of the Jones Prize in Music and the Swink Prize in Preaching. She also earned a Doctor of Ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with an emphasis on African American Redemptive Leadership. Dr. Martin teaches courses in Ministry and Leadership Development at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, and has been inducted into the prestigious Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Board of Preachers at Morehouse College. RESOURCES: Trauma Healing Training Generational Trauma Healing “Virtual Healing Groups? One Expert Says It’s Possible” (written by Dr. Martin for the Better Samaritan blog) "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @nmassiemartin (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Which Enneagram numbers are drawn to helping professions? Might trauma impact our Enneagram types? And how can we use the Enneagram to do good, better? Listen as Jamie (3) and Kent (number as yet unknown) interview Suzanne Stabile, often known as the ‘godmother’ of the enneagram, on these questions and more. Suzanne’s newest book, The Journey to Wholeness, explains what it means for certain numbers on the Enneagram to ‘move to’ other numbers in health—or in stress. RESOURCES: Suzanne’s website Suzanne’s books:
The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery
The Path Between Us: An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships
The Journey Toward Wholeness: Enneagram Wisdom for Stress, Balance, and Transformation
"On Being a Good Neighbor", sermon draft by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Learn more about earning a M.A. in Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership at Wheaton College—online or in-person This episode produced by Laura Finch Theme Song “Turning Over Tables” by The Brilliance Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @suzannestabile (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Participants at last year's virtual Spiritual First Aid Summit were totally captivated by one particular workshop. It was a free-writing exercise with Bethany D. Hiser, who refers to herself as a "recovering social justice workaholic." Hiser authored the book, "From Burned Out to Beloved: Soul Care for Wounded Healers." We decided to bring Hiser's workshop to you, our podcast listeners, for you to use anytime. The wonderful music accompaniment is provided by Aaron Andries, of "Graveyards to Gardens." (For more on Hiser's workshops, visit her website here.) You'll see in our recent episodes that we also have a Ten Minute Embodied Prayer by Liuan Huska. This is another great tool to use for a moment of peace, to reconnect with your body. For today's episode though, you might want to use a pen and journal. The Lord bless you and keep you this week. —Laura, Jamie & Kent RESOURCES: Bethany Hiser's website "On Being a Good Neighbor", sermon draft by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This episode produced by Laura Finch Music by Aaron Andries of "Graveyards to Gardens" Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @bethanydhiser (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pastors can't stop talking about this recent article by Melissa Florer-Bixler, Raleigh Mennonite Church and the chair of L'Arche North Carolina. Nearly half of pastors under 45 have considered leaving ministry in the past year, along with much of the rest of the workforce—a phenomenon which seems to be unique to the U.S., for various reasons. Since Jamie conducted research on pastors who stayed in their communities after Hurricane Katrina, Kent sat down with the two of them to ask:
What is the 'Great Resignation,' and why are pastors joining it?
How do church communities survive disasters—from hurricanes to pandemics?
Not all pastors are leaving ministry or retiring; for those who are staying, what is giving them strength?
RESOURCES: Why Pastors are Joining the Great Resignation by Melissa Florer-Bixler “How to Have an Enemy: Righteous Anger and the Work of Peace” by Melissa Florer-Bixler Has the Pandemic Made Your Pastor Want to Quit? Probably. by Christa Cordova Four Keys for Church Leaders Surviving the Tension of Unprecedented Times by Aubrey Sampson and Brian From Melissa’s website "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @melissaflobix (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Michelle Reyes is a second generation Indian American author, speaker, and activist. She serves as the Co-Executive Director at Pax and as the Vice President of the Asian American Christian Collaborative, an organization born out of the anti-Asian racism growing due to the pandemic. Michelle’s first book, Becoming All Things: How Small Changes Lead to Lasting Changes Across Cultures, released earlier this year. Michelle and her husband, Aaron, co-planted Hope Community Church, a minority-led multicultural church in East Austin. In this episode, Kent and Jamie take the time to pick Michelle’s brain on narrative justice, the situation at the border, and what Paul’s words for the Jews have to do with the white evangelical church in America.
RESOURCES:
“Becoming All Things: How Small Changes Lead to Lasting Changes Across Cultures” by Michelle Reyes
Sign up for updates from Michelle on her website: https://michelleamireyes.com/
"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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @drmichellereyes (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
There are many reasons we might feel isolated these days. The ups and downs of the pandemic have forced us to socially distance and carefully plan our social gatherings, especially large group events. Political and cultural polarization makes us feel like we no longer know our neighbors and family members. And technology, while connecting us on a superficial level, can leave us feeling starved of deep, substantive relationships.
