The Paths To Understanding Podcast: Recent Episodes
Paths To Understanding
A podcast that looks at various topics through the lens of wisdom traditions. Panel discussions on Challenge 2.0 and Wisdom From Our Neighborhood take different approaches to sharing the stories and expertise of our guests.
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org
Hate crimes and hate groups have increased sharply since the year 2000. Although hatred is often described as an emotion, psychologists assert it’s actually a learned behavior-a behavior that damages those that hate as much as those who are the subject of that hate. In this edition of Challenge 2.0, faith leaders from Christianity, Judaism and Islam examine the costly culture of contempt in the U.S., and possible ways to break the cycle that feeds it.
Fewer Americans vote in elections than in most other western democracies. A Pew Research study ranked U.S. voter participation 31st out of 35 western democracies. It pointed to restrictive voting laws and manipulation of voting districts. Analysts have called current efforts to eliminate, reduce or manipulate voting as effectively gagging American citizens, preventing their ability to influence their future and that of their children. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we speak with leaders from the League of Women Voters-a group that has a long history in effectively confronting threats to voting rights.
In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, two Seattle area faith leaders examined the controversial claim that ‘God approves of the U.S. attack on Iran’. This week, we continue that conversation, examining whether war and violence can be divinely inspired, and what faith requires of each of us.
More than 200 American soldiers from all branches of service have filed formal complaints against the US military, alleging their commanders told them the Iran war was ‘part of God’s plan’. One complaint quoted an officer as saying President Trump had been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark the return of Jesus to earth. The pushback from leading faith leaders was strong and immediate. Pope Leo of the Roman Catholic Church stated “No one can use Jesus to justify war”. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, two leading Seattle area faith leaders offer perspectives on this conflict within a conflict.
In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we began a conversation with two highly experienced western Washington law enforcement officials. One, a retired prosecutor-the other, a retired police chief are deeply concerned over the long-term impact of aggressive seizures of alleged illegal immigrants and refugees. We now continue that conversation
Political, legal and faith leaders have been increasingly criticizing the ICE and Border Patrol raids and tactics. Law enforcement officials are increasingly joining in those criticisms. In this edition of Challenge 2.0, we speak with a retired prosecutor and a retired police chief, both with decades of experience in the Puget Sound area. They contend the methods used by federal agents to impose law and order, may actually increase lawlessness and disorder.
American religious leaders are becoming increasingly vocal in their opposition to federal seizures of alleged illegal immigrants and refugees. A leading Catholic biweekly newspaper asserted members of the faith must decide between loyalty to leaders supporting the raids or loyalty to the Gospel. Lutheran churches have filed lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security. An Episcopal Bishop told his clergy that “it may be that now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.” In this episode of Challenge 2.0, three Seattle faith leaders discuss the ICE raids and tactics.
Millie Smith was one of 20,000 American children secretly exposed to radioactive gases; gases released from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in eastern Washington. She later told Congress she developed metastasized Thyroid Cancer, describing classmates who died, illness-induced poverty that forced her to subsist at times on rice and popcorn. “We are as abused children, victims of our own country”, she testified. Despite the stories of Millie and others and the investigative reporting that uncovered the suppression of evidence, governments and corporations are today increasingly seeking to roll back disclosure and safety standards. In this second episode of ‘The Atomic Pilgrim’, we look at lessons learned and lessons spurned.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” That quote attributed to the late American Anthropologist Margaret Mead has inspired countless activists. That included a small but dedicated group of men and women who began a pilgrimage from Washington State to the Middle East in 1982. They walked 6700 miles! More than forty years later, their experience offers important guidance to activists seeking positive change today. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we meet ‘the atomic pilgrim’, who shares his experience, wisdom and guidance.
When Christians seek to celebrate the foundation of Christmas, they collide with what’s been called the scandal of the holiday. Jesus was born to a family not of power and wealth, but of poverty and humility-a family soon forced to flee, to become homeless refugees, their infant son targeted for death by the insecurities of a king. It resonates with the reality of many who have been our neighbors but are now themselves forced into hiding or exile. Many, particularly those of Mexican heritage, are drawing inspiration in these difficult times from the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our guest in this episode of Challenge 2.0, a professor at Seattle University, explains how this almost five-hundred year old story offers guidance not only for Mexican-Americans, but for all.
The word ‘hangry’ describes a real physical condition; when hunger-low blood sugar-causes the release of hormones that make people angry. It’s also been used to describe the emotional state in this country. In last week’s episode of Challenge 2.0, we explored the rise of Nihilism-the rising drive to destroy-institutions, relationships, individuals. This week, we continue our conversation
Faith in religion isn’t the only element at or near an all-time low in America; so is faith in American institutions. That was the finding of a recent Gallup poll. Observers say that masks an even more serious trend-the willing embrace of demonization and fearmongering, the drive to destroy and to gain power by any means possible. That trend, that orientation, is called Nihilism. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, three Seattle-area faith leaders address that trend-it’s foundations, it’s cost and constructive responses.
In last week’s edition of Challenge, we began a conversation centered on wisdom sharing by Pacific Northwest tribal leaders aimed at transforming the ongoing conflict-in our neighborhoods, country and on our home planet. This week, we continue our conversation with Dr. Kurt Russo, the co-executive director of a group founded by northwest indigenous nations called Se Si Le. In their collective work “In the Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations”, they demonstrate how ancestral indigenous knowledge can heal that conflict, and lead to the flourishing of ourselves, future generations and our home.
In 1988, the U.S. Senate recognized the Iroquois Confederacy of five native American tribes as a core foundation of the Constitution and our political system. That confederacy was founded in 1142, and has been recognized as the oldest living participatory democracy on earth. It ended a long, costly and destabilizing period of conflict among those tribes. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we’ll learn of a new wisdom sharing, this by Pacific Northwest tribal leaders, intended to re-set our ongoing period of conflict between ourselves and our home planet. It’s called “In the Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations”.
As American forces pushed into Germany in early 1945, soldiers were also fighting a major morale problem. Many had not received mail for at least months.
The newly formed Six-Triple Eight battalion was charged with finding a solution. The predominantly black Army unit processed seventeen million pieces of undelivered mail in half the time expected. Yet their dedication was met with repeated bigotry. That historic mistreatment was magnified this year by Defense department’s removal of the webpage detailing the unit’s service. It is but one example of the greater burden of discrimination experienced by women of color, and has led to a more finely focused version of feminism, called Womanism.
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Eleven years ago, a college student named Elliott Rodger shot three young women outside their California sorority, killing two of them. It was part of a rampage that would claim the lives of six and injure fourteen others. The coming months and years would bring copycat attacks by others, who like Rodger, were frustrated by their inability to successfully form romantic relationships. They would call themselves “Incels”, shorthand for Involuntary Celibates. While their movement accepting and even celebrating violence toward women would remain mostly on the fringes, the Incel’s anger toward and dehumanizing of women has expanded, particularly this year. We’ll examine what’s come to be called “Toxic Masculinity” in this episode of Challenge 2.0.
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In last week’s episode of Challenge 2.0, we met a small group of western Washington residents convinced that the courage to connect remains in what seems to be the Disunited States of America. They introduced us to the program they developed called Let’s Go Together that they believe can bring a sense of connection where there’s disconnection, replacing intolerance with acceptance, and prejudice with understanding. This week, we meet some of the early participants in this program; people with very different life experiences and outlooks who unexpectedly found common ground.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org
America in the twenty first century seems to be defined by disconnection. That it’s become atoxic blend of distrust, discrimination and defiance; rejectingthe legal and social norms of cooperation built over decades. But aprogram called Let’s Go Together is proving that the courageto connect remainsin this countryand can be nourished; that it can bring together Americans of different life experiences, beliefs and affiliations. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we meet three western Washington residents who have developed this program, and are proving that healing connections can develop not only in the Pacific Northwest, but throughout the United States.
