Otto Warmbier, an American who was held in North Korea and recently medically evacuated home, has died.

Today is World Refugee Day. A record 65 million people are displaced from their homes. No matter how you feel about immigration and borders, the conversation about offering a refuge to people fleeing religious persecution, oppression, war, famine or natural disaster is essential. We literally must do unto others as we would have them do unto us if the situations were reversed.

There are now more singles in America than married people, but you might not ever know that from our church programming. Our guest, Gina Dalfonzo interviewed single Christians about their experience with the Church and wants to help the family of God better serve them. Her book is One by One: Welcoming the Singles in Your Church.

In our second half, we talk with John Stonestreet, the President of the Colson Center and author of several books and articles on culture. This time, he has written a book specifically helping parents prepare their children for the cultural conversations. Why?  Because we just don’t have the option of “bailing out” of the hard conversations about cultural issues with our kids. If we don’t have the conversation about truth and morality with our kids, the culture will.

A Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World

Related articles and resources:

What to know about World Refugee Day (CNN)

First, we look at some big headlines of the week with David Drucker, senior political correspondent for the Washington Examiner. Karen Handel won the special election for Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District. President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is in Israel on a search for peace. Tomorrow, the Senate Republicans are expected to release a new health care legislation.

Then we talk about a question that might be THE question for Christians in the culture: How do we love our gay friends without compromising the truth? Our guest Adam Barr is co-author of Compassion Without Compromise: How the Gospel Frees Us to Love Our Gay Friends Without Losing the Truth.

Additional updates and resources: 

Find out more: Compassion without compromise

What is justice and is it rolling down in our society as God intends? Some of the significant legal cases from the last week are provoking questions about justice. Check out this week’s Must Read Monday for more on Bill Cosby, Philando Castile and a texting-suicide case.

A number of Iraqi Christians have been rounded up for deportation in the Detroit area. The individuals entered the country illegally but fear violence and even death if returned to their homeland because of their faith. We get the latest on the story from award-winning reporter for the Detroit Free Press Niraj Warikoo.

Our second guest, BJ Thompson is Executive Director of Build A Better Us. He works every day to help people build stronger marriages.

“At the root of every ruined relationship is Pride but at the root of every restored relationship is Humility leading to Love.” -BJ Thompson

Eugene Scott is a reporter for CNN covering national and identity politics. He joins us to run down the big news of the week and give us some insight into the mood in Washington following the shooting Wednesday morning at a GOP baseball practice.

Additionally, although investigations have been dominating headlines, this summer session is supposed to be the big push forward on major policy initiatives. What’s happening with healthcare reform, tax reform and the rest of the GOP agenda? We ask Eugene to bring forward the stories we need to follow but may have slipped off page 1.

Then, we get ready for Father’s Day with Dr. Michelle Watson. She hosts a radio program and podcast in Portland called The Dad Whisperer and is the author of Dad, Here’s What I Really Need From You: A Guide for Connecting with Your Daughter’s Heart. Michelle talks with us about why fathers matter and straightforward advice fathers can use to connect with their kids at a heart level.

Great Father’s Day reads:

Adoption: The Good and Hard Lessons

My Dad Didn’t Step Out of a Sitcom  

Update on shooting at yesterday’s Republican baseball practice: GOP Whip Steve Scalise who was hit remains in critical condition and doctors say he will require additional surgeries. The blame game is starting, with everyone pointing fingers at each other for caustic rhetoric. What if our problem in politics goes deeper than just our words? What if this is about where we put our hope?

The Washington Post reports the President’s actions related to the firing of former FBI Director James Comey are now the focus of Special Counsel, Robert Mueller. All of this comes down to who is telling the truth – or who people believe is telling the truth: Donald Trump or James Comey. Well, unless you operate out of a postmodern worldview.

Nicole Johnson didn’t realize how crazy her life was until crisis struck. It forced her to step back and retool her life, making room again for calm in the midst of everything going on. She is the author of Creating Calm in the Center of Crazy: Making Room for Your Soul in an Overcrowded Life. Nicole shares with us how to create calm, and then how to protect it when life rears its crazy head again.

Related articles and resources:

Seasons Weekend spiritual renewal

Interview with Michael Wear on hope and politics

Learning to talk across the divides, because of our confidence in the gospel

The New York Times recently published a long, front-page article titled, “Religious Liberals Sat Out of Politics for 40 Years. Now They Want in the Game.” Several religious leaders involved on the left about their renewed urgency for involvement in politics. But they never left. In fact, they’ve won most of the political ground in that time. The article bears witness to that reality in noting legal victories on abortion and same-sex marriage.

