Inner Compass TV Show

When we hear about layoffs and other painful business decisions, the blame often goes to voracious stockholders or the unforgiving bottom line. Jeff Van Duzer says not so fast—though companies must survive, there is a time for examining those demands and realigning priorities. He is author of Why Business Matters to God: and What Still Needs to Be Fixed. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

When called upon to define who we are, not many think to mention our land and neighbors. But it wasn’t always that way. Willie Jennings, Associate Professor of Theology and Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School, invites a return to the rootedness that communities used to enjoy. His book The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race, suggests connections should grow from shared spaces--not shared attributes such as skin color--and that Christians need to be modeling this. Karen Saupe hosts.

At a time of life when most people would be relaxing into retirement, Vern Hoffman started up a faith-based justice organization that now involves hundreds in his city. Focusing on aspects where change is most possible, the Micah Center has seen some exciting results. Hear the story, which now includes Jordan Bruxvoort, the young man Hoffman selected to carry on the charge. Karen Saupe hosts.

It’s easy to think that refugees have won a golden ticket of opportunity if they can make it to the U.S. But their challenges are far from over as they learn a new language, search for work, and sustain their families. Dana Doll of Lutheran Social Services of Michigan describes the stereotypes and the hurdles they face, and how volunteers can make all the difference for these resilient newcomers. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

Thousands of women in Juarez, Mexico have been tortured and murdered because they are women. Yet the authorities have been more inclined to call these killings imaginary than emergency. When installation artist Mandy Cano Villalobos of the Calvin College art department learned of this mass femicide, she looked for a way to honor the individual victims. See what she created to give these silenced women a voice. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

We see the “seven deadly sins” in board games and fashion magazines, but for many people, their purpose now and over the centuries has been to direct our hearts toward the things we all long for—love, integrity, and freedom. Calvin College philosopher Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung, author of Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and their Remedies, considers the true definitions of these timeless pitfalls, which are not always what you’d think. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.