- Allison Ralph is a thought leader in religious pluralism and social cohesion, Allison Ralph brings 20 years’ experience in strategy, research, and nonprofit and philanthropic leadership. She previously worked at The Aspen Institute, where she served as Associate Director of the Religion & Society Program and Director of its Religion and Philanthropy Initiative. Allison has a PhD in church history from The Catholic University of America, and an MPhil from Cambridge University. Her graduate research focused on how societies manage or fail to manage their internal diversity, and how they create and maintain social boundaries.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org New mothers and their infants are more likely to die in the United States than in any European country. The life expectancy of the average American is closer to that of middle eastern or south American countries than counterparts in western or central Europe, and it’s been decreasing. Physicians are concerned those trends will continue with federal cuts to healthcare and health research programs. Our guest in this episode of Challenge 2.0 will address those concerns- Seattle-area cardiologist Dr. Mark Vossler, who leads the group Physicians for Social Responsibility.
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The Seattle-based Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment was founded thirty one years ago with the recognition that every purchase is a vote; one that reflects personal values and ethics. Those purchases include investments in corporate stocks and bonds. The efforts of faith based organizations to influence corporate policies and practices have recently encountered stiffer opposition. We discuss the importance, successes and frustrations of investor activism with board member Sister Susan Francoise
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org Last week, we met two members of the Seattle area Ukrainian-American community. As the Russian invasion of their country enters its fourth year, they outlined the economic, physical and psychological impact on the members of their community and their families still living in Ukraine. We continue that conversation with Tanya Zayka and Father Andriy Matlak in this episode of Challenge 2.0
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More Ukrainian refugees come to Washington than any other state. The Ukrainian-American community here continues to extend monetary, physical and emotional support as the war with Russia enters its fourth year. But those efforts are becoming increasingly difficult with a change in national support for Ukraine and possible deportation of refugees living here. In this edition of Challenge, we talk with members of the local Ukrainian-American community, including Tanya Zayka
The Seattle area health and technology industries have strong connections with the Middle East-particularly with Israel and Gaza. Those connections have led to equally strong emotions within those communities. The resulting disconnect has escalated in light of recent proposals to evict Palestinians from Gaza and transform it into a high end resort. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we speak with two Seattle residents familiar the region-Mercy Corps founder Dan O’Neill who once lived on an Israeli kibbutz, and surgical nurse Christie Jucht who has regularly volunteered in hospitals located in Gaza.
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Dr. Harold Koenig is an internationally recognized psychiatrist who serves as the director of Duke University’s Center for the Study of Religion, Spirituality and Health. His research has produced documented evidence of the positive impacts of faith on both physical and mental disorders, findings that are leading to changes in the way doctors, nurses and therapists relate to their patients. In this week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we explore the healing power of connection through faith.
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Joy would seem to be an unlikely emotion in a world increasingly filled with uncertainty, and the fear, anger and anxiety it creates. The noted figures of the Dalai Lama and the late South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu emphasized we can access and experience joy even in the face of great suffering. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we connect with faith leaders from Buddhism, Christianity and Islam who offer guidance of finding joy, even when it seems least likely.
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Last month’s elections left many Americans deeply troubled. Whatever our individual opinions might be, what approaches and thoughts will best help us navigate the uncertainty of the coming months? In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we turn to three leaders from the major faiths of Christianity, Judaism and Islam to offer their perspectives and guidance
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In our last episode of Challenge 2.0, we began a conversation with John Philip Newell, the author of a new book called “The Great Search”. It explored why an increasing number of people believe organized religious institutions are failing to help them cope with the challenges of contemporary life. We continue that conversation in Part 2 of Healing Shattered Spirits, examining possible solutions, and new perspectives on questions such as “if there is a God, how could such a God allow bad things happen”.
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Churches are closing, faith communities are declaring bankruptcy, the ‘faithful’ are increasingly expressing a sense that their religious communities have broken faith with them. I recently read two sentences that provided a useful summary-“Religion as we have known it has failed to adequately address the most urgent challenges of humanity, including the threatened plight of Earth. These challenges are not just ecological, and political and economic. They are also spiritual.” Those words are in the new book, “The Great Search”...and it’s the focus of this episode of Challenge 2.0.
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One hundred and twelve years ago, Washington became one of the first states to adopt the initiative and referendum process. This gave citizens the ability to overturn laws and write new ones...essentially acting as a check on the power of elected officialsand on lobbyists. But some assert the initiative process has been coopted by the wealthy and powerful. Several initiatives on the ballot this year are sponsored by a hedge fund manager who has spentsix million dollars of his own money. In this edition ofChallenge 2.0, we’ll examine the implications of this trend.
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Last week, we met the father and mother of a young man who died from suicide. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, they’ll outline a program they’ve developed to prevent such tragedies, aided by their son’s friends, as well as medical and mental health professionals.
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Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among young people. Only car crashes claim more lives. The number of suicide deaths continues to increase dramatically, even among children as young as eight.In the next three editions of Challenge 2.0, we’ll meet the mother and father of a young man who took his own life, who now seek to prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy.
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Holiday dinners frequently pose challenges. But as differences in politics, philosophy and faith have become more extreme, such gatherings can become toxic-even or perhaps especially when the guests are related. But a new program called Potluck for Democracy believes with the right approach, the dinner table can become a place of connection, not division-even when the guests hold vastly different views. That’s the subject of this week’s edition of Challenge 2.0
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Workers who move to a region for oil, gas and mining jobs often set up what are called ‘man camps’; residential villages often located near or even on native reservations. Investigators from groups such as Amnesty International have documented the increased risk of murder, rape, sex and human trafficking experienced by Indigenous women and children. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we visit with two native American activists about this and the broader problem of murdered and missing Indigenous women, men and children
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The story of today’s Challenge episode was born in tragedy. A young woman who unsuccessfully sought to escape an abusive husband died at his hands when she was unable to find safe shelter. But it inspired a response that has literally saved thousands from similar fates. That response is called Maher-“Mother’s Home”. The setting for the story of Maher is in India, but it demonstrates the healing power of determination, imagination and compassion-a healing power available worldwide.
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Translating values into policy and law is never easy and rarely quick. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we visit with leaders from the group Faith Action Network which represents 167 faith communities throughout the state. Those communities encompass Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism and prove the existence of common ground and shared values across different belief systems. Today, we’ll discover how successful they were in achieving their goals this year in the Washington state legislature.
One faith leader has described what is called ‘wokeness’ as a pseudo-religion, another as simply being ‘vile’. Florida governor Ron DeSantis brags his state is where ‘wokeness’ goes to die. Yet other faith leaders call it an expression of authentic religious faithwith some qualifications. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, three faith leaders of Christianity, Judaism and Islam consider this controversy.
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The most common narrative of the current conflict in the middle east is that it pits Muslims and Jews against each other. It suggests differences in the two religions, and the expectations inherent in those faiths makes finding common ground impossible. But are differences in faith at the center of the conflict? We’ll ask three faith leaders from Christianity, Islam and Judaism for their assessment, and whether finding common ground might be possible.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org Last week, we began a conversation examining the force of White Christian Nationalism in America; how it conflicts with the essence of Christianity and the motto found on coins-‘E Pluribus Unum’-out of many, one. We continue our discussion this week with the author of the new book, “Go and Do Likewise”-and how we can counter efforts to divide Americans.
