Think Global, Do Justice

This year has seen a tremendous amount of change for Christian NGOs doing transformational development throughout the world. In many ways, we are entering a new era of global mission and international development. To talk about some of those changes and to help us keep a pulse on what God is up to, we're joined by Michael Cerna who serves as the CEO at the Accord Network. Building on topics from Accord's Thursday Three weekly newsletter, Michael talks with Brandon Stiver about recent reports, articles and resources that are charting a path forward for us.

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Resources and Links from the show

Accord Network Online

Subscribe to The Thursday Three

Interesting Times by Ross Douthat : Under Trump, Is Foreign Aid 'Our Problem?'

"The End of the Age of NGOs?" by Sarah Bush and Jennifer Hadden

The Nonprofit Times : Next Generations Christians Will Give Differently

Conversation Notes

• Updates from the Accord Network and the upcoming One Accord Conference in Washington DC
• Reflections from prayer and advocacy with Bread for the World
• Ross Douthat's eye-opening conversation with Jeremy Lewin from the Department of Government Efficiency and State Department's shuttering of USAID
• Reflections on the recent article in International Affairs "The End of the Age of NGOs?"
• In what ways are Christian Millenials giving differently as they inherit the wealth of older generations

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

There is no place on Earth that God is not working. Even in authoritarian regimes that make following Christ illegal, He still moves. Iran is one of those countries. While we hear about Iran pretty regularly in the news, we don't typically hear about what God is doing through His Spirit and in His Church there. Today we're joined by the CEO of Transform Iran, Lana Silk. She talks with Brandon Stiver about the geopolitics of the country, what it was like for her growing up in Iran and most importantly, how the gospel is spreading among communities there.

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Transform Iran Online

Kairos AI Chatbot

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Conversation Notes

• The brainwashing of students in Iran
• The theology component of Jesus in Islam - differences and shared reverence
• Where the Koran came from in the views of a Muslim
• Understanding the various viewpoints that different Muslims might hold
• Modern history of Iran and the geopolitical reality we live in
• Is Iran exporting Shiite Islam throughout the world?
• The Christian experience in Iran (including its illegality)
• Lana's own family background and how the Gospel came to her family
• The spreading of the underground church in Iran
• The hybrid model of Transform Iran's ministry
• Stories of how people have found Jesus in Iran
• A new AI tool that can counsel and pray for Iranian Christians

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

Families are the center piece of how God created societies to flourish, yet there are so many things that can tear down this fundamental part of God's design. We know that orphanages are spread out throughout the world and we know that those children should be allowed to grow up in families. In today's episode, we have Chantry Mweemba of Alliance for Children Everywhere joining to dive deeper into the effects of urbanization, education access and other factors that are leading children in Zambia to separate from their families. We also get into how the recent USAID closure is negatively affecting the protection of children in Zambia and how organizations like ACE are continuing to step up for children even in the midst of uncertain times.

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Alliance for Children Everywhere Online

Conversation Notes

• Chantry's background in child rights and care reform
• God's idea of a global family that transcends the nuclear family
• The resulting isolation of developing urban areas in the Global South
• The paradox of advocacy that led to development that led to growing inequality
• The work that ACE is doing to contribute to the broader picture of promoting family in Africa
• The connection between orphanages and education
• How the closing of USAID affected child protection efforts in Zambia
• An estimated 14 million people will die in the next five years as a result of the USAID closure

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

One of our great passions behind the show is equipping practitioners globally to serve the poor and develop communities. Today's episode is all about that. We've invited our friend Jeremy Macias back onto the show to share with us about the "messy middle" of monitoring and evaluation and the critical role that it plays in community interventions. Jeremy works with World Relief and shares some of his experiences developing monitoring and evaluation frameworks with different organizations over the years. Then, Brandon dives into the Apostle Paul's words from Romans 12 as an ethical framework for understanding Romans 13, but really all of Christian life. Lastly, we've got some gifts that we want to share with you! You've heard Brandon's book recommendation for years, now it's time to give some away.

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Join more than 2,000 ministry leaders at CAFO2025 in Houston, Texas from October 1-3, hosted by the Christian Alliance for Orphans.