To provide you with a moment of solitude and reflection at the end of this long year, today we’re presenting a ten minute embodied prayer by Liuan Huska, author of the book Hurting Yet Whole: Reconciling Body and Spirit in Chronic Pain and Illness. This episode is designed to be used again and again, so bookmark it. Use it for a moment of calm, whenever you need it. And let us know what you think by sending us a DM on any social channel @WheatonHDI.
RESOURCES:
Liuan Huska's website: https://liuanhuska.com/ "On Being a Good Neighbor", sermon draft by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This episode produced by Laura Finch Instrumental track provided by Aaron Andries of "Graveyards to Gardens" (find him on Spotify) Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @LiuanHuska (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The hit show "The Chosen" raised $10 million through crowdfunding for its first season alone. And when tickets went on sale for its upcoming Christmas special—which is starting out in theatres–it topped the box office chart. As nonprofit leaders (and professors), Kent and HDI colleague Jamie Goodwin wanted to know: what drives Dallas’ marketing philosophy? Is it anything that other nonprofits could replicate? (And what themes does he plan to explore in season 3?) More highlights from this episode:
The keys to good & ethical storytelling
Why it feels like the show emphasizes healings so much
The one podcast Dallas listens to every single day
RESOURCES: Get tickets to "The Chosen" Christmas Special (or request to host a screening at your church) "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @thechosentv (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As Howard University welcomed students impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Marcus watched with fascination the chapels provided for these students on his campus. That experience—plus serving on alternative spring breaks and witnessing the power of multifaith services at an even younger age—launched him into a career connecting churches and government entities. Now, he’s an administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Today on The Better Samaritan, Marcus answers questions like:
What got you into this work?
How does your role fit with other faith-based government offices?
How can listeners with food banks or ministries connect with government agency is on the back end of their work?
What have you learned about leadership in the midst of disaster response?
RESOURCES: fema.gov/faith COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Resources "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @MTColemanJr (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sophia Lee and Stefani McDade tell hosts Kent Annan and Jamie Aten about their personal experiences reporting on the Afghan refugee crisis—and ways they see the church responding. (As it turns out, the more you practice welcoming, the better you get at it.) Sophia describes a difference between people who have interacted with refugees and people who have only read about them.Stefani describes a blueprint for churches who are ready to welcome—what previous work needs to be done if you’re serious about providing infrastructure for thousands of people arriving at once. RESOURCES: Sophia’s story for WORLD: The Coming Wave Stefani’s story for CT: The Afghan Immigration Crisis is Bigger, Faster, More Traumatic. Are Ministries Ready? And subsequent story for CT: Afghan Muslims are Asking Questions. These Christians Are Ready to Answer. "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @sophialeehyun | @stefanimcdade (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As disasters increase each year across the globe, research shows that the vulnerable suffer disproportionately from them. Fortunately, the church is uniquely suited by its design to bring much-needed assistance to the vulnerable. That’s why in 2011, disaster psychologist Jamie Aten founded the Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI) at Wheaton College. Its mission: to help the church prepare and care for a disaster-filled world. HDI uses research to create resources and events geared toward students, survivors, helpers, and researchers—and offers a M.A. in Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership (HDL). You’ve heard them each week on the podcast. Now take in the HDI origins story:
the disaster that prompted Jamie to start studying resilience;
the thing Christian nonprofit CEOs kept asking for that prompted the start of the graduate program; and
the areas HDL students focus on in their research—and places they end up after graduating.
