Episodes

Peacemakers needed! In today’s era of polarization and passionate disagreements, civility and decency seem to have disappeared. Jesus Christ expects better of us. In this special episode, featuring his landmark address, “Peacemakers Needed,” Russell M. Nelson, former renowned heart surgeon now serving as President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, urges us […]

Josh Sabo: An unexpected spiritual journey led him to becoming a pastor, followed by a spiritual restlessness leading to an equally unexpected path to serve a broader community as the executive director of Heartland HOUSED, devoted to achieving functional zero homelessness in Springfield, Illinois, through a housing first strategy of collective impact.

In this continuation of a conversation begun in Episode 12, host David Risley and University of Illinois Professor Robin Fretwell Wison are joined by University of Illinois Student Toby George to discuss “Tolerance Means Dialogues” in both principle and practice. Tolerance Means Dialogues website: https://www.tolerancemeans.com/ Robin Fretwell Wilson website: https://robinfretwellwilson.com/ God Unites website: https://GodUnites.com #peacemakers

Professor Robin Fretwell Wilson of the University of Illinois discusses reconciling freedom of religion and sometimes competing civil liberties, including nondiscrimination. Professor Wilson discusses how the “Utah Compromise” is an example of how lawmakers can work together across political and social divides to find ways to both protect and harmonize the basic civil liberties of

Lisa Daniels found healing when she forgave her son’s killer. She now leads the Darren B. Easterling Center for Restorative Practices. Through her work, Lisa lives out Jesus’s teachings on forgiveness from the Sermon on the Mount. Her story shows restorative justice principles in action. Confronting System Failures Lisa shares her direct experience with the

Scott Reeder, journalist and man of faith, shares four stories of his faith journey and the power of prayer: (1) beginnings; (2) forgiveness and praying for years for an enemy, with unexpected results for both men; (3) prayers to find and marry a wife that were answered 18 years later in a surprising and yet

Arthur Stern had no thought of becoming Rabbi Stern while pursuing a successful career in business, certainly not while living in a homeless shelter during a period when his life came apart due to addiction to alcohol and other drugs. Even when the voice unexpectedly came to him to become a rabbi – a message

President Dallin H. Oaks of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speaks on religious freedom and nondiscrimination in giving the 2021 Joseph Smith Lecture on Religious Liberty at the University of Virginia. (Republished with permission.) (Link to transcript below.) As host David Risley says in the introduction to this episode, “I worry that

Professor Mohammad Khalil discusses Muslim thought regarding the salvation of others and how Muslims in general, and he personally, experience God and God’s love and mercy. Dr. Khalil is a Professor of Religious Studies, Director of the Muslim Studies Program, and Adjunct Professor in the College of Law at Michigan State University. (https://khalil.cal.msu.edu/) His specialty

“If we don’t understand what we have here in religious freedom, we risk losing it.” So says Steven Collis, legal expert on freedom of religion, law professor, and author of two books on the subject, “Deep Conviction” and “The Immortals.” In this episode, Professor Collis explains why freedom of religion is important for everyone, including