The power of bringing opposing people together to serve others

Tonight’s guest was raised in a secular Jewish home in the San Francisco Bay area and wound up marrying a woman from rural Arkansas. He recently told me, if you’re ripping someone from any number of groups – Jews, Muslims, Evangelicals, Southerners – chances are it’s a group that includes someone he loves.

Following the 2016 Presidential election, Andrew Hanauer felt like he no longer belonged to any traditional political party and that he wanted to be part of something different – something Gospel driven and inclusive. He decided to focus on efforts that combine this desire with his passion for politics and his relationships with a variety of religious leaders. He’s currently the President and CEO of One America Movement, an organization founded by faith and community leaders to tackle the division in our society. Andrew joins us to talk about our culture of political contempt and what One America is doing to address it.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

The power of joining opposing people together to work on a cause they both care about.

Dispelling the myth that we agree with the loudest person on our side of an argument.

A couple of benefits from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Using science to empower people.

FULL ANDREW HANAUER INTERVIEW

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For more information: One America Movement Website

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough 

The economic impact of religion in America and religious freedom at work

In 1982, tonight’s guest moved to China and watched religious practices grow despite the government’s efforts to stamp them out. In 1989, as he was flying through Berlin on the way to the Soviet Union, a friend grabbed him and took him to join the first crowds tearing down the Berlin Wall. And in 2001, he was teaching in a Middle East town with 20,000 Taliban when the Twin Towers and Pentagon were struck.

Two decades as an international educator sparked a desire in Brian Grim to understand religious oppression and the benefits of religious freedom. He went on to serve in various related positions, including eight years working as the Director of Pew Research Center’s Religion and Public Life studies.  Brian is currently the President of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation and is one of the world’s leading experts on religious demographics and impact.  He joins us today to chat about his experiences overseas, the surprising benefits of religious freedom, and the positive impact of letting people freely bring their faith identities to work. 

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

Employees want to feel welcomed & valued regardless of their race, beliefs or orientations.

Big companies are realizing that many of their religious employees feel like they have to hide their faith at work.

The economic and other impacts of local congregations across America.

FULL BRIAN GRIM INTERVIEW

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For more information: Religious Freedom & Business Foundation Website

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough 

Did Jesus engage in politics?

Back in 2015, a liberal graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY became friends with a republican who emigrated from El Salvador as a teen.  While they had very different political views, they shared a common belief that Christians were engaging in the American political realm in a decidedly un-Christlike way.  That friendship blossomed into the Center for Christian Civics (CXC), a non-profit dedicated to helping Christians be better disciples of Jesus Christ while engaging in politics. Today, we’re joined by their liberal co-founder, Rick Barry, to talk about our polarized culture, how it’s affecting the church, and what CXC is doing to address this. 

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

The importance of getting close to people who differ from us.

COVID-19 exposes the need for leaders who are qualified to do what’s needed in a crisis.

How to deal with people you dislike in the political realm.

FULL RICK BARRY INTERVIEW

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For more information: Center for Christian Civics Website

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough 

The unifying effect of COVID-19 and a focus on what we have in common

According to a recent survey, 99% of Progressive Activists in America feel that immigration is good for America while 98% of Devoted Conservatives think it’s bad.  97% of the activists think the police treat African Americans more violently than others while 93% of the conservatives think police are mostly fair to all races. And 99% of the activists disapprove of Donald Trump while 98% of the conservatives approve of him.

While these numbers reveal polarization in the extreme, there’s good news.  It turns out that these two groups don’t represent the majority of Americans – a majority that is sick and tired of this divide and thinks we have more in common than not.

Tonight, we’re joined by Dan Vallone from More In Common, an organization that has been studying our growing political divide. Dan joins us to talk about the results of their 2018 polarization survey and the work they’re doing to bridge the divide.  He’ll also fill us in on the results of a study they just released called Polarization and the Pandemic: How COVID-19 is Changing Us.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

Some suggestions for how to get a more realistic understanding of people on the other side of the divide.

