“There is a really important role that spirituality is playing among millennials and contemporary activists,” says Sarah Jackson, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston and an expert on social movements. But “it is a spirituality that is not necessarily tied to the formal structures of church organization, and it doesn’t necessarily require a certain type of leadership.”

“What defines you the most is what you do despite your fear,” says Katie Meyler, a 34-year-old American from suburban New Jersey who was working in Liberia in the midst of extreme poverty when Ebola struck. Now she runs a growing network of schools for girls and says, “Nobody chooses Liberia. Liberia chooses you. You can make a big difference here.”

“I have never held myself out as a Muslim leader,” says Sadiq Khan, who became mayor of London shortly before Britain voted to leave the European Union. “But it’s a fact I’m a leader of Islamic faith, so that brings with [it] a responsibility, especially in current times.”

The new president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services represents the spirit of American Catholicism by reaching out to suffering international communities. Even in the face of frightening crises around the world, says Sean Callahan, “the common good outweighs the evil that’s being done.”

“God gave Shabbat to humanity,” says Rabbi Nissan Antine of Beth Sholom Congregation in Potomac, Maryland. “It’s about those more interior kinds of things, things about working on your soul, working on your friendships, your relationships. Those are really the important things in life. Those are the things we are going to be remembered by.”

As the New Year begins, three journalists discuss the top religion stories they will be keeping an eye on in 2017 with host Bob Abernethy. He is joined by managing editor Kim Lawton, Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, and Jerome Socolovsky, editor-in-chief of Religion News Service.

In our final show before the New Year, we review the top religion and ethics stories of 2016. Host Bob Abernathy is joined by R&E managing editor Kim Lawton, Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, and Jerome Socolovsky, editor-in-chief of Religion News Service.

“Hurting people don’t need to hear the gospel,” says Chef Gary LeBlanc. “They need to see the gospel.”

“When we sing to a patient, we are sending them love, we are wishing them well on their journey, we are saying we’re all in this together...We are learning from them how to do this thing called dying,” says Sarah Stott, a member of the Threshold Choir in Washington, DC.

"When people stand together and see the menorah being lit, we're hoping to inspire them to a greater level of commitment and dedication to their own faith and tradition,” says Rabbi Chaim Block, executive director of San Antonio’s Chabad Center for Jewish Life & Learning.