White Christian Nationalism has become a potent and disruptive force in American politics. Some would argue that it has everything to do with a mix of anger and fear among white Americans, the impulse of nationalism, but very little to do with authentic Christianity. Reverend Terry Kyllo is among those. Go and Do Likewise is the title of his analysis of this toxic force in our culture. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, he explores the destructive force of White Christian Supremacy, as well as effective ways to counter it.
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In last week’s episode of Challenge 2.0, we began a conversation with an internationally recognized advocate of nonviolence and how it’s a proven path to peace and justice. This week, we explore what the practice of nonviolence is, how change within us is needed to create change around us as well as the evidence supporting the effectiveness of this strategy.
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Violence or the threat of violence dominates the news-whether it’s in the Middle East, the Ukraine, on American streets or in classrooms. It seems to be a never-ending cycle, with peace and justice remaining ever elusive. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we speak with an advocate of nonviolence, who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Activist John Dear asserts it offers a proven path to peace and justice, and is anything but passive.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org The two basins formed by the Columbia and Snake rivers were once the biggest salmon habitats in the world. But no longer. Just as the native fish population in this once famed region is struggling to survive, what are called the ‘people of the salmon’ are also facing major challenges-the Yakama, the Nez Perce, the Umatilla and the Warm Springs tribes. We continue last week’s conversation in this episode of Challenge 2.0.
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Science has clearly implicated four dams on the lower Snake River as bearing major responsibility for the precipitous decline of salmon in the Columbia basin. All four salmon and steel head populations in this area at risk of extinctions. The four major tribal nations living in this and the larger region of the Columbia River basin say that threatens what they call their ‘lifeway’s their culture, their diet, their religion. And it also violates specific treaty guarantees made in exchange for their land.
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The George Orwell novel 1984 describes an era ruled by thought police with those who evade book bans charged with ‘thought crimes’. Ironically, as book bans are increasing rapidly in the United States, the Orwellian novel is among those books most frequently challenged and banned from classrooms and school libraries. The American Library Association reports that 2022 was a record year for banning books, with more than 1200 demands to remove books from libraries and schools, and that 2023 is likely to exceed that number. It has become a form of entertainment, as some local groups offer beer and babysitting together with book ban votes. What is the cost of such censorship to our educational system and country? That’s the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0
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The textbook definition of history is that it’s the study of the human past as described by written documents left by humans. But when such history is uncomfortable, inconvenient or controversial, some groups seek to erase it. That’s particularly true of black history today. One example is the state of Florida’s STOP WOKE law that limits students and teachers from learning about issues related to race and gender. Such efforts are spreading beyond Florida. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we speak with two black educators about the histories white nationalists seek to silence.
Last week we began an examination of black history-the efforts to marginalize it or eliminate it from school curricula. This week we continue that conversation, and consider why not only black students but also white students lose if the wealth of all cultures aren’t taught.
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Study after study documents the number of Americans who participate in most organized religions is decreasing. Most religions. The exception may be a surprise. At the turn of the century, census figures estimated 134,000 Americans identified themselves as Pagans. That number has increased ten-fold, to 1.5 million this year. What exactly is paganism, why is it becoming more popular and does it share any elements in common with more traditional religions? Those questions are the focus of this week’s edition of Challenge 2.0
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Fear is the common denominator between Gaza and Israel. The continued violence, destruction and loss of life has most people fleeing Gaza if at all possible, and continuing to mourn both the dead and lost sense of safety in Israel. But there are volunteers now seeking to enter despite the risk, to help those impacted by the war, just as there have been volunteers during past conflicts. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we’ll continue our conversation with two such caregivers.
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The Hamas attack in Israeli and the counter-attack by Israeli Defense Forces in Gaza have led to thousands of civilian casualties. It is a human tragedy of inconceivable scale and impact. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we’ll seek to move beyond the political, historical and military aspects. Instead, we’ll talk with two caregivers who have deep experience in this region. Each has focused on alleviating human pain, suffering and need, each has done so at great personal risk.
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The Pacific Island culture is an important element of the Pacific Northwest identity. But the story behind the migration is often one of pain-the result of colonial domination, the loss of supportive family and friends, the need to adapt to an unfamiliar culture. Gay and trans Pacific Islanders face particularly difficult challenges. UTOPIA Washington is a group that advocates for their needs-in this program, we’ll explore the challenges they face, and what the larger Pacific Northwest community can do to help them.
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Youth sports are a bigger business than professional baseball. Yet the number of boys and girls participating in team sports is declining, and that doesn’t reflect the impact of the COVID pandemic. It reflects the rising cost of participating in youth sports, the hostility of parents seeking advantages for their children to the detriment of their teammates, and the focus on competitive success at even early ages. In this week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we talk with a veteran Seattle sportscaster and athlete about the scope of the problem, why we should all be concerned, and some possible solutions.
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In last week’s episode of Challenge 2.0, we began a conversation with a leader of the Ukrainian Association of Washington; she has made repeated trips to her homeland since the Russians invaded last year. This week, we continue our exploration of what you don’t hear or read in news reports-part two of ‘What Ukrainians Want You to Know’.
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In four days, Ukrainians will observe the twenty second anniversary of their nation’s declaration of Independence. The holiday will be a bittersweet one, coming during the continuing Russian invasion and occupation of the Ukraine; an invasion that has cost thousands of lives and resulted in the kidnapping and forced relocation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Although the International Criminal Court has issued a war crimes arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin, major American politicians continue to express support for Russia. In this edition of Challenge 2.0, a leader of the Ukrainian Association of Washington shares what her fellow Ukrainians would like Americans to know.
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Last week, we spoke with two scientists who have explored how changes in the way our food is produced have harmed our health. This week, we look at how those changes are damaging the health of our planet...and explore some solutions that proven to improve our physical and emotional health-and save money.
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Americans spend twice as much on health care than people living in other developed countries. But we land near the bottom of the heap in terms of our health. One aspect is our ability to access and afford health care, but another aspect is what we eat...and what we eat...ate. That’s the focus of this edition of Challenge 2.0
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In last week’s episode of Challenge 2.0, we spoke with a member of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility about the growing health impact of air pollution. This week, we hear the groups’ recommendations for change. Part two of “When Air Pollution Won’t Let Us Say “Ahh”.
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In last week’s episode of Challenge 2.0, we spoke with a member of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility about the growing health impact of air pollution. This week, we hear the groups’ recommendations for change. Part two of “When Air Pollution Won’t Let Us Say “Ahh”.
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The World Health Organization is calling air pollution the new tobacco. It believes the health impact of air pollutants on our health is that serious and widespread. That assertion is supported by a Harvard study showing one in five deaths is caused by exposure to fossil fuel pollutants, and that people of color and lower income are affected the most. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, health professionals from Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility give their diagnosis of the problem, and their prescription for change.
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Shootings are now the biggest cause of death for children and teenagers...passing the longtime threat of automobile accidents. Washington is one of the few states to have taken steps to reduce that threat; the state legislature passed a series of gun responsibility laws, include an assault weapon ban. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we examine the influence of faith leaders in leading to changes that make this a healthier and safer state to raise children.
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More American women are dying in childbirth than in any other developed nation. Infant survival here ranks 33rd out of the 36 major western countries. And the World Health Organization ranks the United States in the bottom 10 of 180 countries in terms of providing children with a healthy, sustainable future. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we examine why the health and survival of American mothers...and their children... is at such risk...and what can be done about it.
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They’re called ‘Ag Gag rules’-passed by state legislators to punish people who reveal unsafe, unhealthy or unethical food production methods. Such rules are only one example of strategies to reduce or eliminate public knowledge and regulation of corporate agriculture and food production methods. But in this episode of Challenge 2.0, we meet a group seeking to counter that pressure-and increase access to food that is good, clean and fair...and affordable.