RESOURCES: Humanitarian Disaster Institute website "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Shane Claiborne, of Red Letter Christians, just spent a few days participating in the “We the People Ride” along the southern border, a story-telling effort to meet the people who live, serve and work along the border. and those who have the best way forward for our immigration and border practices. He joins Kent and Jamie in this episode to describe what he realized there: that hope abounds, especially in places we might be inclined to think are the most hopeless. Listen for more on scarcity mindset, making a choice between love and fear, and how people can take action—at the policy level—on the border crisis. RESOURCES: We the People Ride website Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @ShaneClaiborne (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Philip Yancey grew up confused by the contradictions: “We heard about love and grace, but I didn’t experience much,” he says. Throughout his fifty year writing career, this is the book he has contemplated all along: “I truly believe this is the one book I was put on earth to write.” Today Philip joins the Better Samaritan podcast to discuss his new memoir, Where the Light Fell. He reveals what has happened between his mother & brother since writing his memoir, compares the response to the polio with the response to the COVID-19 vaccine, and talks about recovering from a toxic church. Plus, exclusive for Better Samaritan listeners: enjoy 5 ½ hours of Philip’s favorite writing music on our Spotify playlist. RESOURCES: Where the Light Fell: A Memoir (available now) "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @philipyancey (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“The question most Haitians are asking [is], what is working today in the country? Because everywhere you turn it’s just one crisis after another.”—Jacqueline Charles Turmoil keeps broiling in Haiti, with gangs growing increasingly powerful. In addition to recently kidnapping 17 missionaries, gangs also control fuel supplies, preventing internet use, hospital care and more. Haiti was also the last country in the Americas to receive COVID vaccines. Schools are closed, and can’t meet online. But the U.S. has still deported over 10,000 people, mostly Haitians, back into the country, some of whom haven’t been there for 10 years. Award-winning journalist Jacqueline Charles has been covering it all for the Miami Herald, and an immigrant herself. She says that everywhere you turn in Haiti, it’s one crisis after another. In this episode, Jacqueline reveals the political deterioration that has led to gang control of Port-au-Prince, as well as the migration trends, the disappointing role of the U.S., and where she believes the future of Haiti lies.
RESOURCES: Read Jacqueline’s coverage in the Miami Herald "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @Jacquiecharles (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We started the Better Samaritan with the goal of addressing two things. Both were inspired by Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sermon on that parable:
How can we better help the hurting person in front of us?
How can we make the road safer for those to come in the future?
To that end, at the close of every episode of our podcast, we ask the same five questions:
What has surprised you in your work?
How are you learning to do good, better?
What does humility look like in your field?
How can we make the [Jericho] road safer for those coming in the future?
How do you sustain hope?
We thought it would be fascinating to to compile all the answers to each question, one after the other, in order to notice what themes emerged. (Each full episode is linked, so you can go back and listen to the ones you find interesting.) Our guests work diverse fields: public health, racial conflict, climate change, politics, and displacement, just to name a few. We found the resulting product to be fascinating. Compiled in this episode are answers to our fifth and final question: How do you sustain hope?
RESOURCES: "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We started the Better Samaritan with the goal of addressing two things, inspired by Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sermon on that parable:
How can we better help the hurting person in front of us?
How can we make the road safer for those to come in the future?
To that end, at the close of every episode, we ask the same five questions:
What has surprised you in your work?
How are you learning to do good, better?
What does humility look like in your field?
How can we make the [Jericho] road safer for those coming in the future?
How do you sustain hope?
We thought it would be fascinating to to compile all the answers to each question, one after the other, in order to notice what themes emerged. Our guests work diverse fields: public health, racial conflict, climate change, politics, and displacement, just to name a few. We found the resulting product to be fascinating. Compiled in this episode, the answers we got for our fourth question: How can we make the [Jericho] road safer for those coming in the future? RESOURCES: "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On the Better Samaritan podcast, we’ve had the great privilege of interviewing many humanitarians doing critical work around the world. To close every episode, we ask the same five questions:
What has surprised you in your work?
How are you learning to do good, better?
What does humility look like in your field?
How can we make the [Jericho] road safer for those coming in the future?
How do you sustain hope?
We thought it would be fascinating to to compile all the answers to each question, one after the other, in order to notice what themes emerged. Our guests work diverse fields: public health, racial conflict, climate change, politics, and displacement, just to name a few. We found the resulting product to be fascinating. Compiled in this episode, answers to our third question: What does humility look like in your field?
RESOURCES: "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On the Better Samaritan podcast, we’ve had the great privilege of interviewing many humanitarians doing critical work around the world. To close every episode, we ask the same five questions:
What has surprised you in your work?
How are you learning to do good, better?
What does humility look like in your field?
How can we make the [Jericho] road safer for those coming in the future?
How do you sustain hope?
We thought it would be fascinating to to compile all the answers to each question, one after the other, in order to notice what themes emerged. (Each full episode is linked, so you can go back and listen to the ones you find interesting.) Our guests work diverse fields: public health, racial conflict, climate change, politics, and displacement, just to name a few. We found the resulting product to be fascinating. Last week, we listened to a compilation of answers to our first question: what has surprised you in your work? Compiled in this episode are the answers to our second question: How have you been learning to do good, better in this work?