More suggestions for bridging the divide.

COVID-19 sparks economic concerns, unity, and gratitude.

The frightening side of our divisions.

FULL DAN VALLONE INTERVIEW

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For more information: More In Common Website

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough 

A Christian view of politics

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do you talk about welfare reform while also giving to the needy in your church?

  • Do you proclaim that all lives matter and also have friends who look very different than you?

  • Do you speak against abortion and also embrace and assist the single mothers in your church?

  • Do you share your political opinions on social media while also joyfully sharing the Lord’s supper with church members who disagree with you?

  • Do you call for immigration reform while warmly welcoming foreign visitors to your church?

Today’s guest posed these questions at a conference earlier this month focusing on the relationship between Christians and politics. Jonathan Leeman is the editorial director at 9Marks, an organization that equips church leaders with resources for building healthy churches. He’s also an elder at Cheverly Baptist Church in suburban Washington, D.C. and the author of How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics for a Divided Age. He joins us today to talk about Christianity and politics. 

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

If you’re not caring for the hurting in your church, why would you think you’re qualified to care for the hurting in your nation?

Christianity threatens economic and political idolatry.

What is the gospel?

FULL JONATHAN LEEMAN INTERVIEW

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For more information: 9Marks Website; @JonathanLeeman on Twitter

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough 

A nurse-in-training offers help to her neighbors amidst the coronavirus outbreak

Last week on Saint Patrick’s Day, my daughter and I drove from Vienna, VA to Reston, VA to pick up some carry-out dinner from one of the many restaurants that had closed its doors to diners.  When we returned to our condo building, we entered the elevator lobby on the garage level and I noticed a handwritten note on the announcements board.  The note read:

“If anyone needs groceries, supplies, or other essentials and are afraid of getting exposed to the coronavirus, I can run errands for you.”  The author included her phone number and e-mail address, and she signed the note, “Lindsay, your neighbor on the 3rd floor.”

I was thrilled to see this simple yet powerful expression of grace in the face of the emerging coronavirus threat.  I had to call her and do an interview.  Today I’m joined by Lindsay O’Conner, who lives with her new husband and their dog on the 3rd floor of my building.  She joins me to talk about what compelled her to reach out to her neighbors; what she’s hearing from healthcare workers on the front lines; and to offer suggestions for how listeners might fill some critical voids in the healthcare system (see links below). 

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Please note that this was my first attempt at an over-the-Internet interview following the temporary closing of our radio station due to the coronavirus. Things did not turn out so well, especially on my (Ed’s) side of the connection. I intentionally left my volume throttled back versus my guest in an attempt to attenuate interference. I also could not correct various distortions on my side. I apologize for any offense to listener’s ears.

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FULL INTERVIEW

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An interview with the President of the American Enterprise Institute

Robert Doar assumed the leadership role at the American Enterprise Institute in 2019.  A leading conservative poverty scholar who has demonstrated a knack for working with both Republican and Democrat administrations in New York, he joins us to talk about our contentious political environment, the importance of respecting the will of the people, and his belief that AEI’s guiding principles benefit the people who struggle the most in our society.   

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

We are all republicans and democrats.

Respecting the will of the people.

A place to get away from the rhetoric and noise.

FULL ROBERT DOAR INTERVIEW

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For more information: American Enterprise Institute Website

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough 

25 years serving children and other residents in Washington D.C.’s most challenging communities

At age 25, Steve Park started tutoring kids in his parent’s Taekwondo studio in a low-income D.C. neighborhood.  Twenty-five years later, that humble enterprise has grown into Little Lights, a non-profit serving the youth and families in the Potomac Gardens, Hopkins, and Benning Terrace public housing complexes of Southeast D.C., where families of four struggle to survive on annual incomes that average $12,000-to-$14,000.  When I spoke to Steve back in 2016, Little Lights employed 13 full-time and 40 part-time staff, many of whom live in the communities they serve; utilized 120 volunteers; and was the number one job provider in the low-income D.C. housing community.  Steve updates us on their work and, more importantly, shares the joy that comes from empowering under-served youth and families through practical assistance, racial reconciliation, and the love of Jesus Christ.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

The role of racism and a lack of healing in our divisions.

The Gospel is much bigger than personal salvation.

Little Lights ushers the Kingdom of God into communities that are ignored and devalued by others.

Loving your enemies is not only about being nice or civil.

FULL STEVE PARK INTERVIEW

(This may take 20 seconds or so to load. There are also minor interference issues through the first 10 minutes of the interview.)

For more information: Little Lights Website

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough 

An award-winning educator works to provide safe havens for children living in difficult neighborhoods

There are neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. that present substantial challenges to schools working to provide local children with the best education possible.  Tonight’s guest is an award-winning principal who recently left a school in the D.C. suburbs to serve children in such neighborhoods.  Vincent Spadoni is the President of the Consortium of Catholic Academies, a collection of four Catholic schools working to provide safe havens for children living in difficult neighborhoods and economic situations.  Vince joins us to talk about the characteristics of schools that make a truly significant impact in challenging settings.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

The Gospel empowers education and reveals the possibilities ahead.

The importance of building relationships between children’s families and a school’s teachers and administrators.

FULL VINCENT SPADONI INTERVIEW

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For more information: Consortium of Catholic Academies Website

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough 

 

Loving our enemies in a culture of political contempt

It’s the new year, we’re about 10 months away from the 2020 election, and things are tense.  It seems that many people believe that the political climate in America is about as bad as it’s ever been.  Here are some statistics:

  • A February 2017 poll showed that one in six Americans had stopped talking to a family member or friend because of the 2016 election.[1]

  • At the end of that year, another poll indicated that 71% of Americans believed that American political division had reached a “dangerous low point.”[2] 

  • The year before, work by political scientists indicated that political polarization was at its worst level since the Civil War.[3] 

  • Despite these statistics, 93% of Americans say they’re tired of how divided we’ve become – and 71% of us make this statement strongly.[4]  So, how can so many people be so tired of this and yet things seem to be continually getting worse?

Frankly, we don’t need surveys to realize how mutually contemptuous and judgmental our culture has become.  We see it all around us.

Instead of a guest tonight, Sal and Ed talk about politics in America – perhaps the hottest issue of 2020 given the upcoming election – and invite listeners to join the conversation and our efforts over the next year to improve the situation.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

A challenge to reach out to a relative or friend you’ve been avoiding.

A challenge to join the @six27club by loving your political enemies.

Don’t lead off conversations with why you are right and the other person is wrong.

FULL ED and SAL DISCUSSION

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For more information: @gracein30; @six27club

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough 

 

Giving respect, choice, and independence to people with developmental disabilities

There are a lot of things we take for granted – like being able to walk out the door of our home whenever we want, hop in a car and drive to work or the grocery store, or get a job that allows us to make a living. For some people, though, these basic things are extremely difficult to do, at best. In particular, such things pose an enormous challenge to people with intellectual and physical disabilities. 

Today we’re talking to Arthur Ginsberg, the CEO and President of CRi – a 45-year-old Arlington organization that last year provided care to over 1,000 individuals with mental health needs & developmental disabilities.  Arthur joins us to talk about how, through CRi’s programs, disabled individuals can exert greater control over important decisions in their lives, gain respect in their communities, and achieve a level of independence that years ago would have been unimaginable.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

Enabling people to live in the community and do basic things they have never done before.

A challenge to contact local legislators and voice your support for a caregiver living wage.

FULL ARTHUR GINSBERG INTERVIEW

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For more information: CRi Website

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough  

A church for people who don’t go to church and the radical selflessness of Jesus

A church for people who don’t go to church. Is there such a thing and, if so, what does it look like?  Today, we’re joined by John Slye, the Lead Pastor at Arlington’s Grace Community Church whose tagline is, in fact, just that.  John joins us to discuss how he felt drawn to create a place where people who have been burned or bored by church, or simply have never been to church, can come and hear about Jesus and the Gospel.  We’ll also talk about a couple of topics that have recently been near and dear to John including the power of our words and the practicality of Jesus. 

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

The very things that so many of us hope for are the things that Jesus champions.

Love is a decision, not a feeling.

Jesus’ primary focus was on the Gospel and the Kingdom of God.

FULL JOHN SLYE INTERVIEW

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For more information: Grace Community Church

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough  

Lessons our bodies teach us about living in troubled times

Tonight’s guest first learned about Dr. Paul Brand when his wife stumbled upon an article Dr. Brand had written entitled The Gift of Pain.  While most people desperately want to be free from pain, Dr. Brand spent much of his career trying to create a pain system for his patients.  Dr. Brand studied medicine in London during some of the darkest days of World War II, when German bombers pounded the city – sometimes for weeks on end.  He returned to India, where he grew up, in 1946 and began working with leprosy patients – people considered the lowest of the low in Indian society.  He would go on to achieve world renown for his treatment of the disease. 

Tonight, we’re joined by Philip Yancey, the author of 25 books including Disappointment with God and What’s So Amazing About Grace? Philip co-authored several books with Dr. Brand and became very close to him, often calling him the father he never had. Philip recently combined and updated two of these books for release this past August under the title, Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God’s Image. Philip joins us to share some of his memories of Paul, and some of Paul’s many insights into the workings of the human body and the lessons they teach in today’s deeply divided world.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

The counter-cultural behavior of cells.

A startling example of loving our enemies.

There’s nothing we can do that will make God love us more or less than he does.

FULL PHILIP YANCEY INTERVIEW

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For more information: Philip Yancey’s Website

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough  

Countering burnout and un-grace with rest, solitude, and boundaries

When tonight’s guest got engaged, his wife gave him a rather unusual gift.  She gave him a paid trip to Deep Creek to be alone for two nights – including away from her.  Many of their friends thought this was strange given the fact that they just got engaged.  Wouldn’t they want to spend every moment together at a time like this?

John McGowan is the Lead Pastor of Restoration City Church in Arlington. He joins us to talk about how spiritual practices like solitude, silence, and a weekly day of rest can go a long way towards addressing the chronic stress and burnout that characterize life in the D.C. Metro area. 

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

Jesus both made himself available and set healthy boundaries.

Practices like solitude, silence, and a day of rest are both incredibly counter-cultural and incredibly healthy.

Grace does not exempt us from effort, it empowers effort.

FULL JOHN MCGOWAN INTERVIEW

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For more information: Restoration City Church Website

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough  

Comforting parents who have lost a child

Tonight’s guest lost her ten-year-old daughter in a drowning accident.  Amazingly, this led her to a deeper, more thankful relationship with God.  Julie Mad-Bondo joins us to talk about the biggest turning point in her life as well as her work as the founder of Julie’s Heart Cry, an organization that helps parents who are grieving the loss of a child as well as at-risk pregnant women around the world.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

Helping parents navigate the pain and anger of loss.

When unbelievers extend more grace than Christians.

When God shows up in your worst moments.

FULL JULIE MAD-BONDO INTERVIEW

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For more information: Julie’s Heart Cry Website

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough  

Wisdom from 45 years at the helm of Reston Bible Church

Mike Minter was the son of a Navy admiral when he flunked out of the Naval Academy in the 1960s.  He was left standing on the corner, so to speak, wondering what he would do next.  After returning to school and getting a degree in Political Science from Old Dominion University, and a Bible degree from Florida Bible College, Mike and his new wife made their way to Reston, Virginia in 1974 with $600 in their pockets – and the goal of planting a church.  Mike got a job at a local golf course shining shoes and handing out towels, and he started a Bible study in the home of a Reston resident.  That Bible study grew into what is now Reston Bible Church based in Sterling, Virginia.  Mike has been the lead pastor at RBC for 45 years and is still going strong.  He joins us to talk about some memorable moments in his life along with some of the most important things he’s learned shepherding thousands of people over the past four-and-a-half decades.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

Disunity in the church.

The importance of community.

The divine empowerment to live the impossible life.

What is the Gospel?

FULL MIKE MINTER INTERVIEW

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For more information: Reston Bible Church Website

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough  

The myth of a Christian nation

It’s not uncommon these days to hear American Christians say things like, “Let’s take back America for God” or “America needs to return to its Christian roots.”  There are others, though, who wonder, Just when was America a Christian nation?  They wonder if it was when we were killing millions of Indians in our conquest of North America?  Or maybe when we were kidnapping and enslaving millions of Africans.  Or maybe we’ve accomplished that today just as the ugliness and depth of our nation’s divisions and bigotry are on increasing display? 

Tonight, I’m joined by Greg Boyd, Senior Pastor at Woodland Hills Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and the author of several books including The Myth of a Christian Nation and The Myth of a Christian Religion.  We’ll be discussing the relationship between the Christian church and our government, and our call to provide a foretaste of the perfectly just, peaceful and loving government to come. 

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

When we associate the Gospel with a political party, we create a stumbling block.

The power of loving the most unlovable person in your life.

We are called to sacrificially love people in need.

FULL GREG BOYD INTERVIEW

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For more information: The Myth of a Christian Nation; The Myth of a Christian Religion; Woodland Hills Church

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough  

Promoting unity among Arab, Jewish and Western Christians

We’re living in a time of division, hate, ignorance and untruth.  No group is unaffected, including the Christian church where there are more denominations than you can shake a stick at, and numerous divisions within each of these groups.  Tonight, we’ll be focusing on relations between Jewish, Arab and Western Christians.  We’re joined by Eric Teitelman, a Messianic Jew, and Jed Robyn, a Gentile Christian who will talk about how they’re working together to promote unity among these groups as well as a recent gathering of Christians they attended in Israel. 

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

Yearning for love and unity in the church.

The church has an obligation to display the love of Jesus.

FULL ERIC TEITELMAN AND JED ROBYN INTERVIEW

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For more information: House of David Ministries

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough  

Styrofoam Mom and the #holdthefoam movement

A few weeks ago, Mariam Gennari and I (Ed) were chatting outside the entrance to WERA’s building while a lone Styrofoam cup swirled around in a gentle breeze on the ground next to us. It was a symbolic moment. Mariam, also known as Styrofoam Mom, has been on a crusade to address the staggering problem of Styrofoam waste. She’s the Executive Producer of the 2018 documentary Styrofoam Mom – The Movie, the host of the Sustainable Scoop on AIM’s Arlington Weekly News, and a determined environmental activist. Mariam joins us to talk about how she became Styrofoam Mom, the problems our excessive use of Styrofoam present, and what regular folks can do to address the issue.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

You don’t have to reach everyone - just one person at a time.

The best messengers are young people.

FULL MIRIAM GENNARI INTERVIEW

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For more information: Styrofoam Mom Website

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough  

A counterintuitive approach to work

Back in 2007, Ryan Haley was an overachiever and helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy who was living the good life in beautiful San Diego, California.  That all changed following a helicopter crash on July 31st that year, about a month before he was scheduled for his first deployment.  Following the accident, Ryan began to reconsider his views of success and how we earn it as well as the faith he had largely walked away from and misunderstood.  Ryan joins us to talk about the lessons he has learned over the past ten years, and to discuss his podcast and upcoming book – both aptly named A Better Way.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

Put more faith in God to accomplish what He put in your heart to do.

The sweet spot is where the supernatural meets the practical.

FULL RYAN HALEY INTERVIEW

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For more information: A Better Way Podcast

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Opening music by Chris Tomlin, Your Grace Is Enough