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Any parent knows how it can be a struggle to persuade their children to eat healthy foods. But for some parents, the struggle is simply affording healthy foods-for that matter, any food. We’ve examined the issue of food insecurity among indigenous communities, and those of color. In this edition of Challenge 2.0, we examine a program called ‘Little Sprouts’ that was founded in Denver Colorado. It’s designed to help such parents and to persuade children that eating healthy foods can be tasty and fun.
Discussions of the faiths of Christianity, Judaism and Islam tend to focus more on conflict than connection. That’s often based more on biases than actual experience. As the major holidays of each faith-Easter, Passover and Ramadan overlap this year, some faith leaders believe that also raises the possibility of connection together with individual celebration, and reducing costly alienation and dehumanization. That’s the focus of this edition of Challenge 2.0.
Bring people of different faiths together, and you’re likely to hear vastly different views expressed about who or what God is or isn’t. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we decided to do just that-to bring together faith leaders from Christianity, Judaism and Islam...to explore the question of what they believe we get wrong about God/Allah...and why it matters.
The former US Surgeon General believes our country is suffering from an epidemic of loneliness. Dr. Vivek Murthy said the evidence pointed to such an epidemic long before the isolation created by the COVID pandemic, and that such loneliness not only causes emotional problems, but also physical ones. A Brigham Young University study says the health impact of chronic loneliness is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we turn to the Interfaith Amigos for thoughts on what we can and should do for ourselves...and for each other.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.orgJoin the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org
The earliest European settlers in this country would not have survived without the knowledge, assistance and charity of the indigenous peoples they encountered. The irony is that was repaid by forcing those native Americans onto reservations, limiting their access to traditional food sources and replacing them with highly processed, often unhealthy foods . In this episode of Challenge, we meet (continue our conversation) with a man called The Sioux Chef...who is seeking to right that wrong.
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In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we began an examination of what have been called food deserts or food wastelands...and its’ impact on the health and wealth of communities...particular those of color. We continue that conversation this week with a man called the Sioux Chef...winner of not one but several of the highly coveted James Beard awards. He has made it his mission to address the economic and health crises that impact indigenous communities.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.orgJoin the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org
Forty percent of the food produced in the United States is thrown away. That’s more than in any other country. Food waste takes up more room in landfills than any other source. Yet hunger, malnutrition and related health problems are increasing. More than thirteen million Americans live in what are called ‘food deserts’. What are food deserts, and how do efforts to achieve what’s called food sovereignty aim to bring new life and health to such places? That’s the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org
Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org
Faith communities seem to be subject to the same polarization seen throughout the United States. Yet an organization called the Faith Action Network coordinates the voices of more than 150 such groups in this state. FAN...as it’s called...asserts that translating prayer into policy is valid, needed, and can build community.
Often, we examine difficult issues on this program. The implications are challenging, often painful for all of us and the responses they demand are at the least uncomfortable. But there are also issues that can be inspiring-that’s true of the topic of this edition of Challenge 2.0. We’ll focus on children with great needs but little ability to express them, ones that have often resisted traditional therapies. We’ll meet a talented Seattle recording artist who has developed a program that harnesses the power of music to give these young people a voice and a future that once seemed impossible. Singing Away Silence.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.orgJoin the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org
Although money spent on gifts during the holiday season increases yearly, one in five Americans now seeks to spend less. The founder of what is called The Church of Stop Shopping is hoping to expand that trend...and not just during the holiday season. This week on Challenge 2.0, we continue to explore the work of the man known as Reverend Billy...and why he believes our future is dependent on spending less, not more.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.orgJoin the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org
Shopping malls have been called cathedrals of consumption...advertisers acolytes of excess. At no time is that more evident than during the Christmas season. Holiday spending drives 41% of Americans into debt. That behavior has many critics, but one man has made it his mission to convince us that the cost extends well beyond a single holiday season, well beyond our bank accounts. His work is the focus of this edition of Challenge 2.0-Reverend Billy, and the Church of Stop Shopping.
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Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org
In last week’s program, we examined the damage wrought by Colonialism…the exploitation of one people by another for profit. Some historians point to colonialism…and the exploitation that was part of it… as the springboard of capitalism. Yet some faith and political leaders suggest religion and capitalism are inseparable. That assertion is the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0.
More than two thousand local newspapers have ceased operating since 2005. That has left half of all counties in the United States without any source of local news coverage. Even where local newspapers survive, the ability of journalists to cover key issues such as public safety, education and government suffers. What impact does that have on accountability…and stopping abuse of power. That’s the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0.
A popular social media post notes “The late CBS News Anchor Walter Cronkhite read the news and kept his opinions to himself”. This resonates with many at a time of polarization that rivals, if not exceeds that of the 1960’s…and information that conflicts with personal opinion is viewed as fake. In reality, Cronkhite pointedly revealed the difference between government accounts and the reality of the war. Most Americans then obtained their information from news operations that were viewed as a public service, not a profit center and there was no ‘social media’. How changes in the news media is impacting what we hear as information, and how changes in our attitudes is impacting what we believe we hear. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we visit with two veteran television news journalists.
Muskwa Park is a place steeped in history and tragedy. Now a sacred meeting place for the Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada…it was once the site of a Catholic-run residential boarding school. Memories of the abuses committed there continue to haunt Indigenous Canadians. And it was clear those abuses haunt Pope Francis…who came to the park to meet with tribal leaders…and apologize for those abuses. They were one example of the sour fruit of colonialism…committed by many cultures, faiths and nations…and the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0.
In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we spoke with a documentary producer who explored the impact of our criminal justice system-not only on those imprisoned, but on their families and entire communities. We continue our exploration on the changes needed to keep prison from becoming a life sentence for entire generations, and also hear from faith leaders who are seeking to end what they call the addiction to throwing away human lives and the gifts they carry.
A prison sentence doesn’t impact just the person incarcerated…it affects entire families. This week we talk with a college professor and documentary producer who examines the impact of our justice system. She shares ideas on needed changes to keep prison from becoming a life sentence for entire generations, and how she’s enlisting others to make such changes reality.
In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we examined a program that allows men and women to pursue education while still in prison; a program that enables them to build a new life and stay out of prison. This week, we examine a program called Underground Ministries, in which faith communities adopt a prisoner to ease their transition to life beyond bars.
Find out more at pathstounderstanding.org
‘They paid their debt to society’. That phrase is supposed to describe how someone convicted of a crime, and done their time, should be free to rebuild their life and that of their families. That’s not reality. But an imaginative program based in Seattle is aimed at transforming that situation. In this edition of Challenge 2.0; Emerging from the Prison Beyond Bars-The Prison Scholars program.
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In this episode of Wisdom from Our Neighborhood, Terry talk with Nina Fernando. Nina serves as the Executive Director of the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign (S2S). S2S is an interfaith organization that works across the nation to counter anti-Mulsim bigotry. Terry asks Nina about the work they do, why the work is needed, and how people can participate in this important work in their own community.
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http://chris-hoke.com/undergroundministries
Terry is joined by the executive director of Underground Ministries:
Since 2015 I’ve found a level of friendship, electric spiritual reflection, and heartbending stories in relationship with the incarcerated. The local county jail was just the first portal to the rabbit hole—into the underground of polite society, the streets, the supermax prisons, the cycle between the two that function like the circles of hell, or Hades today.
I am now the founding director of Underground Ministries. We want to pry open that underworld of our making, one relationship at a time. We are based in Skagit Valley, WA, but our models for churches and businesses to get in the game are resources of a wider movement. We want to make resurrection an ethic, a practice—for folks who thought they believed in it or not.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org
Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org
In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we joined the two thousand mile journey of a totem pole created by the Lummi Nation House of Tears carvers. We also joined a discussion of what that journey represents and what it calls for-a change in our relationship to the environment, a restoration of ancient Salmon runs that sustained life in the Pacific Northwest for millenia. Welcome to this edition of Challenge 2.0-Spirit of the Waters, Part Two.
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The Spirit of the Waters Totem Pole Journey in May stretched over seventeen days and more than two thousand miles. But the journey of this sixteen foot pole, created by the Lummi Nation House of Tears carvers, extends much farther in time. It reviews the relationship between humans and the environment that sustained a rich and sustainable culture for centuries in the Pacific Northwest, examines how abandoning that wisdom now threatens the lives and prosperity of this region and it calls us to reclaim that wisdom on our journey into the future. That’s the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0, Spirit of the Waters.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org
In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, faith leaders from Judaism, Christianity and Islam looked at the environmental crisis and how it models a crisis within our lives-our faiths, our values. We continue and expand that conversation this week, looking at how solutions demand not only good science and careful application of technology…but also digging deeper into what we value and believe.
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Last year brought the hottest month ever recorded on this planet, the longest drought ever recorded over the western United States and record rainfall and flooding over the eastern United States. Climate researchers agree it is a crisis demanding careful science and application of technology…but there’s an increasing sense that it also is a crisis of values and faith…that to successfully confront the challenges of the world we live in we must first confront the challenges of the world that lives in each of us. That’s the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0.
The Christian church recently celebrated Pentecost, which observes the descent of the Holy Spirit upon people of all nations, ethnicity and races. As Deacon Joseph Connor noted in last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, the reality is that no faith is truly color blind, offering equal welcome or opportunities for leadership to all. We continue that conversation this week.
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Seven years ago, a twenty one year old white man walked into a predominantly black church in South Carolina, opened fire and killed nine members of that faith community. Most religious communities condemned the action and beliefs of Dylan Roof. But many have also failed to see the contradiction between their expressed beliefs and their fears, resentments and discomfort focused on people of color. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we examine Racism; Religion’s Blind Spot…what it’s like to be black in mostly white faith communities.
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In last weeks’ edition of Challenge 2.0, we began a conversation with two prominent atheists/humanists. What do those terms mean? Does their disbelief mean they don’t share common values with those who do profess a religious faith? Is there room for collaborative action and connection in a society that increasingly offers neither?
Terry is joined by Devin Burghart of Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights to discuss countering the right wing populist movement that has coalesced in the last 10 years. Terry and Devin discuss this movement, how it has changed, and what role each of us can play to counter it.
Devin Burghart is president of Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights and coordinates the Seattle office. He has researched, written, and organized on virtually all facets of contemporary white nationalism since 1992, and is internationally recognized for this effort. Devin is frequently quoted as an expert by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Enquirer, Arizona Republic, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Nation, and Rolling Stone. He has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, the CBS News and National Public Radio, and other broadcast media outlets.
Learn more about Devin's work at: https://www.irehr.org/
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org
They are children with great needs but little ability to express them. The challenge these children and their families face have often resisted traditional therapies. But a talented recording Seattle artist has developed a program that harnesses the power of music to give these young people a voice and a future that once seemed impossible. That’s the focus of this week’s Challenge 2.0-Singing Away Silence.
Parenting is never an easy job, but the demands of parenting expanded during the pandemic. It wasn’t confined to teaching or supervising remote schooling. Parents also needed to help guide their children through the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Brianna Taylor, the increasing gulf between the haves and have nots plus the violent takeover the US Capitol. In this edition of Challenge 2.0, we talk with an education expert, parent of five and the author of a book designed to help parents help their children.
The death of a teenager from bone cancer seems to be an unlikely source of inspiration. But it led to the establishment of a unique camp that has lifted the spirits of thirty five thousand children and their families; each facing life altering medical conditions. Camp Korey is an inspiring story of compassion, connection and personal transformation; a story that offers lessons even to families who are not facing major medical challenges, but simply seeking to grow together, not apart.
In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we examined the connection but also the tension between personal rights and personal responsibilities…a tension which has increased during the COVID pandemic. In “No One Tells Me What to Do-Part Two”, we continue this discussion on the implications, the dangers of this tension, and what balance is needed.
Sixty one million Americans have been diagnosed with COVID as of this date-eight hundred and thirty eight thousand have died. The COVID Pandemic is proof of our interconnection, our interdependence. Yet instead of focusing on how we can meet and beat this threat together, we’re hearing much about personal ‘rights’. That’s the focus of this edition of Challenge 2.0, “No One Tells Me What to Do”.
When we celebrate holidays such as Christmas or Hanukkah, seasons marked less by personal or collective celebrations of faith and more by gatherings at stores-online or brick and mortar. Is this so much a trend related to a decline in religious faith or a larger question of what our society has come to value? That’s the subject of this weeks’ Challenge 2.0-“In Shopping We Trust”.
Like it or not, Christmas has become the most commercialized holiday in the U.S. Americans spend over 600 billion dollars on the holiday, compared to 6 billion dollars for Halloween-the second most commercialized holiday. One in five Americans go into debt to finance their gift and decoration purchases. What is lost by the focus on consumer spending? What are alternatives? That’s the focus of this week’s Challenge 2.0.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org
Health impacts have been the most recognized cost of the COVID epidemic. But perhaps a longer lived impact will be on the learning and future of today’s children. The damage depends upon where the children live and attend school. In this edition of Challenge 2.0, we’ll discuss the problems educators and their students face, and what needs to be done for a recovery of possibilities as well as health.
Chief Seattle is among the best known of Native American leaders. A tribe he led, the Duwamish, were the first to sign the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855. Yet the Duwamish people have been denied federal recognition. This episode will examine the struggle of the Duwamish and the prospects to achieve the recognition promised more than a century ago.
The environmental crisis has been called, at its core, a crisis of values and a crisis of faith. Organized religions have been criticized for contributing to if not even causing the disconnect between people, our planet and those we share it with. But in this episode of Challenge 2.0, we explore whether the ancient roots of faith may also offer solutions.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org
The mega-heatwave of this past June drove temperatures in the Pacific Northwest past the one hundred degree mark for days. Among the hundreds of deaths caused by that heat was a migrant farm worker in Oregon. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we’ll examine the risks farm workers face to bring produce to our tables, needed protections and the hard questions we need to ask ourselves and our grocers.
The speed was shocking. The fall of Afghanistan came not in months or weeks, but in just days…and it came after two decades of war, and the deaths of 100,000 Afghans and 6,000 Americans. There are many questions to be answered, but the most pressing now include what is needed by Afghans seeking refuge and how can each of us help.
Terry is joined by Rabbi Alana Suskin and Steve Martin to discuss The Meaning of Salvation in their faith traditions.
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The United Nations calls it a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, and the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis. Nearly 700,000 Rohingya people have fled Myanmar, also known as Burma, in the last 18 months. But it’s a problem that first arose in the 1970’s when a military dictatorship seized power. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we talk with an American who visited the refugee camps in Bangladesh, see his video, and hear from a Rohingya leader seeking help for his people.
The Rise of the Nones: Spiritual but Not Religious-Part Two. In last weeks’ episode of Challenge 2.0, we examined the rising number of people who no longer identify with any formal faith. Such people often refer to themselves as spiritual, but not religious, and are sometimes called ‘the Nones’, for the category listed on surveys. This week, we return to our conversation with a faith leader who is working to bridge the gap between ‘spiritual’ and ‘religious with a response to disengagement from faith and from each other.
Air Date: August 4th 2019 at 7:30 AM on MeTV, carried through cable providers as well as DirectTV and Dish Network.