RESOURCES: "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tensions in Haiti have been high ever since President Jovenel Moïse took office in 2017, with increased violence, tensions, and kidnappings. The opposition had even disputed the date of the end of his term, saying it ended in February 2021 according the Constitution. Moïse refused to step down. Meanwhile, Marc Antoine, Haiti Country Director for global Christian nonprofit Tearfund, estimates that the actual level of poverty in Haiti is far greater than the 60 percent reported on the World Bank website. He says that's just the general poverty rate, and another 20 percent of Haitians live in 'extreme' poverty. Now, for the next few weeks, Haiti is under a State of Siege, meaning borders will be closed and food insecurity will be worse than ever. Just a few weeks ago gang violence drove 14,000 people out of their homes... and it's hurricane season. Listen for more from Marc Antoine, Haiti Country Director for Tearfund, on how political instability has already torn apart the country—and how Christians can pray for Haiti, right now. Haiti has been tangled in a web of corruption, unrest, instability, political turmoil over the past three decades... Whenever you have tensions like these, it exacerbates the risk families are already facing.—Marc Antoine, Tearfund Haiti Country Director
RESOURCES: Tearfund website, Instagram and Facebook "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On the Better Samaritan podcast, we’ve had the great privilege of interviewing many humanitarians doing critical work around the world. To close every episode, we ask the same five questions:
What has surprised you in your work?
How are you learning to do good, better?
What does humility look like in your field?
How can we make the [Jericho] road safer for those coming in the future?
How do you sustain hope?
Compiled in this episode are answers to our first question: What has surprised you in your work? Our guests work diverse fields: public health, racial conflict, climate change, politics, and displacement, just to name a few. We thought it would be fascinating to to compile all the answers to each question, one after the other, in order to notice what themes emerged. We found the resulting product to be fascinating. Join us and listen in.
RESOURCES: "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Rich Stearns wants to flip the script on leadership. In his new book, Lead Like it Matters to God, he writes that God doesn’t actually look for success. He looks for faithfulness. Join the Better Samaritan email list to receive a discount code for this and other IVP titles!
Highlights: How God uses seasons in the wilderness (in Rich’s case, getting fired twice in one year!) to refine our hearts Why faithfulness is more important that success Why it’s freeing to surrender your career What humility really looks like in the workplace The one superpower every leader can and should use What the best organizations do in impoverishes communities How development work has changed in the last 50 years
Questions we asked Rich: How is this leadership book different? Which values should young professionals, especially those working in a humanitarian or justice field, work on first? What if I feel called, but can’t find a job in that area? How can we know when it’s time to move from private sector to nonprofit? How do we think through both the immediate and structural barriers to eliminating poverty?
Resources: Rich’s podcast: Lead Like It Matters to God "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @RichStearns (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On the Better Samaritan we often talk about how to make 'the road' safer. This stems from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s sermon, pointing out that helping the wounded person in front of us is not enough; we also have to look up the road and determine what is causing it to be so dangerous. In humanitarian work, of course, these are known as systemic challenges. Terence Lester, our guest on this episode, knows a thing or two about systemic challenges—and evaluating streets for safety. At more than one point in his life, he has lived among the homeless. (Listen to the episode for more on that.) Now, as an author, activist, speaker and founder of Love Beyond Walls, he's a great example of a Better Samaritan. His new book, When We Stand, casts a specific and hopeful vision for the church: one in which every member knows their strengths, has margin, and makes themselves available to the broader church and to God's calling. Here's Terence's take on our analogy—how to make the road safer for future generations: More people are needed on the road. If we use this as a metaphor from the [Better] Samaritan parable, we talk about the context of Jericho, and we gotta wrassle with: what produced the robbers? What is the social context which created the climate? Was it dark on the road? Was more lighting needed on the road? Who made the decision not to put lighting on the road? Why weren’t there any officers guarding the road? Where were the people who could have been volunteering on the road? Would more people have provided extra protection for this community? All of these things that your imagination can run with in talking about that... There’s safety in community. Because we are a part of the family of God, there's this sense of protection and safety when we show up together. —Terence Lester RESOURCES Terence's book: When We Stand: The Power of Seeking Justice Together, out May 18, 2021 from InterVarsity Press Terence's organization: Love Beyond Walls (@lovebeyondwalls on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @imterencelester (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Questions we had for David in this episode:
Tell us about the song and iInspiration behind "Turning Over Tables," the theme song for our podcast?