So what’s this article really about?  For that, we look to a quote by Jim Wallis – head of Sojourners which is a political activist religious effort that began in the 1960s. Wallis says, “Most progressive religious leaders I talk to, almost all of them, feel dissed by the left,” “The left is really controlled by a lot of secular fundamentalists.”

There are several stories of cultural confusion popping, including a pregnant trans man and Chelsea Manning‘s lonely life after prison.

A U-VA Student that was arrested in North Korea and sentenced to a 15-year prison term for trying to steal a propaganda poster in January 2016 is being evacuated and brought home — he is in a coma and has been in a coma for a year.

Then we turn to the big news of the day/week: Attorney General Jeff Sessions testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee.related to that body’s inquiry into Russia’s meddling in our election. Senators are asking the AG about why he recused himself from the inquiry; what communication he had with the Russians during the campaign; and his relationship with now-fired FBI Director James Comey.

Related articles and resources:

Don’t Bet On The Emergence Of A ‘Religious Left’

Interview on The Reconnect with Dan Cox regarding the unlikelihood of a rising religious left

Mapping the politics of religious leaders in the US

 

This morning as a group of Republican Congressmen were practicing for tomorrow’s charity Congressional baseball game, a gunman open fired.  A total of 5 people were shot, two of them were members of Capitol Police detail on site to protect the number three ranking Republican in the House, Majority Whip Steve Scalise, Congressman from Louisiana. Scalise was shot in the hip, has undergone surgery.  

We ask with our elected officials who are grappling with this attack: where do we go from here?

In our second half, we have the chance to talk about disciple-making parenting. We have too often abdicated the role of our kids’ spiritual development to the church, thinking it’s the church’s job to get our kids into heaven and ours to get them into Harvard. That’s not biblical. Chap Bettis is executive director of The Apollos Project, a ministry devoted to helping parents disciple their children. He is author of The Disciple-Making Parent: Raising Your Children to Love and Follow Jesus Christ

Carmen returns and we run down the news. First, it has been one year since the PULSE nightclub shooting. What do you do when the rest of the world moves on, but you are still living in the reality of the daily pain? Is there a religious test for office in the United States?

Then, we look at Senator Bernie Sanders’s questionable questioning of an appointee for the federal Office of Management and Budget, who also happens to hold pretty basic Christian beliefs. Is there a religious test for office in the United States? (no) Can we assume Americans understand what Christians believe (also no).

Our guest today is Marybeth Hicks. A mom and author who is passionate about calling parents to put down their phones and lean into the everyday teaching moments with your kids. Parents can use what the world offers and help their kids see those cultural events and characters from a Christian worldview. Her book is: Teachable Moments: Using Everyday Encounters with Media and Culture to Instill Conscience, Character, and Faith

Related resources:

Must Read Monday including:

* USATODAY on what babies can see in the womb

* People Magazine features an athlete’s memoir on finding grace after an abortion

* How a soccer player chose to stand strong for her faith

Birga Alden guest hosts for Carmen.

I am Second aims to “inspire people to live for God and others.” Through powerful videos, I am Second has provided a platform for Olympians, TV stars, musicians, and others to reveal their real-life stories of struggle and hurt and the hope they found. Today, we meet the editor behind I am Second blog, Doug Bender. He shares with us from his own personal story. Not long ago, he lost his best friend to suicide and wrote an open letter about 13 Reasons Why NOT to commit suicide.

Are you curious? Have you ever thought about the role of curiosity in your walk with God? These might seem to be unusual questions to you, our second guest, Barnabus Piper wants Christians to reconsider curiosity and cultivate it in their relationship with God and others. Consider what we might gain by bringing curiosity and wonder back into our daily lives.

 

Related articles and resources:

13 Reasons Why NOT: an open letter to my friend who committed suicide

The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life

Birga Alden guests hosts for Carmen. Twelve people were killed in a terrorist attack in Tehran, Iran. US-backed forces are seeking to throw ISIS out of their home base/capital in Syria, Raqqa. Juliana Taimoorazy updates us on both developing stories. Juliana is Founder of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council and Senior Fellow at Philos Project.

Our second guest is Matthew West, an award-winning Christian recording artist. He is also the author of Hello My Name Is: Discover Your True Identity. Matthew is passionate about helping Christian discover their true identity in Christ. As someone who is very much known for his voice and ability to communicate, he shares from his own crisis of identity when he almost lost his vocal abilities.

Then, pediatrician, mother, and best-selling author Dr. Meg Meeker returns to the show to dive deeper into her book about the importance of fathers. The book is Hero: Being the Strong Father Your Children Need. For more from Meg, catch her earlier conversation with Carmen here.