Host: Jeff Renner
Panelists: Father Carl Arico
Challenge 2.0 Overview
A 2013 Harris poll revealed 23% of all Americans classify themselves as ‘nones’; not having any religious affiliation. That percentage is growing and growing most rapidly among young people. Many identify as not religious, but spiritual. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we’ll visit with one of the founding leaders of Contemplative Outreach, an ecumenical Christian organization seeking to re-invigorate the ancient monastic practice of silent prayer. Father Carl Arico will explore the trend and how the personal faith practice of silent prayer offers a response to disengagement from faith and from each other.
Air Date: July 22nd 2019 at 7:30 AM on MeTV, carried through cable providers as well as DirectTV and Dish Network.
Host: Jeff Renner
Panelists: Father Carl Arico
Find out more at https://www.pathstounderstanding.org
The caricature of television news used to be ‘if it bleeds, it leads’. Now, that seems to be less of a caricature than a simple reflection of reality on all media platforms. With changes in technology, ‘round the clock’ news cycles and binge-like social media usage, bad news is increasingly leading to bad emotional health. How can we bear bad news without emotional burnout, compassion fatigue or outright depression?
Panelists: Rabbi Ted Falcon, Imam Jamal Rahman, and Pastor Don Mackenzie
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org
This episode of Challenge 2.0 continues the conversation of the previous episode. A physician known for his research into the relationship between gun ownership and violence responds to the demand by the National Rifle Association that doctors remain silent on that issue. He’s joined by the citizen sponsor of a successful initiative that raises the age for purchasing assault rifles, expands background checks and imposes a waiting period, and by two faith leaders who explore the emotional cost of what they call the continued epidemic of gun violence.
Find out more at https://www/[athstounderstanding.org On June 30th of 2016, a young man walked into a party held in the Seattle suburb of Mukilteo and opened fire with an assault rifle. He killed three and wounded a fourth young person. The father of the survivor became a citizen sponsor of an initiative for gun control that was approved by 59 percent of the voters. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, that father shares his story, and that of his son, together with shared perspectives from a physician and two faith leaders. Host: Jeff Renner Panelists: Bishop Greg Rickel, Rabbi Danny Weiner, Paul Kramer, and Dr. Fred Rivara
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The politics of the decade have been defined by anger and outrage. The Interfaith Amigos examine how that limits the effectiveness of activist groups why faith practices offer ‘a deeper well’ for them to draw upon. The potential transformation is the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0.
Host: Jeff Renner
Panelists: Rabbi Ted Falcon, Imam Jamal Rahman, and Pastor Dave Brown
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org
It was called the Antiquities Act of 1906. It gave anthropologists, museums and private collectors free rein to loot native American graves and reservations. Almost a century later, a new federal law was passed to give native Americans an opportunity to reclaim artifacts and in some cases, the remains of their ancestors. What does the law do, does it go far enough and what more is needed? That’s the subject of this episode of Challenge 2.0.
Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org
Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org When white Nationalists stormed the US Capitol January 6th, some wore T-shirts with the slogan ‘6MWE’. That was short hand for 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust weren’t enough. This in the country that defeated those responsible for that genocide, and brought the leaders to justice. In this week’s concluding episode of Challenge 2.0, Addicted to Hate, we examine how we are called to respond.
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In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we heard the stories of two Holocaust survivors. Women who rebuilt their lives only to be confronted by the latest generation of White Nationalists who either claim the Holocaust never happened or didn’t kill enough Jews. This week, we examine the motivations of both these hate groups and the Holocaust survivors who are confronting their assertions.
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They have spent decades emerging from the nightmare of the Holocaust; human-engineered butchery that claimed the lives of six million Jews-neighbors, friends, family. After rebuilding their lives from Nazi genocide of World War two…survivors are now confronted by a new generation of White Nationalists who either claim the Holocaust never happened…or didn’t go far enough. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we hear the stories of two such survivors, and how they respond to the latest pandemic of hate.
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Today the opinions are as divided as this nations’ politics-that we are in a new and dangerous era or, that we have faced similar challenges before. The 1960’s brought massive protests, lynchings and political assassinations. 60 years later, we’ve witnessed killings in schools, offices and places of worship, large scale protests in the street and the violent takeover of the Capitol with threatened killings of elected representatives. In this edition of Challenge 2.0, we hear from two experienced faith leaders who have sought to build connections in both eras.
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What is the proper relationship between faith, politics and government? Are they exclusive, or does an active faith life demand involvement in politics and government policy? In this week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we meet with members of a group called Faith Action Network to explore those questions.
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Terry Kyllo in conversation with Allison Gill from American Atheists about some of the common values many atheists share, some of the common misconceptions about atheists, her work for religious freedom and atheists' work for the common good.
Paths to Understanding uses the term "wisdom tradition" to refer to a set of remembered stories, deep truths, probing questions and a capacity for self-critique exploring how human beings can live with meaning, community and care for the earth. These include Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, Indigenous, agnostic, atheist and humanist and many other traditions.
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org
In our last episode, we heard how faith communities both serve as a source of comfort or a source of distress for our neighbors with different gender identities or sexual orientations. We continue that conversation and explore constructive responses.
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org Court cases affirming the rights of LGBTQ Americans continue to reflect both changing attitudes and understanding within this country. But there are other cases that reflect resistance; and that is also true of faith communities-which traditionally serve as a place of refuge and comfort for people with difficult life experiences. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we open a conversation with representatives of the LGBTQ community and various faith traditions.
https://pathstounderrstanding.org Pastor Terry Kyllo and Senior Rabbi Danny Weiner of Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle discuss the ongoing impact of the pandemic, the impact of the events of January 6th and the forces that contribute to it and how we can act together to strengthen our democracy.
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Who belongs and who doesn’t? That’s the central question of nationalism. During the 2016 and now, the 2020 Presidential election, the answer has frequently been white Americans belong and those of color or faiths other than Christianity, particularly Islam do not. But nationalism and the aggression that can be part of it is not confined to the United States. There’s evidence this phenomena isn’t confined within a country, but may be contagious, crossing national borders, creating discord at home and abroad. One such example is the subject of this week’s Challenge 2.0-Hindu Nationalism.
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In last weeks’ episode of Challenge 2.0, we reviewed the emergence of Hindu Nationalism-the challenges it’s posing not just within India, but also the United States. This week, we examine the home grown version of Nationalism-its intersection with White Nationalism, patriotism and prejudice and the difficulties it poses to the future of our country.
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Challenge 2.0 Episode 5:
In our previous Challenge 2.0 episode, we examined the interconnection of activism, faith and the media during the turbulent era of the 1960’s. We revisited the faith and hope that lived in so many, perhaps expressed best by Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior who said ‘Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars’. Fifty years later, it is evident that injustice, prejudice and alienation remain. That reality brings to mind another statement by Dr. King; “All we say to America is, ‘Be true to what you said on paper’”. So in this episode, we seek to examine what lessons can be drawn from the 1960s in confronting the challenges of today, when we as a society struggle to be true to the principles expressed on paper-in the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Challenge 2.0-Activism, faith and the media…from the 1960’s to today.
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‘Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars’. That line came from the last speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior-one day before he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. It recognized the and confronted the injustice, prejudice and alienation prevalent in the 1960’s…the hope that change was possible, and the commitment to make that a reality. The change did not come easily, but come it did…and in no small part because of the participation of faith communities and the news media. Fifty years after Dr. Martin Luther King Junior was shot and killed for his witness…there are almost daily reminders that injustice, prejudice and alienation remain. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we re-examine the influence of faith communities and the media during the turbulent era of the 1960’s. Activism, faith and the media…from the 1960’s to today.