Can you unpack the relationship between imagination, faith, and discipleship?
What are the advantages—both in art and peacemaking—to being comfortable with dissonance?
Listening has been a theme on this podcast, and it's something we discuss with our graduate students. How do we listen well?
RESOURCES: Undaunted Podcast: Conversations with Radical Peacemakers through Telos Principles and Practices of Peacemaking by Telos Find music and more by The Brilliance on their website "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @brilliancemusic | @davidgungor (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pastor Jean Pierre Gatera landed in Minneapolis with his wife and three kids in September 2016. He later told CT, “Resettlement was like getting thrown into the sea." President Biden has already promised to raise the admittance ceiling to a relatively conservative 125,000. Is the American church prepared to start welcoming refugees again? Gatera would know; he is now a pastor of pastors, serving other refugee churches across the U.S. with the International Association for Refugees, and advising them on both high-level and granular logistics relating to running their church in a new country. In this episode, he joins hosts Kent Annan and Jamie Aten to talk about misconceptions of refugees, how his church cared for him when his family contracted COVID-19 last summer, and the one thing guaranteed to offend a newly resettled person. RESOURCES: Christianity Today 2018 feature story on Pastor Gatera and his ministry in Minneapolis Sign up for updates from the International Association for Refugees, where Pastor Gatera ministers "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @IAFR (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Women and children across the globe spend 200 million hours per day carrying out one vital task: collecting water. What if they could instead spend that time going to school, building businesses, and earning income for themselves? That’s the unleashed potential of bringing access to clean water to everyone in the world, according to Dr. Greg Allgood. Allgood is VP of Water for WorldVision. He also founded and spent 26 years directing the Procter & Gamble Children’s Safe Drinking Water program, during which time he worked with the Clinton Global Initiative, Gates Foundation, UNICEF, WHO & USAID. According to Allgood, the average walk for water is 6km—and half of that is accomplished while carrying up to 40 lbs of water. It’s backbreaking work. “If you’re going to a healthcare center, for example, and you’re a pregnant woman about to deliver a baby,” Allgood said, “—the last thing you want to be doing is bringing your own water to be washing yourself and your baby after you give birth.” But WorldVision has a goal of bringing clean water to everyone, everywhere they work by 2030. And that goal is actually in sight. HIGHLIGHTS:
Last year during lockdown, some rivers in India experienced a 500% reduction in pollution, and the Grand Canal of Italy turned clear. What do these phenomena mean for organizations fighting for clean water across the globe
How does access to clean water amplify other poverty issues?
What does WorldVision do about broken water pumps? How do you ensure this is a sustainable solution?
What are lessons learned overseas about providing clean water that can help us in the U.S., in places like Jackson, Mississippi and Flint, Michigan?
RESOURCES: Give the gift of clean water Join the 6k for Water—as an individual or a church—on May 22, 2021 Amid a global pandemic, World Vision reaches goal of bringing clean water to 20 million people worldwide "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @DrGregAllgood (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Syrian civil war–a conflict which has already killed and wounded 12,000 children. So we asked Jeremy Courtney, whose organization Pre-emptive Love works with Syrian refugees, to get raw with the Better Samaritan about journeying from privilege into ministry, and back again... a constant grapple between pride and service. Preemptive Love is a global coalition of peacemakers confronting fear with acts of love. The coalition performs emergency relief for families victimized by ISIS, lifesaving heart surgeries for children, peacemaking in conflict-zones, empowering grants for small business owners, education for at-risk children, and provides counsel to policymakers in D.C., London, Baghdad and beyond. Episode Highlights from Jeremy: "[Pre-emptive Love is]...Undercutting the narrative of us vs. them, rich vs. poor. If you’re getting shot at, I’m getting shot at." "When your economics go down, you become a lot more vulnerable to violence spreading through your community." "If you feel like this world is yours by default… we can make the world a lot safer by lowering our fists, by choosing postures that get our fists down. By seeking to live in an open posture of vulnerability and welcome. It’s a discipline and practice that we’re trying to undercut generations of default programming. But we do have to give it up, if our goal is to make the road safer." RESOURCES: Join the work of Pre-emptive Love "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @JCourt (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It's been one long year. What started as a nebulous threat has dragged on for twelve long months, killing more than half a million people in the U.S. alone, and affecting nearly every system in modern life. Here at the Humanitarian Disaster Institute, we study crises of all kinds, from hurricanes to pandemics, and the ways people recover from them. Using our research, we can draw on experiences from other disasters on how to grieve and move forward with hope. And we have found that marking tragedies, as with an annual anniversary, is an incredibly helpful way to navigate grief and build resilience. Join HDI founders and disaster psychologists Kent Annan and Jamie Aten to learn the four ways you can mark this milestone:
Remembering lives lost,
Getting help for those struggling,
Sharing appreciation, especially to frontline workers,
Serving community.
