Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a remarkable young theologian and pastor in World War II Germany who joined the Resistance in several plots to assassinate Hitler. His devotional books are still best sellers today. That’s because, according to Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer was also a prophet. Metaxas, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, explains that term and what it means for all of us. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

As people have fewer phone conversations, choosing instead to use texts and on-line social networking, anthropologist Sherry Turkle has noticed something. Director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and the Self, she researches how people interact with experimental sociable robots. People are growing more receptive to robots taking the place of some human relationships as we become more accustomed to our narrowing human interactions. Hear this and other observations from her book Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. Karen Saupe hosts.

The new wave of government voucher programs aims to correct segregation that happens all too often; the privileged move away from under-resourced public schooling or housing, leaving the rest wondering what their options are. Mary Pattillo, professor of sociology and African American Studies at Northwestern University, describes what hundreds of interviews in Chicago reveal about what works and what doesn’t with these programs. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

What would it be like to live in a Prime Minister’s mansion built by your own ancestors, meet with the queen once a week, and work out your decisions with the help of a cabinet made of three different political parties? Jan Peter Balkenende talks about the challenges and successes he experienced as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 2002 to 2010. Karen Saupe hosts.

The practice of labeling people by sexual orientation--homosexual, heterosexual, etc.--started only a century ago. At times labels can help make sense of our world, but at other times labeling individuals can be dehumanizing and can even be a form of injustice. Our sexuality need not define us, argues Jenell Williams Paris, anthropology professor at Messiah College and author of The End of Sexual Identity: Why Sex is Too Important to Define Who We Are. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

We know that soldiers can be injured physically, or suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. But there’s a third kind of injury that results when soldiers engage in actions that violate their own moral principles; it’s known as "moral injury." Herman Keizer, chaplain for the U.S. Army for over 40 years, tells about a movement seeking to change how the military regards and addresses injuries to the conscience. Karen Saupe hosts.

When we think of the need for an improved healthcare system, often the focus is on the patients’ experience. But there can be no strength of care if the caregivers themselves are discouraged to the point of exhaustion. Bonnie Wesorick, founder of the Clinical Practice Model Resource Center in Grand Rapids, MI describes how a healthy work culture should feel. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

Someone walking onto a stage trips and falls. Half the audience laughs, half doesn’t; and they’re even angry at the first half for laughing! Why do people respond so differently to humor, puns, and jokes? Calvin College philosophy professor Paul Moes explains what happens in our brains--and our relationships--when we share a laugh. Karen Saupe hosts.

Some scientific theories seem to matter a lot more to people than others. The theory of evolution has always gotten plenty of attention, especially from those who treasure the scriptural book of Genesis. Alvin Plantinga, emeriti professor from the Notre Dame philosophy department, describes some of the main controversies between of evolution, intelligent design, and creationism and whether Christians can reconcile some of these differences. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

As we watch Muslim countries consider new forms of government, many in America hope that democracy will win out. But some Muslim countries have used the voting process to establish Sharia law, which includes strict regulations pertaining to punishment, sexuality, religious obligations, hygiene, and personal finances. Jim Skillen, former president of the Center for Public Justice in Washington, DC, discusses current thinking on whether Sharia law can be combined with democracy. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.