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The problem of sexual harassment and abuse of adults and children in the home, at school and at work has been well documented. New cases emerge almost daily. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, our panelists examine effective programs and efforts to support victims and prevent new cases…and what we can learn from them. The program will also address what parents can do as they raise their children to break the cycle of victimization.
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The White Nationalism movement has emerged from obscurity to a very vocal and public movement. Although some faith leaders have strongly denounced White Nationalism and its’ tactics, others have either been silent or accepting of the movement. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, three faith leaders respond to this issue.
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Episode 1: News fatigue is just one symptom of the rapid, often overwhelming change and emotional stress of our time. Is it reasonable to maintain a sense of hope in such conditions, and if so, how can we do that? Three faith leaders examine those questions in this episode of Challenge 2.0.
Terry Kyllo will interview Rabbi Jim Mirel and Sikh leader Jasmit Singh on Kristallnacht and the impact of violence against houses of prayer, the impact it has on those communities, the nation as a whole and what we can do about it.
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org You can contribute to our work here: https://donorbox.org/paths-to-underst... Music Theme: The Easter by Red_Ninja © Red_Ninja 2020
In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we examined the low voter turnout in this country and what that suggests about our sense of hope in the present and the future. Today, we talk with veteran journalists and new political candidates to examine what can be done to re-invigorate our democracy, our sense of hope and our sense of connection with others.
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org
Our country’s reported voter turnout is among the lowest in the developed nations of the world . That’s one reason The Economist magazine recently ranked the United States 25th in an assessment of the strength of our democracy. Our country didn’t even make the top 20…and it represents a continued decline. Why don’t more people participate in elections and what does that indicate about our sense of hope for our present and our future. We’ll examine those questions in this episode of Challenge 2.0
Find out more at https://www.pathstounderstanding.org
Among the great tragedies of the Corona Virus Pandemic is the inability to be physically present with friends or family who are hospitalized. That’s especially true of those who are dying. The Pacific Northwest Interfaith Amigos, Rabbi Ted Falcon, Pastor Dave Brown and Imam Jamal Rahman return in this episode of Challenge 2.0 to examine the wounds created by the grief of not being able to say goodbye. They also offer thoughtful strategies to heal those wounds.
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org
The physical threat of the Corona Virus is obvious. We only have to look at the daily statistics of those infected and the fatalities. The more subtle danger is the impact of both the virus and social separation on our emotional health. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we welcome the return of the Interfaith Amigos, Rabbi Ted Falcon, Pastor Dave Brown and Imam Jamal Rahman. They will examine the threat the Pandemic poses to our mental health, and offer strategies to find peace and resilience.
This episode will engage in deep conversation about the heart of the Abrahamic Traditions and how it can guide our lives as individuals and communities in relation to people of different cultures and religions. Now that we are all living together in our towns and cities, how can we be a part of a group while honoring other groups, sharing and receiving what we all have to offer? We will explore what the Abrahamic Tradition in its expressions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity propose about this crucial question.
Collectively, human beings are creating the conditions of an unparalleled ecological crisis. We will explore the relationship between the human being, the earth and all of life, explore the scope of the challenges we face and what the Abrahamic Traditions might offer us as we face them.
In the book of Genesis God says, “It is not good for the human to be alone.” Human beings need relationships to survive and thrive. Yet love for our in-group can lead to suspicion and even violence toward different cultures or religions. We will explore some of the challenges facing us as we engage with people of different cultures.
No Mountain Too High-Overcoming an addiction can seem like climbing a mountain. An impossibly high mountain. And there are many who find themselves on that trail. A federal study last year concluded that 32 million Americans aged twelve or older suffer from a substance abuse disorder. But therapists emphasize it’s just as important to focus on recovery rates...that many can and do reach ‘the summit’ of recovery. That’s the focus of this episode of Challenge 2.0-some remarkable stories realized through a program called Recovery BP.
Air Date: October 19th, 2019 at 7:30 AM on MeTV, carried through cable providers as well as DirectTV and Dish Network.
Host: Jeff Renner
Panelists: Mark Ursino, Dawn Brown, Shadow Behrends, Scott Sowle
The Evangelical/Fundamentalist movement has seemed to be a monolith of Christians embracing conservative politics. But news and social media sources have increasingly been documenting rifts in the movement. ‘Ex-vangelical’ and ‘Post-Evangelical’ are both growing Facebook pages, friended by those disillusioned by what they term right-wing politics. One of our guests today, a former southern Baptist minister, never thought those terms would apply to him. But that was before he met a young Muslim boy in a North Carolina coffee shop.
Air Date: November 10th, 2019 at 7:30 AM on MeTV, carried through cable providers as well as DirectTV and Dish Network.
Host: Jeff Renner
Panelists: Jeff Burns, Aneelah Afzali
Keep Your Tired and Poor-The Statue of Liberty has greeted millions seeking better opportunity, even physical safety, in our country. “Give us your tired, your poor,your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” reads the welcome on the Statue. With each passing week, that welcomebecomes more remote. In this week’s episode of Challenge 2.0, we examine the issue of refugee camps and the connection to the internment camps of World War 2.
Air Date: November 3rd, 2019 at 7:30 AM on MeTV, carried through cable providers as well as DirectTV and Dish Network.
Host: Jeff Renner
Panelists: Maru Mora, Terry Kyllo, Tom Ikeda
Has truth really become whatever we want to believe? What are the costs of embracing what’s come to be called ‘Alt-Truth’. The Interfaith Amigos scrutinize this trend of ’the decade’ in this episode of Challenge 2.0.
Host: Jeff Renner
Panelists: Rabbi Ted Falcon, Imam Jamal Rahman, and Pastor Dave Brown
Find out more at https://www.pathstounderstanding.org
This edition of Challenge 2.0 focuses on what we miss when the wisdom of women is sidelined in faith communities, and examines the stories of women who have made a difference in enriching not only their faith communities, but that of the larger communities of which they are a part.
Find Out More at https://pathstounderstanding.org
The Unopened Gift-Welcoming Female Faith Leaders The glass ceiling limiting women in the workplace isn’t limited to the corporate world; it also is alive if not well in faith communities. In this edition of Challenge 2.0, three female faith leaders from Christianity, Judaism and Islam explain why and how that need to change, and how it will gift their communities with a deeper faith experience.
Find Out More at https://www.pathstounderstanding.org
The United Nations calls it a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, and the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis. Nearly 700,000 Rohingya people have fled Myanmar, also known as Burma, in the last 18 months. But it’s a problem that first arose in the 1970’s when a military dictatorship seized power. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we talk with an American who visited the refugee camps in Bangladesh, see his video, and hear from a Rohingya leader seeking help for his people.
Find Out More at https://www.pathstounderstanding.org
In the last edition of Challenge 2.0, we explored the gulf between promises made and promises kept in treaties signed by the U.S. government with Native American tribes. This week, we continue to explore the reality and consequences of treaty violation in part two of ‘Paper Promises’.
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org
The Keystone XL Pipeline has been ‘fast-tracked for construction’ by the White House. It would cross Native American reservations in both Montana and South Dakota; tribes in those states argue it would violate their most basic treaty rights. Tribal leaders throughout North America contend this is only the latest of a series of violations of their treaty rights throughout the United States and Canada. That’s the focus of this edition of Challenge 2.0-Paper Promises.
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 Teen suicides increased 29 percent just one month after the premiere of a Netflix Series dramatizing the issue. That seemed to support criticism by psychiatrists, who asserted program romanticized suicide and could lead to copycat behavior. The study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry cited no evidence of direct causation. But it clearly illustrates this tragic issue has become all too real for all too many communities and families. That is the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0: Lost Treasures-Confronting Youth Suicide and Stress
Air Date: October 13th, 2019 at 7:30 AM on MeTV, carried through cable providers as well as DirectTV and Dish Network.
