What would it take?

Climate change scientists told us that severe weather would happen more frequently as weather patterns changed, and they were right. I’m not optimistic about the world my child will live in when he’s 33. Luckily, there are brilliant minds wrestling with these problems and giving us reasons to be hopeful. We’ll unpack why in today’s episode. Today we’re asking, What Would It Take to save the planet? Listen to find out.

To celebrate season one of the What would it take? podcast. Host Ben, and AW staffers Dani and Juan talk about the work, the topics, and hopes for the season two.

There is a mythical stigma associated with homelessness that says people who are homeless are lazy. They’re often treated as “others”, and characterized as a “problem” to be solved or hidden. Lets take stock of our assumptions about homelessness and consider how we can truly love our neighbors.

This is Episode 10 of the What Would It Take Podcast. Join me as I ask, What Would It Take for Everyone to Have a home?

Links to sources for this episode:

Article from Strong Towns, Resilient, Long-term Approach to Addressing Homelessness - https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2020/12/2/addressing-homelessness

As we begin to see our way out of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are plunged back into the national epidemic of gun violence. Lawmakers trot out the same tired excuses for doing nothing all the while our friends and loved ones are lost. It doesn’t have to be this way.

This is episode 9 of the What Would It Take Podcast. Join me as I ask What Would It Take to find a cure for gun-related violence?

For weeks news outlets have been talking about the crisis at the US-Mexico border. What is actually happening at the southern border? And in response to so much suffering, what are we called to do as followers of Jesus?

This is episode 8 of the What Would It Take Podcast. Join me as we explore the question: What would it take to truly love our neighbors?

Links to sources for this episode:

Vox article 9 questions about the humanitarian crisis on the boarder, answered: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22346509/humanitarian-border-crisis-biden-unaccompanied-children

Center for Disaster Philanthropy report, Southern Border Humanitarian Crisis: https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disaster/southern-border-humanitarian-crisis/

Washington Post article The migrant 'surge' at the U.S. southern border is actually a predictable pattern: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/03/23/theres-no-migrant-surge-us-southern-border-heres-data/

USA Today article How US foreign policy in Central America may have fueled the migrant crisis: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/12/21/has-united-states-foreign-policy-central-america-fueled-migrant-crisis-donald-trump/2338489002/

Boarder Advocacy Groups from National Network for Immigrant and Refugee rights - Organizations to support: http://nnirr.org/drupal/border-groups

Many of us have grown up with a very strong understanding of what hell was. Eternal torment, literal flames, pain and agony forever. For a long time, our understanding of hell has been divorced from the practical realities that many face day-in and day-out, but does it have to be that way?

This is episode 7 of the What Would it Take Podcast. Join me as we explore the question, What if Hell is closer than we think?

Links to sources for this episode:

Article from _Christian History Institute: Three Views of Hell : https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/three-views-of-hell

Article from _Christianity Today: What is Hell? A Biblical Guide of Its Existence: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/heaven-and-hell/what-is-hell-a-biblical-guide-of-its-existence.html

Bible Gateway passage Mark 9:48: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+9%3A48&version=NRSV

Bible Hub passage Luke 13:28: https://biblehub.com/luke/13-28.htm

CBS News story from _60 Minutes: Early results from 174 Flint Children Exposed to Lead During Water Crisis Shows 80% of Them Will Require Special Education Services: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/flint-water-crisis-effect-on-children-60-minutes-2020-03-15/

Article from _The New York Times : British Police Office Charged with Murder in Killing of Sarah Everard: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/12/world/europe/uk-sarah-everard.html

Article from _National Geographic: The Campaign to Eliminate Hell : https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/160513-theology-hell-history-christianity

Podcast _God is with poor people: Liberation theology's challenge to this world: https://thisishell.com/interviews/1015-lilian-calles-barger

When we endorse leaders, who favor policies that disenfranchise BIPOC, we are undercutting the Gospel message we claim to believe. Gerrymandering is a tool of voter disenfranchisement and even if it works in favor of our political party, we must stand against it.

This is ep 6 of the What Would It Take? podcast. Today we’re asking ourselves, what would it take for every vote to matter equally?

Sources for this episode:

Rock The Vote get involved opportunities: https://www.rockthevote.org/get-involved/

NPR _article, _In New Documentary, Stacey Abrams Probes The State Of Voter Suppression In 2020: https://www.npr.org/2020/09/05/909969046/stacey-abrams-discusses-voter-suppression-and-her-new-documentary-appearance

NPR articke, Stacey Abrams On Why Securing Voting Rights Is As Necessary Now As In The Past: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/02/973067859/stacey-abrams-on-why-securing-voting-rights-is-as-necessary-now-as-in-the-past

New York Times article, What is Gerrymandering? : https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/us/what-is-gerrymandering.html

American Civil Liberties Union fact sheet on voter ID legislation: https://www.aclu.org/other/oppose-voter-id-legislation-fact-sheet

Washington Post article, What counts as voter intimidation? : https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/10/30/voter-intimidation/

Center for Amrican Progress article, Voter-deterimined districts; ending gerrymandering and ensuring fiar representation : https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/democracy/reports/2019/05/09/468916/voter-determined-districts/

NPR _article, _Supreme Court Rules Partisan Gerrymandering Is Beyond The Reach Of Federal Courts: https://www.npr.org/2019/06/27/731847977/supreme-court-rules-partisan-gerrymandering-is-beyond-the-reach-of-federal-court

Vox article, A new study finds voter ID laws don’t reduce voter fraud — or voter turnout: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/2/21/18230009/voter-id-laws-fraud-turnout-study-research

FiveThirtyEight article, What We Know About Voter ID Laws: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-we-know-about-voter-id-laws/

The Gaurdian article, Federal judge blocks North Carolina's voter ID law, citing its discriminatory intent: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/01/north-carolina-voter-id-law-blocked-discriminatory

Associated Press article, Georgia House passes GOP bill rolling back voting access: https://apnews.com/article/senate-elections-bills-legislation-elections-georgia-842d9ad16a78901322f4b952f6c0d8dd

LGBTQ+ youth are at increased risk of suicide and violent crime. Teenage years can be difficult for everyone, but for lgbtq youth they can be especially dangerous. Why is that the case though? Well, our attitudes and beliefs about LGBTQ+ people are part of the problem.