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Resources and Links from the show

Get Support in Monitoring and Evaluation Through CAFO

Get a Consultation with Canopy International for Monitoring and Evaluation Support

Conversation Notes

• Going from telling individual stories to community wide data
• Being apprehensive to look under the hood with the projects that we're doing
• Connecting the work on the ground with the loftier vision of the organization
• Explaining theory of change and how you develop one
• Engaging the community you're walking alongside in doing M&E
• Working a logframe horizontally and vertically while asking 'why?'
• A short devotion on Romans 12: 9-21
• Equipping TGDJ listeners through leading books in Christian development, orphan care, missions and theology

Enter to Win One of Brandon's Top Christian Development and Justice Books

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  • The Locust Effect by Gary Haugen and Victor Boutros
  • Orphan Justice by Johnny Carr
  • Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald Sider
  • Generous Justice by Tim Keller
  • When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

There is no more salient, no more pressing global event right now for the Church to engage than what is happening currently in Gaza. Gaza presents not just a lightning rod for conversation (or controversy), but also serves as a moral compass for all humankind. The global Church is wrestling with questions like, "is Israel justified in their offensive?" "how do we understand the theology and politics in play?" and "are we watching a genocide unfold before our eyes?" To help us understand the broader history and context around Gaza, we've invited Dr. Ben Norquist from Churches for Middle East Peace to the show. He sits down with Brandon Stiver to discuss all things surrounding the conflict and most importantly the decades leading up to what we see in 2025. Join us in this conversation and join us in praying and acting for peace.

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Podcast Sponsors

Join more than 2,000 ministry leaders at CAFO2025 in Houston, Texas from October 1-3, hosted by the Christian Alliance for Orphans.

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Take the free Core Elements Self-Assessment from the CAFO Research Center and tap into online courses with discount code 'TGDJ25'

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Resources and Links from the show

Churches for Middle East Peace Online

Church at the Crossroads Conference Information

Christ in the Rubble by Munther Isaac

UN Definitions of Genocide and Related Crimes

Conversation Notes

• The difference between a 'thin' Gospel and a 'thick' Gospel
• Growing up in evangelicalism and what that means for supporting modern day Israel
• Understanding the historical context of Gaza
• What is the Nakba?
• What were the Intafadas?
• How the Balfour Declaration laid a framework for the land that continues to reverberate over a hundred years later
• Comparing the current conflict and humanitarian crisis to the UN definition of genocide

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

The podcast is back from our summer break, but we're still in vacation travel mode! We're joined by author and photographer Ashley Campbell who is on the show to share about her new book "I've Never Been Here Before" and what it looks like to lead a big family on a big adventure around the world. From Morocco and Albania to the Philippines and Colombia, Ashley shares insight that isn't just about being a travel guide, but what it looks like to raise children that are truly global citizens. She sits down to talk with Brandon Stiver about the trip, the book and why basketball turned out to be the MVP of the trip.

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Podcast Sponsors

Join more than 2,000 ministry leaders at CAFO2025 in Houston, Texas from October 1-3, hosted by the Christian Alliance for Orphans.

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Take the free Core Elements Self-Assessment from the CAFO Research Center and tap into online courses with discount code 'TGDJ25'

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Resources and Links from the show

"I've Never Been Here Before" by Ashley Campbell (Amazon)

Conversation Notes

• Taking a family of 7 through 21 countries on 5 continents in 365 days
• The fifteen year preparation for a year-long global trip
• Learning Cold War history from a country that was behind the Iron Curtain
• Building relationship with a Palestinian refugee living in Jordan
• A dual narrative approach to visiting Israel-Palestine
• Basketball as a cross-cultural bridge builder
• Turning an epic family trip into a book by a first time author

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

It has been four years since Phil invited Brandon to take over the podcast and the conversations since then (and all the way back to Phil's founding of the podcast in 2016) have been rich, uplifting and led to the equipping of people throughout the world to care for the vulnerable. In this mid-year episode, we're preparing to take a month off from releasing episodes, but there's an even bigger transition for our podcast community. This is a conversation for those in this community. Join this personal conversation with Phil and Brandon as we pursue God with open hands.

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Podcast Sponsors

Alliance for Children Everywhere is on mission to bring vulnerable children into secure families, schools, and communities.