RESOURCES: National COVID-19 Day Website—take action, find resources (like our COVID-19 Mental Health Handbook), and more. Spiritual First Aid Summit—On Thursday, March 11, 2021, mark National COVID-19 Day with us during this free, online gathering designed to help us navigate the grief, but also find encouragement and hope for the future. "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
"There’s a demand. It’s an unapologetic demand generated by people who don’t think too much about the consequences of their choices. It’s evil and a heinous crime. But sometimes it’s inconvenient to dig deeper." —Anu George Canjanathoppil, IJM Canada
While conspiracy theories continue to make actual justice work harder for many organizations, Anu joins the Better Samaritan to clarify the real situation: trafficking flourishes in countries where the public justice system does not work for the poor… where the perpetrator has no fear whatsoever of the implications of his crime. 40.3 million people around the world are trapped in slavery, and conservative estimates are that one third of these—around 11.3M—are from the region where Anu grew up, in South Asia. Join this gripping conversation with a leader whose work has resulted in the rescue of 10,000 individuals from forced labour slavery. RESOURCES: Experts told CT this was an issue back in July 2020. Sign up for email updates from IJM 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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @anugeorgecan The Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI) equips volunteers and professionals ministering to victims of war, trauma and trafficking. Join us on Thursday, March 11, 2021 for a free online event on assessing and addressing five core emotional, spiritual, and practical needs that HDI has identified as critical in the wake of trauma. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
"Climate change is not just an environmental issue—it is a threat multiplier. It takes everything we care about including the most devastating humanitarian crises, and makes them worse. It’s like a hole in the bucket." —Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, atmospheric scientist According to Katharine Hayhoe, we’re stuck in a system that must change. As a scientist, professor, director of the Climate Center, founder and CEO of ATMOS Research, and a principal investigator for the Department of Interior, Katharine's work has resulted in over 125 peer-reviewed papers, abstracts and other publications. She has led climate impact assessments for numerous American cities, the findings for which have been presented before Congress and used across the country. But here’s what Dr. Hayhoe really wants you to know: you don’t have to be a certain kind of person to care about, or act on, climate change. All you have to do is to care about it, as a person living on planet Earth. Dr. Hayhoe’s TED Talk: “The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: Talk about it.” (November, 2018) “The Bible doesn’t talk about climate change, right?” video from Global Weirding with Katharine Hayhoe "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This Black History Month, the Better Samaritan sits down to talk about the sermon that inspires our theme. Join us for a conversation with Dr. Peniel Joseph of the University of Texas at Austin to discuss King’s sermon, "On Being a Good Neighbor," as well as his place within American society. In the sermon, King points out why the Priest and Levite may have passed by the wounded man on the road. Perhaps they were too busy with important ecclesiastical meetings, he says, or perhaps their temple regulations demanded that they touch no human body for several hours before their temple function began. Or, King says (presumably tongue in cheek), they could have been on their way to a meeting to organize a 'Jerico Road Improvement Association.' “Certainly this was a real need,” King writes. “It is not enough to aid the wounded man on the Jerico Road. It is also necessary to work to change the conditions of the Road which made robbery possible. “Philanthropy is marvelous, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the need for working to remove many conditions of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary. So maybe the Priest and the Levite felt that it was better to cure injustice from the causal source than to get bogged down with one individual effect.” Joseph says that sometimes, King left people on the side of the road too. He says that we may laud King and use him as a heroic signifier of American exceptionalism, but his life proves the opposite: that American exceptionalism is a lie. Listen for more on King and Dr. Joseph’s take on how King moved from using a ‘carrot and stick’ approach in his early years, to the later years in which he became like an Old Testament prophet—calling out not just the inequities, but the iniquity within American society. “The reason why we shave off those harder edges of truth [surrounding King] is that in our own time, we have lost the moral purpose for American democracy.” —Dr. Peniel Joseph Resources: Race and Democracy—Peniel Joseph’s podcast out of the University of Texas at Austin Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcom X and Martin Luther King, Jr. —Latest book by Peniel Joseph "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch | @penieljoseph (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“Institutions and systems and ministries are not Christ, nor is Christendom the same as the living body of Christ. Christendom, like all threatened institutions, tries to protect itself.” —Dr. Diane Langberg Dr. Diane Langberg started practicing psychology 45 years ago—when the only way to understand trauma was by studying her clients, rather than her books. She joins the Better Samaritan podcast to discuss power and abuse in the church, how to respond when a friend opens up to you about abuse, and what abuse victims should do: find a safe person. Now, Dr. Langberg directs a group practice in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, staffed by Christian psychologists, social workers and counselors. She has spoken around the world and authored numerous books. Her latest, “Redeeming Power: Understanding Abuse and Authority in the Church,” is available now. (Rachel Denhollander called this book “a must-read for spiritual leaders and for every Christian.”) (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.)