Host: Jeff Renner
Panelists: Elsie Dennis, Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, Ace Bulger
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org You can contribute to our work here: https://donorbox.org/paths-to-understing Music Theme: The Easter by Red_Ninja © Red_Ninja 2020
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 Teen suicides increased 29 percent just one month after the premiere of a Netflix Series dramatizing the issue. That seemed to support criticism by psychiatrists, who asserted program romanticized suicide and could lead to copycat behavior. The study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry cited no evidence of direct causation. But it clearly illustrates this tragic issue has become all too real for all too many communities and families. That is the subject of this edition of
Challenge 2.0: Lost Treasures-Confronting Youth Suicide and Stress
Air Date: October 13th, 2019 at 7:30 AM on MeTV, carried through cable providers as well as DirectTV and Dish Network.
Host: Jeff Renner Panelists: Elsie Dennis, Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, Ace Bulger
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org
Aneelah Afzali, Hamza Khan, Alana Suskin and Terry Kyllo will engage in a conversation about what they are doing to respond to the murder of George Floyd and to bring about greater inclusion, equity and justice in our society. They will reflect with each other on the moment we are in and practical steps we can take in our own communities.
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org You can contribute to our work here: https://donorbox.org/paths-to-underst... Music Theme: The Easter by Red_Ninja © Red_Ninja 2020
Imam Adam Jamal of the Muslim Association of Puget Sound in Redmond, WA shares his overview and introduction to Islam. Adam will give an overview of the tradition that guides 1.7 billion people about loving God, the neighbor and the earth. One of the Abrahamic traditions, Islam shares many values and stories in common with Christianity and Judaism. Engaging with this tradition can help people of all wisdom traditions reflect on and deepen their understanding of their own.
Teaching Faculty: Imam Adam Jamal
The fact is that there are many wisdom traditions on the Earth and many more wisdom communities guided by one them. We are not only “neighbors” but are living in the same neighborhoods. Why is it important for wisdom communities to work together? How can we bring the best of our traditions into conversation and join action? A panel including leaders of multifaith organizations, a Lutheran seminary professor and the Assistant to the Bishop of the ELCA for Interreligious Relations will discuss these and other questions. Engaging with others can deepen our own commitment to our own tradition and lead to a more just and equitable world.
Teaching Faculty: The Rev. Dr. Moses Penumaka, Pastor Terry Kyllo, Kathryn Lohre and Rabbi Alana Suskin
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org
You can contribute to our work here: https://donorbox.org/paths-to-understanding
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Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg of Kol Ami in Kirkland, WA offers an introduction to Judaism. Yohanna uses stories and sacred texts to get to the heart of the first of the Abrahamic traditions. She will explore how Jewish communities respond to changes over time in deep conversation with the past, present and future. Since so much of the Christian Scriptures and the Holy Quran share so much in common with the Hebrew Scripture listeners will find new insights into their own wisdom tradition.
Teaching Faculty: Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg
Pastor Terry Kyllo of Paths to Understanding will attempt an introduction to Christianity. Terry will begin by drawing out the meaning of Jesus’ invitation to discipleship “the kingdom of God has come near; repent and trust and act in the good news.” Terry will explore Jesus as a first century leader within the Abrahamic Tradition. This is especially important in a time when Christians are being called to recognize and repent of the distortion of faith wrought by Constantinian Christianity, the Doctrines of Discovery and centuries of white, Christian supremacy.
Teaching Faculty: Pastor Terry Kyllo
In this episode of Wisdom from Our Neighborhood, Terry Kyllo will be joined by a panel of inter-religious leaders to share stories of compassion, forgiveness and joint action by people of wisdom traditions. He will be joined by Nina Fernando who is the program director for the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign; Shanta Premawardhana who is president and CEO of Omnia Institute for Contextual Leadership; Rais Bhuiyan founder and President of World Without Hate; and Elise DeGooyer of the Faith Action Network in Washington State.
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Terry will be in conversation with Shanta Premawardhana, the Executive Director of Omnia Institute for Contextual Leadership. Omnia trains teams for multifaith peacemaking around the world, including in Sri Lanka, NIgeria and Bangladesh.
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Terry will talk with two pastors, Danae Ashley and Rachel Taber Hamilton, about how to recognize, adapt, and recover from the stress we are all experiencing, while acting compassionately for those more impacted than ourselves. Danae is a pastor and state certified counselor. Rachel is a pastor and nationally certified chaplain.
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org
You can contribute to our work here: https://donorbox.org/paths-to-underst...
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Terry has a conversation with youth leaders from Kids 4 Peace about how engaging with people from other traditions has led them deeper into their own tradition, and empowered them to work for the future of all.
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Conversation with Rabbi Jim Mirel The Rabbi Emeritus of Temple B׳nai Torah and currently Rabbi of Bet Chaverim of South King County. Jim and Terry will discuss how he and his community are responding to our current crisis, what we can do to center ourselves, and how interfaith relationships have a key part of his leadership as a Rabbi.
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org You can contribute to our work here: https://donorbox.org/paths-to-underst... Music Theme: The Easter by Red_Ninja © Red_Ninja 2020
A conversation between Terry Kyllo and Jim Director of the Interfaith Family Center and Luke Hyder of Cascade View Presbyterian Church about the work of the Shelter and how they partner with churches to meet the needs of those facing a lack of a home.
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Terry Kyllo will be in conversation with Anthony Young, the first African American city council person in Anacortes, WA, and community members Keiko McKracken and Amy Hong about their experiences of both inclusion and exclusion in a small town in Washington State.
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During these disorienting days Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg, Imam Abdirahman Kaariye and Pastor Terry Kyllo will discuss how the Abrahamic Traditions can help us recognize and deal with anxiety, loss and finding hope for the future.
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Wisdom from Our Neighborhood: Lessons from the Road is an ongoing conversation from people on the front-lines of countering Islamophobia, Anti-Semitism and all forms of Hate.
Hamza Khan is the founder of The Pluralism Project, an organization working to empower everyday Americans hailing from diverse narratives in our political process. He has worked as a campaign manager and communications consultant in local and national campaigns and was presented with a Rising Star Award by POLITICO magazine.
Rabbi Alana Suskin is an educator, activist and writer. She is the editor of the progressive blog, Jewschool.com. She served as assistant Rabbi at Adas Israel in Washington, DC. She reaches across faith traditions to fight Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
Together, Alana and Hazma have started the Pomegranate Initiative in which teams of Jewish and Muslim faith leaders to increase understanding and friendship in the USA.
Aneelah Afzali is the founder of MAPS AMEN, the American Muslim Empowerment Network, activist, public leader and member of the board of the Faith Action Network. www.mapsredmond.org/amen/
Terry Kyllo is the Executive Director of Paths to Understanding, formerly the Treacy Levine Center and Neighbors in Faith. Terry is an ordained Lutheran Pastor who works to bridge bias and build unity through multi-faith peacemaking. www.pathstounderstanding.org
Together, Aneelah and Terry have engaged in the Faith Over Fear Roadshow and the Facts Over Fear social media campaign.
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org You can contribute to our work here: https://donorbox.org/paths-to-understanding Music Theme: The Easter by Red_Ninja © Red_Ninja 2020
Terry is joined for a conversation with Tom Ikeda from Densho as we reflect on Japanese Internment (concentration camps), more recent Supreme Court Rulings, how the scapegoating of Chinese Americans impacts all Asian Americans, and how Japanese Americans are acting on behalf of others out of their experiences and more.
Find out more at https://pathstounderstanding.org
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