20 Minute Takes

Join us in this episode as we talk to Brian Zahnd about the role of the cross as well as new ways of looking at the cross as a kaleidoscope, in order to inform how we respond to aspects of Christian life and to justice issues in our society. Many of the insights he shares can be found in his latest book entitled The Wood Between the Worlds.

Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. In addition to his most recent book, he has authored several other books including When Everything's On Fire and Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God.

You can find Brian on his website and blog & follow him on X (Twitter) @BrianZahnd.

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 Dr. Melissa Borja about what the Christian church can learn to host and welcome refugees.

She offers advice on how churches can be better hosts to refugees and talks about how her book, Follow the New Way, examines the good and bad of church refugee resettlement. She encourages us to be curious about the stories of why refugees come to the U.S., recognize U.S. complicity, and change our posture from charity to reparations.

Dr. Melissa Borja is a professor in the Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Program at the University of Michigan. She researches and teaches about religion, migration, race, ethnicity, and politics in the United States and the Pacific World.

You can follow Dr. Borja on X (Twitter) @melissamayborja.

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 Justin Fung about spiritual formation, activism, and opportunities we have to be formed in God's image.

Rev. Dr. Justin Fung serves as the  Pastor of Leadership & Spiritual Formation at Christ City Church in Washington, DC & is an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Missional Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has also authored Learning to Live, a curriculum for cultivating spiritual transformation in multiethnic contexts.

You can follow Justin @justinbfung on Instagram and Threads.

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 Darren Calhoun about his experience collecting stories of black queer Christians as they journey into and out of the church.

Darren is a co-host on the Second Sunday podcast and producer for online shows that are reaching BIPOC Queer audiences with messages of support and healing. He is also the Digital Pastor and Worship Leader at Urban Village Church in Chicago.

Follow Darren on social media at @heyDarren or on his blog, DarrenCalhoun.com.

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

Please enjoy this encore presentation of this episode (originally aired on January 26, 2022).

Since the United States pulled out of Afghanistan in August 2021, 76,000 Afghan refugees have been brought to the United States for resettlement. On this episode of 20 Minute Takes, Nikki Toyama-Szeto chats with Jenny Yang, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy on Refugee Resettlement for World Relief on what it means to extend hospitality to (and receive hospitality from) refugees and displaced peoples in our communities.

You can find her on Twitter @JennyYangWR.

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

This week on 20 Minute Takes, Nikki Toyama-Szeto talks with Kristyn Komarnicki about facilitating dialogue across difference. She works primarily in the divisions that emerge in the church and LGBTQ+ Christians and speaks on what it takes to move toward unity beyond agreement. Kristyn is the Senior Director of Dialogue and Convening at Christians for Social Action. 

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

This week on 20 Minute Takes, Nikki Toyama-Szeto talks with Eddie Kaufholz about storytelling in community, advice for gatekeepers of stories, and how stories fuel the Christian imagination for a just future. Eddie leads the communications and marketing team at Bread for the World and previously worked for International Justice Mission.

You can find Eddie at:
https://eddiekaufholz.com
Instagram: @edwardoreddie
Twitter: @edwardoreddie 

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

This week on 20 Minute Takes, Nikki Toyama-Szeto and activist Heidi Weaver-Smith talk about the power of presence and unpack some of the dynamics around Ohio's recent anti-trans laws. They discuss the power of presence, of curiosity and provide tips for what Christian witness looks like, regardless of one's position on the issues.

You can find Heidi and Amplify Impact Consulting at https://www.amplifyimpactconsulting.com

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

This week on 20 Minute Takes, we talk with Leroy Barber about his work as the Executive Director of Neighborhood Economics. Listen in as he and Nikki discuss how Christians can show up in their neighborhoods for good, the importance of convening economic resources with practitioners, and how to integrate economics as a communal practice. 

You can find Leroy:

Website: https://neighborhoodeconomics.org/
Instagram: @leroybarber
Twitter: @leroybarber
His most recent book: Embrace: God’s Radical Shalom for a Divided World 

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

This week on 20 Minute Takes, Nikki takes us on a history lesson to mark the 50th anniversary of the Chicago Declaration of Evangelical Social Concern.  In Chicago, 50 years ago, over Thanksgiving weekend, a group of concerned Christian leaders gathered to ask how their faith should inform how they show up in the public space.  The result was the drafting of a statement about Christian commitment to social justice that some view as one of the most influential documents, for the church, of the decade.  It became the founding document for Christians for Social Action, and influenced many others.

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