What 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.

When 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.

Across 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.

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? Sandra Steingraber is an ecologist, writer, and cancer survivor who promotes a different path. Karen Saupe hosts.

Some 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.

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.

It 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.

Is 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.

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.

Christianity 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.