Interview highlights: Similarities shown between victims of traumatic acts, and veterans of war How Diane learned about trauma in the 70's—when it wasn't yet defined by the psychology establishment What listeners should know if an abused friend has confided in them How to make the road safer (a Better Samaritan theme) for those to follow Resources mentioned: “Redeeming Power: Understanding Abuse and Authority in the Church” by Dr. Diane Langberg, available now Further reading and resources from Dr. Langberg’s website "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Fifty thousand civilians have died—so far. Military conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia has resulted in displacement, mass rape, looting, and starvation. According to BBC sources, “literally millions of people [are] beyond the reach of humanitarian aid.” NGOs are ready and waiting to assist Tigray people, but they don’t have a way in due to government restrictions. CT reported on these tensions and the political circumstances surrounding them in November. At the time, a WorldVision staffer told CT, “...here, it is not just winning or losing an election. It’s life or death: access to land, access to food … the stakes are so high.” Roger Sandberg, of Medical Teams International, and Dr. Andrew DeCort, on the ground with the Neighbor Love movement in Ethiopia, recommend several actions. 1) Learn about the rich history of Ethiopia to understand its current political situation. 2) Pray for our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia. 3) Advocate. Tell your government officials to apply pressure to the government of Ethiopia to open up a humanitarian corridor, so that aid can get through. 4) Donate. Grants that might normally be available when organizations have access to a region are currently off the table. Roger’s organization, Medical Teams International, and Andrew’s organization, The Neighbor-Love Movement, are both open for donations. For more news on the conflict, Roger recommends following the BBC, and Andrew recommends the Addis Standard. "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How do you turn a Stanford-trained mechanical engineer into a Christian activist? Send her on a global poverty immersion trip. That was Nikki Toyama-Szeto's story. Now, after serving in leadership positions at International Justice Mission, the Urbana Conference and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, she is the executive director of Christians for Social Action, the network originally founded by Ron Sider. Nikki shares with the Better Samaritan the biggest mistake Christian activists make, why Christians for Social Action recently dropped the word "Evangelicals" from their name, and what it's been like, as an Asian American, to watch issues of race play out elsewhere in the U.S. And don't miss Kent's favorite part of the conversation: Nikki's take on how the art of trapeze flying relates to justice work. RESOURCES: Nikki's recommended action point: New Initiatives by Christians for Social Action "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“I’ve never seen a disaster create a vulnerability that didn’t already exist.” —Dr. Nicolette Louissaint, Executive Director of Healthcare Ready According to healthcare and preparedness authority Dr. Nicolette Louissaint, the church is a place to contextualize what we are hearing about the pandemic. In this episode, she discusses with Kent and Jamie the crucial role of the church in public health, how long pandemic recovery is actually going to take (hint: it won’t be over in September), explains the Tuskegee Experiment, unpacks the way disasters amplify inequities, and provides a professional opinion on COVID puppies. Dr. Louissaint previously served as the Senior Advisor to the US State Department’s Special Coordinator for Ebola. Now, she is executive director and president of Healthcare Ready, a nonprofit organization that focuses on strengthening the United States’ healthcare supply chain preparedness and response before, during and after natural disasters and disease pandemics. She has an MBA from the University of Baltimore and a PhD in Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. RESOURCES: Dr. Louissaint spoke at Humanitarian Disaster Institute COVID-19 summit: Infectious Disease Expert on How the Church Can Help During COVID-19. University of Pittsburgh researcher Junia Howell’s longitudinal study on 3,500 families across the U.S. on how natural disasters and FEMA Aid widen the racial wealth gap Sign up for updates from Healthcare Ready, Dr. Louissaint’s organization. "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“It is not safe to be in politics with your feet planted there, but with your feet planted in the gospel all manner of things are safe.” —Michael Wear Former White House aide and faith strategist Michael Wear says politics is not opt-in. It's like any other area of life where false motives can creep in and distort. But knowing that isn’t an excuse to withdraw. Michael is a leading strategist, speaker and practitioner at the intersection of faith, politics and public life. He has advised a president, as well as some of the nation’s leading foundations, nonprofits and public leaders, on important issues that