Since the U.S. economy relies on immigrant workers, not to mention the $12 billion they pay in taxes, many argue there should be more avenues for them to legally come and go as needed. Jenny Yang, Vice President of Advocacy at World Relief, describes what comprehensive reform should include, as laid out in her book Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

In Iraq, the alarming rate of children born with birth defects is actually opening doors to collaborations that never existed before. Jeremy Courtney & Cody Fisher, co-founders of the Preemptive Love Coalition, describe their adventures bringing together foreign doctors and sick children with some amazing results. Along the way, they’ve found that the hearts that have changed most have been their own.

When called upon to define who we are, not many think to mention our land and neighbors. But it wasn’t always that way. Willie Jennings, Associate Professor of Theology and Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School, invites a return to the rootedness that communities used to enjoy. His book The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race, suggests connections should grow from shared spaces--not shared attributes such as skin color--and that Christians need to be modeling this. Karen Saupe hosts.

At a time of life when most people would be relaxing into retirement, Vern Hoffman started up a faith-based justice organization that now involves hundreds in his city. Focusing on aspects where change is most possible, the Micah Center has seen some exciting results. Hear the story, which now includes Jordan Bruxvoort, the young man Hoffman selected to carry on the charge. Karen Saupe hosts.

In some cities, pockets of serenity can be found where people of many races find themselves mingling and enjoying each other’s presence. Yale sociologist Elijah Anderson, author of The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in Everyday Life, has studied these public spaces and shares what they reveal about us and our hope as a society. Karen Saupe hosts.

Thousands of women in Juarez, Mexico have been tortured and murdered because they are women. Yet the authorities have been more inclined to call these killings imaginary than emergency. When installation artist Mandy Cano Villalobos of the Calvin College art department learned of this mass femicide, she looked for a way to honor the individual victims. See what she created to give these silenced women a voice. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

Pastors are trained to care for people, but not to the detriment of themselves and their families. Pastor Mike Van Kampen of Alongside Ministries, a counseling & retreat center for clergy, relates some of the pressures, needs, and expectations ministers can struggle with. He also suggests ways that congregations can take better care of their leaders and perhaps see them in new way. Karen Saupe hosts.

There’s a life-altering trauma that 1 in 5 American children experience, yet it rarely comes up in conversation: molestation. Survivor Nicole Braddock Bromley started an organization called OneVOICE Enterprises to break the silence in our families and in society. She discusses conversations she has had with hundreds of victims on her speaking tours, and experiences related in her books, including Hush: Moving from Silence to Healing after Childhood Sexual Abuse. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

We see the "seven deadly sins" in board games and fashion magazines, but for many people, their purpose now and over the centuries has been to direct our hearts toward the things we all long for--love, integrity, and freedom. Calvin College philosopher Rebecca DeYoung, author of Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and their Remedies, considers the true definitions of these timeless pitfalls, which are not always what you’d think. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

It’s easy to think that refugees have won a golden ticket of opportunity if they can make it to the U.S. But their challenges are far from over as they learn a new language, search for work, and encourage their families. Dana Doll of Lutheran Social Services of Michigan describes the stereotypes and the hurdles they face, and how volunteers can make all the difference for these resilient newcomers. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.