This is Episode 5 of the What Would It Take Podcast. Join me as I ask What Would It Take Love to Conquer All?

Links to sources from the episode:

The Reformation Project -

PBS News Hour article -

GAP LGBTQ Religion Project PDF -

Q Christian Fellowship Prayer Wall -

HuffPost nest article, _Chilling Study Sums Up Link Between Religion And Suicide For Queer Youth -

The Trevor Project national survey results -

CDC resources for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health -

NBS news article, _Nearly 1 in 5 hate crimes motivated by anti-LGBTQ bias, FBI finds -

Indiana Youth Group -

OK2BME article, WHAT DOES LGBTQ+ MEAN? -

Every year, through the U.S foster care system, thousands of children are sent back into abusive homes, unnecessarily separated from their parents or even abused while in foster care. We have a system that is failing our youth, and more often than not, its affecting Black and Native families disproportionately.

This is Episode 4 of the What Would It Take Podcast. This week we’re exploring the question, What Would It Take To Keep Our Families Together?

Links to sources from this episode:

The Appeal, _Hidden foster care: all of the responsibility, none of the resources: https://theappeal.org/hidden-foster-care/

Scary Mommy article, _Transracial adoption frequently ruins lives - I say this as a White adoptive mom: https://www.scarymommy.com/national-adoption-month-white-adoptive-mom/

Marquette Law Review, _Racial Bias in American Foster Care: The National Debate: https://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5190&context=mulr

Religion News Service, _Black children in foster care need relief from systemic racism, too:https://religionnews.com/2020/06/26/black-foster-children-need-relief-from-systemic-racism-too/

Foster-to-prision pipeline video _Step Inside the circle: https://vimeo.com/398088783?ref=fb-share

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, _Federal foster care financing: How and why the current funding structure fails to meet the needs of the child welfare field: https://aspe.hhs.gov/report/federal-foster-care-financing-how-and-why-current-funding-structure-fails-meet-needs-child-welfare-field#:~:text=Title%20IV%2DE%20funds%20foster,assistance%20makes%20up%20another%2022%25.

Together we rise, _15 things you should know before fostering: https://www.togetherwerise.org/blog/things-foster-parents-should-know/

Todays Parent, _4 things I wish I'd known about foster parenting: https://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/what-i-wish-id-known-about-foster-parenting/

What should be one of the most joyful days of a life, ends up being the last for too many women.

This is the episode 3 of the What Would It Take Podcast and this week we’re exploring maternal and infant mortality rates in black, native and alaskan native women as we wrestle with the question what would it take for our mothers and children to survive.

Links to sources from this episode:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System: https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternal-mortality/pregnancy-mortality-surveillance-system.htm

Consumer Watch Dog article _Kira Johnson, Cedars-Sinai Los Angeles: https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patient-safety/kira-johnson-cedars-sinai-los-angeles

New York Times article _Why America's Black Mothers and Babies Are in a Life-orDeath Crisis: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/magazine/black-mothers-babies-death-maternal-mortality.html

Center for American Progress comprehensive policy blueprint on eliminating racial disparities in maternal and infant mortality: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/reports/2019/05/02/469186/eliminating-racial-disparities-maternal-infant-mortality/

Insider article _Black babie are 3 times more likely to die when cared for by white doctors. Their mortality rates plunges with Black doctors: https://www.insider.com/black-babies-more-likely-to-die-when-cared-white-doctors-2020-8

Kaiser Family Foundation article _ _Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: An Overview:https://www.kff.org/report-section/racial-disparities-in-maternal-and-infant-health-an-overview-issue-brief/

AJMC article _Racial Disparities Persist in Maternal Morbidity, Mortality and Infant Health:https://www.ajmc.com/view/racial-disparities-persist-in-maternal-morbidity-mortality-and-infant-health

ProPublica article _Black Women Disproportionately Suffer Complications of Pregnancy and Childbirth. Lets TAlk about it.: https://www.propublica.org/article/black-women-disproportionately-suffer-complications-of-pregnancy-and-childbirth-lets-talk-about-it

ProPublica sieries of articles _Lost Mothers: https://www.propublica.org/series/lost-mothers

ProPublica article _The New U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate Fails to Capture Many Deaths: https://www.propublica.org/article/the-new-us-maternal-mortality-rate-fails-to-capture-many-deaths

Medscape article _Black Chief Resident Dies After Childbirth, Highlights Tragic Trend: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/939954?fbclid=IwAR1GK9-eSEfFshMTXz6fFiNa5Cm7HyIquUsQPwghf4gTq_1jU5FTU84EjEs#vp_1

American Progress article _American Indian and Alaska Native Maternal and Infant Mortality: Challenges and Opportunities:https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/news/2018/07/09/451344/american-indian-alaska-native-maternal-infant-mortality-challenges-opportunities/