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Resources and Links from the show

Providence World

How Soccer Explains Leadership Podcast

Conversation Notes

• Conversations happening on How Soccer Explains Leadership
• Updates from Phil's leadership over Providence World
• The history and origins of this podcast
• Brandon's call towards flexibility in ministry
• The transition of podcast hosting for Think Global, Do Justice

There's no denying that western money in Global South countries has a profound impact, for better or worse. We might assume that spending money on volunteering and caring for orphans would be a net positive in the majority world. That however is not the case. As we dive back into the conversation around orphan care and volunteering, we're joined by filmmaker Barak Laub whose new documentary Volunteers Needed delves into this very dynamic in Nepal. He talks with Brandon Stiver about the film, his travels and the effort to advocate for government policies in the US that would mitigate harm in global orphan care.

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Podcast Sponsors

The M.A. in Global Development and Justice program at Jessup University prepares students to work across the nexus of justice, community development, and peacebuilding.

Learn More About The MAGDJ Online Program

Alliance for Children Everywhere is on mission to bring vulnerable children into secure families, schools, and communities.

Visit Alliance for Children Everywhere Online

Resources and Links from the show

Volunteers Needed Film Online

The Westerner Abuse and Child Protection Conversation (Think Orphan Podcast)

Conversation Notes

• The connection of volunteering to care for wild animals and canned hunting
• The importance of bringing and teaching skills when volunteering abroad
• The country conflict that led to the proliferation of orphanages in Nepal
• The relationship between corruption, poverty and caste in certain Asian countries
• The experience of kids that grow up in care in Nepal
• Misinformation told to volunteers that leads to exploitation
• Spending money in a way that reflects your values

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

Hope is a bit of a buzzword, but at the same time it is a lifeline for those that are experiencing humanitarian crises. What does it look like to experience hope in the midst of forcible displacement or losing your home in a natural disaster? Is it possible to have hope that is disconnected from the truth of Christ? Heath Adamson joins the show to help us think through these big questions. He talks with Brandon Stiver about his new book Hope Breaks Through and the work that Convoy of Hope is doing throughout the globe. Heath brings a wealth of biblical knowledge and on the ground experience that points to the God of hope and how we can partner with Him in bringing His promises to bear on the earth.

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Podcast Sponsors

The M.A. in Global Development and Justice program at Jessup University prepares students to work across the nexus of justice, community development, and peacebuilding.

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Join Camino Quest for a spiritual pilgrimage with other pilgrims on the ancient and amazing Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Visit Camino Quest Online

Resources and Links from the show

Hope Breaks Through by Heath Adamson (Amazon)

Convoy of Hope Online

To Transform a City by Eric Swanson and Sam Williams

Conversation Notes

• The work of Convoy of Hope and their four pillars of development
• Having hope in the midst of dire situations throughout the world
• What is hope and how it relates to the story of Rahab in Joshua 2
• The centrality of Christ in having true hope
• Understanding spiritual poverty and the difference between poverty in the Sermon on the Mount and the letter to the church in Laodicea in Revelation
• Having hope in the midst of current humanitarian crises right now through tornadoes in Missouri, flooding in Africa and typhoons in Asia
• The opportunity that we have to "turn aside" and join God's redemptive work

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

It's impossible to ignore the interconnectedness of global justice issues and the complexity of systems that affect societies. Sometimes a system enables people to thrive and other times the system puts people at risk. A clear example of this is looking at food systems and malnutrition in Central America. To help us dive deeper, we have Curt Bowen of Semilla Nueva on the show today. With work that addresses malnutrition through economic development and government partnerships, Curt and his team have turned the region's stable of corn into a driver for social change.

Support the Show Through Venmo - @canopyintl

Podcast Sponsors

The M.A. in Global Development and Justice program at Jessup University prepares students to work across the nexus of justice, community development, and peacebuilding.

Learn More About The MAGDJ Online Program

Join Camino Quest for a spiritual pilgrimage with other pilgrims on the ancient and amazing Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Visit Camino Quest Online

Resources and Links from the show

Semilla Nueva Online

Conversation Notes

• Understanding malnutrition and food insecurity in Central America
• The importance of taking a systems approach when addressing malnutrition
• Navigating public policy and legislation in a libertarian environment
• The intersections of economic development, climate change, forced displacement and malnutrition
• The difference between biofortified crops and GMOs
• Are GMOs always bad or do they just get a bad rap?
• Earned income is not always possible and doesn't fit every nonprofit operation

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License