 Inner Compass is a television interview show that explores how people make their decisions about ethical, religious, and social justice issues. Guests include visiting scholars, authors, activists, religious leaders, and public servants from around the world as well as active members of the local community.Primary Format :
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Enfolding Ex-Prisoners Forever defined by their worst choices, former prisoners re-enter a society that locked them up and tried to throw away the key. Harold Dean Trulear of the Howard University School of Divinity and The Center for Public Justice shows how churches across the nation work to provide a warmer return for these citizens. Karen Saupe hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Religion & Reporters: Oil & Water?As religion becomes a central theme in the headlines of the day, many journalists find themselves to be under-informed. Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. describes how he brings religion experts and reporters together for some revealing conversations.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Forsaking the Fast TrackJohn Rodden, a scholar and writer who no longer specializes in one area of study, describes his motivations and adventures after walking away from a promising career as a professor in order to pursue his dreams. Karen Saupe hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website When Groups Play: Flash Mobs & Urban ExperimentsWhat does it take to get thousands of people to show up downtown for a pillow fight? Rob Bliss, creator of The Rob Bliss Urban Experiments, tells how technology and social dynamics help him gather crowds for memorable happenings. Karen Saupe hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website True Community DevelopmentWhen families climb out of poverty, they often leave their old neighborhoods behind. What can help an at-risk population when it loses its stabilizing core? Today we'll hear from long-time civil rights activist and author John Perkins, who holds 9 honorary doctorates for his tremendous success building up poor communities across the country. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Freeing Today's SlavesAcross the world, children as young as five are sold into brothels, and widows lose land and livelihood due to unenforced laws that could protect them. Human rights activist Sharon Cohn Wu tells stories of International Justice Mission rescuing victims in their own countries using local courts and litigation. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Connecting Cancer & the Environment If a chemist could sample your body's chemistry, she would find scores of toxic chemicals picked up throughout your life, as early as in your mother's womb. Is this an unavoidable part of life on modern earth? January Series guest Sandra Steingraber is an ecologist, writer, and cancer survivor who promotes a different path. Karen Saupe hosts. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Plotting Paths to PowerSome people seem born to climb the ladder of success and power. Are leadership qualities innate, learned, bought? Michael Lindsay of the Rice University Center on Race, Religion, & Urban Life has interviewed hundreds of prominent public leaders; he shares his notes with host Shirley Hoogstra.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Are Christians Losing Touch?There's a growing skepticism among young people toward Christianity, and Christians don't even seem to be aware of it. Public opinion pollster David Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group and author of unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity, explains what young adults are looking for and why they're not finding it at church. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Microfinance MiraclesIt may be hard to believe that $50 can lift a family out of poverty for life, but it’s happening every day around the world through simple microfinance lending partnerships. Robert Rooy has not only watched it happen—he has dedicated his life to helping others watch, too, through film. Karen Saupe hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Presidential Character: An Ethical HistoryIs being a "natural politician" a mark of truth or falsehood? Better to forge ahead in the face of opposition, or to be swayed by the citizens? Presidential historian and biographer Richard Norton Smith draws on a wealth of stories to bring to light the issue of presidential character. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website What Marriage Does Marriage is more than a piece of paper, yet it's more difficult to buy a new car than to wed someone for life. John Witte, Jr., director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University, traces the view of marriage throughout western history, suggesting ways to strengthen and enrich the institution today. Karen Saupe hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Middle East ChristianityChristianity was born in the Middle East, yet it's a minority religion there. Egyptian minister Victor Makari, Middle East liasion for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), relays the challenges and dreams of Christians living there and how U.S. churches can partner with them. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Gifts of ArtMontreat College’s Jim Southerland is an artist who developed his own version of the camera obscura, an ancient predecessor to the camera. Anyone can use it to create drawings in correct proportion. Southerland guides host Karen Saupe as she gives it a try, and describes the joys of sharing art creation with underprivileged children around the world.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website An Orphan CrisisPublicity abounds on the growing number of orphans overseas, but little is known about our domestic situation. Is our foster care system veiling a similar crisis? Kerry Hasenbalg, co-founder of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, brings the problems to light, offering ways to enfold orphans wherever they may live. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Giving AdviceWhat's a 17-year-old to do after lashing out at Mom? Ask Amy. Amy Dickinson’s Chicago Tribune column appears daily in more than 150 newspapers, replacing Ann Landers's long and legendary run. Dickinson gives advice about giving advice, and discusses her memoir The Mighty Queens of Freeville with host Karen Saupe.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Explaining Emergent ChurchesWho is God? Do we dare answer, or does defining become confining? It's a big question of the emergent church; philosopher Peter Rollins, founder of the Ikon emergent community in Northern Ireland, offers big answers in his books How Not to Speak of God and The Fidelity of Betrayal. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Silent RacismIs racism a thing of the past or is it still with us, something many people try to will away and out of sight? Barbara Trepagnier, sociology professor at Texas State University-San Marcos, discusses the subtleties of prejudice in her book Silent Racism: How Well-Meaning White People Perpetuate the Racial Divide. Karen Saupe hosts. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Setting Boundaries: Personal & Professional Do you find yourself texting at soccer games? Do you avoid confronting an inefficient employee? Clinical psychologist and leadership consultant Henry Cloud, author of The One-Life Solution: Reclaim Your Personal Life While Achieving Greater Professional Success, examines the boundaries we cross at our own expense. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Socially Responsible ClothingBuying a shirt? Basing your decision on the look and price? Shopping for clothing may feel like a straightforward venture, yet the story behind each garment is complex. Activist and entrepreneur Marta Swain, owner of a community-minded apparel store in Grand Rapids, weaves stories of sustainable farming and labor practices with advice for benefiting everyone involved in your purchase. Karen Saupe hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Politics by the BibleWhose job is it to ensure justice, human rights, and care of our neighbor? What does the Bible say that could guide our voting and political priorities? Steve Monsma of Calvin College’s Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics describes the possibilities from his book Healing for a Broken World: Christian Perspectives on Public Policy. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Progressive Evangelical PoliticsSome say the era of the American religious right is over. Which direction will evangelicals head next? Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners and author of the bestseller God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn¹t Get it, pinpoints a "moral center" and its corresponding political revival in America today. Karen Saupe hosts.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Questioning "Emergent" Churches"Coffee, candles, and couches" is how some critics describe the style of emergent churches, which are popping up across the U.S. and Europe. As usual, popularity brings questions and concerns. Pastor Kevin DeYoung and writer Ted Kluck, from Lansing, MI, describe theirs for host Shirley Hoogstra as they discuss their book, Why We¹re Not Emergent (by Two Guys Who Should Be).Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Evangelicals & MaryIn Protestant churches, Mary the mother of God takes the stage at Christmas, only to disappear backstage for the rest of the year. Should she play a leading role year-round? Christianity Today's Timothy George, founding dean of Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama, tells host Karen Saupe what evangelicals can learn from why Catholics revere Mary.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC820 - Christians in the CourtroomWitnesses place their hand on the Bible before they testify: how would principles from that Bible play out if it were actually opened up and applied? Would prosecutors be arguing for forgiveness? Stephen Bloom, attorney with Irwin&McKnight law firm in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and author of The Believer's Guide to Legal Issues, wonders with host Karen Saupe how empty courtrooms might become.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Striving Toward Multi-Ethnic ChurchMartin Luther King, Jr. famously pronounced eleven o'clock Sunday morning as the most segregated hour in America. How can churches work to reverse this trend? Sociologist Gerardo Marti of Davidson College tells host Shirley Hoogstra about his research on what works and what doesn't.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC819 The Life of a Scientist MomField biologist Margaret Lowman has balanced research and family in rainforest treetops around the world. Lowman, author of It's a Jungle Up There: More Tales from the Treetops, tells host Shirley Hoogstra how her high-reaching adventures grounded her as a mother and advanced forest-canopy research for scientists, indigenous people groups, and the online student community.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC818 Stand if Able: Disability and the ChurchIf the Church is the "body" of Christ, then church members function as its distinct yet complementary parts. When those roles aren't obvious, how can we help each other find them? Christopher Smit of the Calvin College communication department explores with host Karen Saupe how churches can progress beyond installing ramps to fully embracing the unique roles of the disabled.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC817 Is More Better? Rethinking ConsumptionAmerica is the land of opportunity . . . to buy stuff. Yet all this spending isn't making us any happier, studies show, and it weakens our communities. Activist Bill McKibben discusses his latest book Deep Economy: the Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future with host Karen Saupe.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC816 Who is Gospel Music For?Many people have strong feelings about what kind of music is appropriate for church, and exactly how it should be performed. Performed for who? January Series guest James Abbington of Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, and executive editor of the African American Church Music series, takes host Karen Saupe on a tour at the piano.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC815 Nuclear Power: Promise or Peril?France generates over 80% of its energy using nuclear power plants; the United States, 20%. Why the difference, and whose air is cleaner? Sigval Berg of UniStar Nuclear Energy, a joint venture of American and French power companies, details to host Karen Saupe the advantages and concerns surrounding the use of nuclear power as an energy source.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC814 The Changing Face of Illegal Immigration: Mothers and ChildrenWhat if you were a constantly hungry child whose mother moved away for a job, to send you money for food and schooling? And what if that short separation turned into years, decades? Thus begins Enrique’s Journey, written by guest Sonia Nazario. She tells host Shirley Hoogstra of her adventures in covering this Pulitzer Prize-winning story of a Honduran boy’s odyssey to be reunited with his mother in the U.S.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC812 - Altering the Disabled: The "Pillow-Angel" ControversyMany severely disabled children are cared for at home until they grow too large for their parents to be able to handle them. But what if a surgery could keep such a child mid-sized forever? Douglas Diekema, a Seattle physician and ethics consultant, tells host Shirley Hoogstra about such a surgery at his hospital and how people have responded to it. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC813 - Does Humanitarian Relief Relieve?When we hear about devastating floods or earthquake overseas, Americans quickly respond. Not only does USAID offer to help, but individual citizens immediately start sending money and supplies. Calvin College January Series guest William Garvelink, until recently the overseer of USAID's worldwide humanitarian assistance programs, tells host Shirley Hoogstra what happens. He also describes his current work as U.S. ambassador to Democratic Republic of the Congo.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC811 - Space Exploration: What's it Worth?It's been 35 years since humans last touched the moon—ancient history to our young people. Host Shirley Hoogstra asks chief NASA administrator Michael Griffin about his dreams for the nation's space program and his concerns about its past & present.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC810 - Religion's Role in International RelationsNo matter how much the U.S. may value its separation of church & state, many other countries either aren’t buying it, or are condemning us for it. Chris Seiple, president of the Institute for Global Engagement in Washington, describes for host Shirley Hoogstra his Council on Faith & International Affairs, which provides resources for today’s leaders about the role of religion in global issues.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC809 - Women in Political LeadershipIs a woman strong enough to be President of the United States? To lead us into war, to stand up to terrorists? And can she do it all in a pink suit? Why does it matter what she wears? Host Shirley Hoogstra discusses women in political leadership with Eleanor Clift, contributing editor and columnist for Newsweek and co-author of Madam President: Women Blazing the Leadership Trail. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC808 - Equality or Equity? Defining JusticeWe're uncomfortable with the idea of inequality, yet we see it all around us, even in nature. Do we need to get more specific with our concerns about justice? Michelle Loyd-Paige, dean of multicultural affairs at Calvin College, suggests to host Karen Saupe a closer look at the term equity.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC807 - Lower to Middle Class: Building BridgesHow would you like to walk up to a line of homeless people waiting for food, and offer a respectable job to everyone who wanted one? Ron Jimmerson, workforce diversity manager at plastics manufacturer Cascade Engineering, got the chance to do just that. He tells host Karen Saupe how it turned out.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC806 - Suffering In MarriageIt has been said that we don’t keep marriage vows; they keep us. David Gushee, professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University in Atlanta and author of Getting Marriage Right: Realistic Counsel for Saving and Strengthening Relationships, tells host Shirley Hoogstra how we can strengthen this kind of commitment in a culture where expectations run high and tolerance for suffering is low.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC805 - What Are Schools For?Does a grade label readily come to mind for what kind of student you were? Does that label accurately reflect you? David Purpel, author of The Moral & Spiritual Crisis in Education, wonders with host Karen Saupe why most schools are more interested in sorting students than in supporting and exhorting them.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC804 - Moving to South AfricaWe hear stories of destitution and unnecessary death in developing countries. Perhaps you’ve thought of helping. But how about selling your home and moving there with your children? Jared and Jennifer Adams, business owners in Zeeland, Michigan tell host Karen Saupe about their upcoming move to South Africa to join AIDS and education projects in Finetown, a settlement near Johannesburg.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC803 - Moral Messages of Disney FilmsWhy do the words “it's a Disney film” mean “it's wholesome” to so many? Dr. Annalee Ward of the Trinity Christian College communication arts dept., and author of the book Mouse Morality: The Rhetoric of Disney Animated Film, shows host Karen Saupe how parents can take a closer look at these films and provide better guidance for young viewers.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC802 - Adults with ADDMany of us know someone who can’t hold onto a job, an education program, or even a marriage. We might call them “irresponsible.” But what if all this could be set right with a daily dose of medicine? Dr. Oren Mason, of the Behavioral Medicine Center in Grand Rapids, tells host Shirley Hoogstra how adults are suffering with, discovering, and treating their A.D.DListen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC801 - Christians in PalestineIn the place where Christianity was born, the number of Christians has now dwindled to less than 2%. Maria Khoury, a Greek Orthodox resident of Palestine, explains to host Karen Saupe what life is like there now, why so many Christians have fled the country, and what she is trying to do about it.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC724 - Prisoners Re-Entering SocietyWe hide prisons off the highways and hope those who are sent there stay forever. But most return to their communities, in worse shape than ever. We paid heavily for their incarceration; how much more do we pay for not helping them succeed afterwards? Rev. David Schuringa, president of Crossroad Bible Institute, describes for host Shirley Hoogstra ways to stop the cycle.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC723 - Mothering A SoldierWhat goes into the process of sending your son or daughter off to war? How does it change your child, your relationship, your self? Donna Allen and Sharon VanderKodde, mothers of soldiers who have served/are serving in Iraq, tell host Shirley Hoogstra about the fears and pride that come with having a son who has signed up for military service to our country.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC722 - Socially Responsible InvestingHave you ever skimmed through a list of companies your investment money is supporting, and wished you hadn't? But what other options are there? Calvin College business professor Leonard Van Drunen, who has worked in investment banking in New York, Tokyo, and London, tells host Karen Saupe how to explore more “socially responsible” options without having to quit your day job to figure it all out.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website IC721 - Designing A Lecture SeriesImagine the job of offering a free 15-day liberal arts education to your community using the world's best lecturers. Where would you begin? Who would you invite? June Hamersma, director of the award-winning daily lecture series called The January Series of Calvin College, tells host Shirley Hoogstra about her 20 year journey of growing an audience from 100 to 1400 per day. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | |