In Good Faith

Lex Rofeberg and Dan Libenson talk to Steve about their organization Judaism Unbound. Lex Rofeberg is Senior Jewish educator for Judaism Unbound -- a digital, Jewish non-profit organization and oversees Judaism Unbound's UnYeshiva (a digital center for Jewish learning and unlearning), produces and co-hosts its weekly podcast, and facilitates regular forms of communal gathering, via Zoom, for Jews and Jewish-adjacent non-Jews. Dan Libenson is President of Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, which is dedicated to helping Jews and fellow travelers apply Jewish wisdom to thrive and shape a better world. He is also the co-host of the Judaism Unbound podcast, as well as The Oral Talmud, a streaming video show soon to be released in podcast form. Dan teaches classes on Judaism and Jewish wisdom at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s Zelikow School of Nonprofit Management. Dan is the translator of The Orchard, a novel about the early days of Rabbinic Judaism, by renowned Israeli novelist Yochi Brandes.

Curtis Chang of Redeeming Babel shares his journey of becoming a Christian from a non-Christian family, his youthful challenges of integrating faith with secular life, and his various roles bridging the worlds of theology and secular institutions. Curtis Chang is the founding executive director of Redeeming Babel and host of the Good Faith podcast. Over the course of his career, he has bridged the worlds of secular institutions and theology. In the former world, he is the founder and CEO of Consulting Within Reach (CWR), a firm serving nonprofits and government agencies. His consulting work has won an award in social innovation from the Obama White House, and he teaches strategic planning as a faculty member of American University’s School of International Service. In the Christian world, he is a consulting professor at Duke Divinity School and a Senior Fellow at Fuller Theological Seminary. Curtis is also a former senior pastor of an Evangelical Covenant Church in San Jose, California. He is the author of the book The Anxiety Opportunity: How Worry Is the Doorway to Your Best Self and co-author of The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics.

Michael Sabet, editor of The Journal of Bahá’í Studies, shares how religious law teaches him the depth of God's love for him personally and the rest of us, too. Michael Sabet is a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of Toronto. His research involves putting a Bahá'í framework for governance into dialogue with political philosophy. He is a lawyer by training, having practiced constitutional litigation in Ottawa after clerking at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Jason Shelton describes how his family's religious experiences and membership in the AME Church influenced his research for his latest book, “The Contemporary Black Church: the new dynamics of African American religion.” Dr. Jason E. Shelton is Full Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for African American Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington. His research interests concern the sociology of religion, as well as the intersections of race, class, and attitudes about various political and social issues in contemporary America.

Daisy Khan of WISE returns to talk to Steve about her latest book, 30 Rights of Muslim Women. Daisy Khan is an award-winning author, public speaker, and media commentator. She founded the Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE), a global network promoting peacebuilding, gender equality, and human dignity. Dr. Khan's publications, WISE Up: Knowledge Ends Extremism, Born with Wings, and 30 Rights of Muslim Women, debunk Islamophobic myths and demystify hardline extremist views of Muslim women’s rights. Featured in major media outlets, she has received numerous awards, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award and recognition in TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” list.

Nijay Gupta of Slow Theology joins Steve for a chat about Tell Her Story, Gupta's exploration of women preachers, prophets, and leaders in the Bible. Nijay Gupta co-chairs the Pauline Theology seminar of the Institute for Biblical Research and serves as a senior translator for the New Living Translation. He also co-hosts the podcast, “Slow Theology: Simple Faith for Chaotic Times”. He is the author of Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church. He has co-edited The State of New Testament Studies, Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (2nd ed.), and The State of Pauline Studies. His most recent book is Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling (2024).

Najah Bazzy, the founder of Zaman International, explains the catalytic moment of helping a refugee family that inspired her humanitarian work. She also discusses her dedication to addressing recurring needs in breaking cycles of poverty. like transportation, childcare, and hope. Najah Bazzy is an American humanitarian, interfaith leader, nurse, and founder and CEO of Zaman International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting poverty and its causes.

Joseph Vukov, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago, discusses how to remain human in the AI era and shares the Catholic perspective on AI, relationships, and the divine. Joseph Vukov is the author of Navigating Faith and Science (2022), The Perils of Perfection (2023), and numerous academic articles on topics ranging from the ethics of neuroscience to the philosophy of mind. He has published most recently Staying Human in an Era of Artificial Intelligence (2024).

Steve discusses Dr. King's A Letter from Birmingham Jail with Pastor Vinetta Golphin-Wilkerson and Dr. LaShawn Williams. Reverend Vinnetta Golphin-Wilkerson has been serving the West Valley City community since 2011, when she moved from Atlanta to Salt Lake City to lead the congregation of Granger Community Christian Church. During her time as reverend, she began hosting Project Cornucopia, an event aimed to create a one-stop-shop for community members to learn about and access needed resources from food, education, health, and more. Dr. LaShawn Williams is a licensed clinical social worker with a doctorate in Education. She has her own private practice and has previously taught Salt Lake Community College and Utah Valley University. Dr. LaShawn Williams integrates her faith into her practice by drawing on her experiences as a lifelong member of the LDS Church. She emphasizes the importance of connection and core values, which are central to her faith. Dr. Williams uses these principles to guide her work in addressing racial trauma, identity development, and relational dynamics.

Can you change a city with a sandwich? Laura Baldwin describes how solving food insecurity in Atlanta helps people leave the streets and find stability. Her Jewish faith pushes her to help others. Laura Baldwin is vice-president of The Sandwich Project. On the average week, she collects between 200-400 sandwiches at her home that are distributed to local organizations who serve those experiencing food insecurity.