We know 2018 will require us to be vigilant in our pursuit of social justice. We will need to dig deeper into our faith and our communities. I continue to be inspired by the lives and the thought leadership of the guests on my Audible show In Conversation. Now is the perfect time for us to draw inspiration from others, and take time to think about what faith in public life will mean for each of us.
I invite you to browse the episodes and listen in on these instructive conversations. Click on the links below to go to directly to Audible.
Episode 1: Jim talks to Rev. William Barber, former president of the North Carolina NAACP, whose impassioned speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2016 called for a movement of resistance against creeping extremism. Jim and William share insights on Trump’s election, systemic racism in policy, and why standing down is not an option. Listen to a clip below.
Episode 2: Social justice advocate Eboo Patel joins Jim to talk about how he was inspired to found the Interfaith Youth Core — an organization focused on connecting college students from different faiths to service projects and, more powerfully, to each other.
Episode 3: Jim welcomes best-selling author Margaret Atwood for a conversation on the effect that debt — monetary, spiritual, and ecological — is having on people and the planet. Together, they explore why Margaret’s groundbreaking novel The Handmaid’s Tale is even more prescient today, and why loving your neighbor means loving your neighbor’s oxygen, too.
Episode 4: Jim sits down with Valarie Kaur to talk about her experience as a Sikh activist in the current political climate. Jim and Valarie also discuss her speech, in a Christian church on New Year’s Eve 2016, that went viral. Listen to a clip below.
Episode 5: Educator and activist Brittany Packnett talks with Jim about why she took to the streets in her neighboring town of Ferguson in 2014, and how her experiences in peaceful protest prompted her to band together with others to form movements for black lives.
Episode 6: Jim sits down with author and activist Mark Shriver to talk about his book Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis, and the life of its subject. They delve into the influence the pope is having on the Roman Catholic Church, the purpose of pilgrimage, and the power of being open.
Episode 7: Best-selling author of The New Jim Crow Michelle Alexander joins Jim to talk about how her personal mission led her from teaching law to a new focus — studying theology. Their conversation ranges from the racial bias of U.S. drug laws and the systemic discrimination of ex-convicts to why a moral awakening is so needed in today’s environment.
Episode 8: Jim welcomes Rep. Joe Kennedy of Massachusetts to share his views on the moral obligations of our government, the spirit of generosity, and his life-affirming experience in the Peace Corps. Together, they consider the intersection of faith and social justice, and the need for dignity and decency in leadership. Listen to a clip below.
Episode 9: Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, joins Jim to discuss how our failure to talk about the trauma of America’s racist history gives rise to ugly events like the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. Together, they consider the importance of repentance, and why racism isn’t a political issue but a spiritual one. Listen to a clip below.