define American life today. Michael is the founder of Public Square Strategies LLC, a firm that helps religious groups effectively navigate the American religious and political landscape. Michael is the co-author of Compassion and Conviction: The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement. He is also author of Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America and writes about faith and politics for a number of media outlets. RESOURCES: "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 Newsletters: HDI newsletter, Reclaiming Hope newsletter by Michael and Melissa Wear Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When we use our imagination concerning the reason why the Priest and the Levite did not stop to help the wounded man, numerous things come to mind. Perhaps they were in a hurry to get to an important ecclesiastical meeting for which they could not afford to be late. Perhaps their temple regulations demanded that they touch no human body for several hours before their temple function began. Or, they could have been on their way to a meeting to organize a Jerico Road Improvement Association. Certainly this was a real need. It is not enough to aid the wounded man on the Jerico Road. It is also necessary to work to change the conditions of the Road which made robbery possible. Philanthropy is marvelous, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the need for working to remove many conditions of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary. —The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his sermon draft, "On Being A Good Neighbor" Welcome to the Better Samaritan podcast. Having worked in disaster and humanitarian crises around the globe in our academic and practical work at the Humanitarian Disaster Institute, we’ve seen many well-intentioned good Samaritans come forward to help others. Unfortunately, not all good Samaritans are helpful. (And we’ve made plenty of mistakes and keep learning ourselves!) If being seen helping others on the side of the road is more important to us than the victim himself, we miss the point. And caring for the victim without addressing the root causes of his plight doesn't end injustice—it only perpetuates it. Join HDI co-directors Jamie Aten and Kent Annan each week for a new conversation about how we can love the hurting person right in front of us, while also addressing the conditions that put them there in the first place. Normally in each episode we'll interview experts from various fields of study. Next week, inauguration week, we’re thrilled to present a conversation with Michael Wear, a leading political thinker who has advised presidents on faith outreach. But today, we process together what happened last week at the U.S. Capitol. Why does it matter for Christians? How, and why, can we go about confessing and lamenting this event—even if we didn't take part? RESOURCES: “Evangelicals must denounce the Christian nationalism in Capitol riots”—opinion piece for Religion News Service by Jamie Aten and Kent Annan Slow Kingdom Coming: Practices for Doing Justice, Loving Mercy and Walking Humbly in the World by Kent Annan "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 Newsletters: HDI newsletter, Reclaiming Hope newsletter by Michael and Melissa Wear Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Welcome to The Better Samaritan, a podcast where we’re learning how to do good, better. Hosts Jamie Aten and Kent Annan will — along with you — explore ways we can more effectively love our neighbors, from everyday acts of kindness to navigating the most complex humanitarian challenges facing the church and society. The name “The Better Samaritan” was inspired by a sermon on the parable of the Good Samaritan from The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, “It is not enough to aid the wounded man on the Jericho Road. It is also necessary to work to change the conditions of the Road that made robbery possible.” In our work at the Humanitarian Disaster Institute, we see many well-intentioned Christians set out to help those in need who end up unintentionally causing harm, or at least not doing as much good as they hoped. This is a podcast where you can listen in as we learn from the wisdom and experiences of those who are seeking to be Better Samaritans through their work... so we can all help those with urgent needs in front of us today, and improve the road so others can walk it safely in the future. Join us on The Better Samaritan podcast as we learn from experts on disaster recovery, refugee assistance and resettlement, human trafficking, public health, racial reconciliation, and more. Subscribe to The Better Samaritan podcast today to get each new episode as we embark on this journey of learning to do good, better. Thank you to The Brilliance for permission to use their song "Turning Over Tables" — learn more about them and their music at http://thebrilliancemusic.com/. RESOURCES: "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 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS | HDI newsletter Follow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch (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.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices