20 Minute Takes

This week, Nikki talks with Bill White. Bill is co-pastor of City Church Long Beach. Bill shares the story of his son coming out and how that experience challenged his theology and ultimately deepened his faith in Jesus. He discusses his church's journey of transformation through challenging conversations, and how critical it is for church communities to practice healthy modes of disagreement.

You can also check out Bill's work at Small Church, Big Table.

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Host and Producer: Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Edited by: Wiloza Media + David de Leon
Music: Andre Henry

This week, Nikki talks with Rick Barry, the executive director of the Center for Christian Civics. Rick helps Christians to think about what it looks like for their communities to show up in the public square, and in this episode, he helps us to wrap our minds around what civic discipleship looks like and helps to break down the variety of ways people understand "politics" today. 

You can follow @therickbarry and @christiancivics on Instagram.

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Host and Producer: Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Co-producer and Editor: David de Leon
Music: Andre Henry

July 27, 2024 will mark two years since Ron Sider, founder and President Emeritus of Christians for Social Action (originally Evangelicals for Social Action), passed away.

Please enjoy this encore presentation of this episode with Ron (originally aired on March 9, 2022).

This week, Nikki Toyama-Szeto chats with Ron Sider, the author of the acclaimed book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger and the founder and President Emeritus of Christians for Social Action. Nikki and Ron talk about lessons learned from his 50+ years of scholar-activism—from the fight against apartheid in South Africa to non-violent resistance, to understanding the graduated tithe, this conversation is one you do not want to miss.

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Host and Producer: Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Edited by: David de Leon
Music: Andre Henry

This week, Nikki interviews Jasmin Shupper, the CEO and Founder of the Greenline Housing Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to close the racial wealth and homeownership gaps and reverse the effects of systemic racism in housing by granting access to homeownership for people of color. Jasmin talks about the history of housing, economic, and racial justice, as well as her journey from working as a financial analyst for a Fortune 500 company to real estate, and eventually non-profit work confronting the generational harm of discriminatory redlining practices in the 20th century.

You can learn more about the Greenline Housing Foundation here.
Follow their work on Instagram @greenline_housing.

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Host and Producer: Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Edited by: David de Leon
Music: Andre Henry

This week on 20 Minute Takes, Nikki chats with Dr. Gabrielle Clowdus of Settled, an organization that addresses long-term homelessness through research-based holistic and communal approaches. In this conversation, they talk about why traditional interventions for homelessness often fail, and how local church communities are uniquely positioned to address the challenges of homelessness and to be good neighbors to their homeless siblings.

Dr. Gabrielle Clowdus is the CEO and Founder of Settled. You can learn more about their research and Sacred Settlement projects here.

You can find Settled on YouTube and Instagram.

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Host and Producer: Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Edited by: David de Leon
Music: Andre Henry

This week on 20 Minute Takes, we hear from economist Nishan de Mel. In front of a live audience, Nishan talks about how he and his organization Verité Research attempted to tackle corruption in governance in Sri Lanka, as well as what it means to participate in inherently unjust structures with an eye toward truth and transformation. Rick Barry, executive director of the Center for Christian Civics hosts this episode.

Excerpts for this episode were recorded at an event put on by the Center for Christian Civics and Christians for Social Action entitled "Faith that Makes Our Politics Better" that took place in Washington DC, earlier this summer.

Dr. Nishan de Mel is the executive director of Verité Research. He has taught and researched economics at both Harvard and Oxford, and in the 1990s, sat on multiple presidential task forces in Sri Lanka, helping to shape a wide array of public policies.

You can follow Nishan on X (formerly Twitter).

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Host: Rick Barry 
Producer: Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Editor: David de Leon
Music: Andre Henry

Welcome to Season 6!

In this episode, Nikki talks with Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst of the International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation (INFEMIT). They discuss how a global, interdenominational, and intergenerational community like INFEMIT is helping Christians all over the world think about how the church is showing up in their own contexts, as well as the upcoming Stott-Bediako Forum coming up in Medellín, Colombia this July 15-17. Listen in for a rich conversation on the role of gospel imagination in mission and transformation.

Dr. DeBorst is a professor of World Christianity at Western Theological Seminary,  part of the networking team for INFEMIT (a gospel-centered fellowship of mission theologian-practitioners), serves in leadership of the Comunidad de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios (CETI), and a member of Casa Adobe (an intentional Christian Community with deep concern for right living in relation to the whole of creation).

You can find Dr. DeBorst on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Seminary Now.
20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Host and Producer: Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Edited by: David de Leon
Music: Andre Henry

Join us in this episode as we talk to Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst about intentional community and ecological justice & how it's lived out at Casa Adobe in Costa Rica.

Dr. DeBorst is a professor of World Christianity at Western Theological Seminary,  part of the networking team for INFEMIT (a gospel-centered fellowship of mission theologian-practitioners), serves in leadership of the Comunidad de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios (CETI), and a member of Casa Adobe (an intentional Christian Community with deep concern for right living in relation to the whole of creation). 

You can find Dr. DeBorst on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Seminary Now.

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Host and Producer: Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Edited by: Wiloza Media
Music: Andre Henry

Join us in this episode as we talk to Reverend Adam Taylor about the role churches can have in this divided society and examples of how faith can intersect with public policy.

Reverend Adam Taylor is the President of Sojourners, an ecumenical Christian organization that works to advance justice and peace, and the author of "A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community".

He has led the Faith Initiative at the World Bank Group, served as vice president of Advocacy at World Vision US, executive director of Global Justice, and selected as a White House Fellow and served in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs and Public Engagement.

You can find Adam @revadamtaylor on X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Host and Producer: Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Edited by: Wiloza Media
Music: Andre Henry

Join us in this episode as we talk to Eboo Patel about what a pluralistic nation needs from Christians.

Eboo Patel is the Founder and President of Interfaith America, the leading interfaith organization in the United States. Under his leadership, Interfaith America has worked with governments, universities, private companies, and civic organizations to make faith a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division.

Eboo served on President Obama's Inaugural Faith Council, has given hundreds of keynote addresses, and has written five books.

You can find Eboo & Interfaith on social media:
X (Twitter) @EbooPatel
Facebook @EbooPatel
LinkedIn

X (Twitter) @interfaithusa
Facebook @interfaithamerica
Instagram @interfaithamerica

20 Minute Takes is a production of Christians for Social Action
Host and Producer: Nikki Toyama-Szeto 
Edited by: Wiloza Media
Music: Andre Henry