The Better Samaritan Podcast

Fifty thousand civilians have died—so far. Military conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia has resulted in displacement, mass rape, looting, and starvation. According to BBC sources, “literally millions of people [are] beyond the reach of humanitarian aid.”NGOs are ready and waiting to assist Tigray people, but they don’t have a way in due to government restrictions.CT reported on these tensions and the political circumstances surrounding them in November. At the time, a WorldVision staffer told CT, “...here, it is not just winning or losing an election. It’s life or death: access to land, access to food … the stakes are so high.”Roger Sandberg, of Medical Teams International, and Dr. Andrew DeCort, on the ground with the Neighbor Love movement in Ethiopia, recommend several actions.1) Learn about the rich history of Ethiopia to understand its current political situation. 2) Pray for our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia.3) Advocate. Tell your government officials to apply pressure to the government of Ethiopia to open up a humanitarian corridor, so that aid can get through.4) Donate. Grants that might normally be available when organizations have access to a region are currently off the table. Roger’s organization, Medical Teams International, and Andrew’s organization, The Neighbor-Love Movement, are both open for donations.For more news on the conflict, Roger recommends following the BBC, and Andrew recommends the Addis Standard."On Being a Good Neighbor", sermon draft by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.This episode produced by Laura FinchTheme Song “Turning Over Tables” by The BrillianceSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSSFollow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch(Note to the listener: In this podcast, sometimes we'll have evangelicals, sometimes we won't. We thinking learning how to do good better involves listening to lots of perspectives, with different insights and understanding with us. Sometimes it will make us uncomfortable, sometimes we'll agree, sometimes we won't. We think that's good. We want to listen for correction. Especially in our blind spots.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you turn a Stanford-trained mechanical engineer into a Christian activist? Send her on a global poverty immersion trip. That was Nikki Toyama-Szeto's story. Now, after serving in leadership positions at International Justice Mission, the Urbana Conference and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, she is the executive director of Christians for Social Action, the network originally founded by Ron Sider.Nikki shares with the Better Samaritan the biggest mistake Christian activists make, why Christians for Social Action recently dropped the word "Evangelicals" from their name, and what it's been like, as an Asian American, to watch issues of race play out elsewhere in the U.S. And don't miss Kent's favorite part of the conversation: Nikki's take on how the art of trapeze flying relates to justice work.RESOURCES:Nikki's recommended action point: New Initiatives by Christians for Social Action"On Being a Good Neighbor", sermon draft by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.This episode produced by Laura FinchTheme Song “Turning Over Tables” by The BrillianceSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSSFollow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch(Note to the listener: In this podcast, sometimes we'll have evangelicals, sometimes we won't. We thinking learning how to do good better involves listening to lots of perspectives, with different insights and understanding with us. Sometimes it will make us uncomfortable, sometimes we'll agree, sometimes we won't. We think that's good. We want to listen for correction. Especially in our blind spots.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“I’ve never seen a disaster create a vulnerability that didn’t already exist.” —Dr. Nicolette Louissaint, Executive Director of Healthcare ReadyAccording to healthcare and preparedness authority Dr. Nicolette Louissaint, the church is a place to contextualize what we are hearing about the pandemic.In this episode, she discusses with Kent and Jamie the crucial role of the church in public health, how long pandemic recovery is *actually* going to take (hint: it won’t be over in September), explains the Tuskegee Experiment, unpacks the way disasters amplify inequities, and provides a professional opinion on COVID puppies. Dr. Louissaint previously served as the Senior Advisor to the US State Department’s Special Coordinator for Ebola. Now, she is executive director and president of Healthcare Ready, a nonprofit organization that focuses on strengthening the United States’ healthcare supply chain preparedness and response before, during and after natural disasters and disease pandemics. She has an MBA from the University of Baltimore and a PhD in Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. RESOURCES:Dr. Louissaint spoke at Humanitarian Disaster Institute COVID-19 summit: Infectious Disease Expert on How the Church Can Help During COVID-19. University of Pittsburgh researcher Junia Howell’s longitudinal study on 3,500 families across the U.S. on how natural disasters and FEMA Aid widen the racial wealth gapSign up for updates from Healthcare Ready, Dr. Louissaint’s organization. "On Being a Good Neighbor", sermon draft by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.This episode produced by Laura FinchTheme Song “Turning Over Tables” by The BrillianceSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSSFollow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch(Note to the listener: In this podcast, sometimes we'll have evangelicals, sometimes we won't. We thinking learning how to do good better involves listening to lots of perspectives, with different insights and understanding with us. Sometimes it will make us uncomfortable, sometimes we'll agree, sometimes we won't. We think that's good. We want to listen for correction. Especially in our blind spots.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“It is not safe to be in politics with your feet planted there, but with your feet planted in the gospel all manner of things are safe.” —Michael WearFormer White House aide and faith strategist Michael Wear says politics is not opt-in. It's like any other area of life where false motives can creep in and distort. But knowing that isn’t an excuse to withdraw. Michael is a leading strategist, speaker and practitioner at the intersection of faith, politics and public life. He has advised a president, as well as some of the nation’s leading foundations, nonprofits and public leaders, on important issues that define American life today. Michael is the founder of Public Square Strategies LLC, a firm that helps religious groups effectively navigate the American religious and political landscape. Michael is the co-author of Compassion and Conviction: The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement. He is also author of Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America and writes about faith and politics for a number of media outlets.RESOURCES:"On Being a Good Neighbor", sermon draft by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.This episode produced by Laura FinchTheme Song “Turning Over Tables” by The BrillianceNewsletters: HDI newsletter, Reclaiming Hope newsletter by Michael and Melissa WearSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSSFollow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch(Note to the listener: In this podcast, sometimes we'll have evangelicals, sometimes we won't. We thinking learning how to do good better involves listening to lots of perspectives, with different insights and understanding with us. Sometimes it will make us uncomfortable, sometimes we'll agree, sometimes we won't. We think that's good. We want to listen for correction. Especially in our blind spots.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When we use our imagination concerning the reason why the Priest and the Levite did not stop to help the wounded man, numerous things come to mind.Perhaps they were in a hurry to get to an important ecclesiastical meeting for which they could not afford to be late.Perhaps their temple regulations demanded that they touch no human body for several hours before their temple function began.Or, they could have been on their way to a meeting to organize a Jerico Road Improvement Association. Certainly this was a real need.It is not enough to aid the wounded man on the Jerico Road. It is also necessary to work to change the conditions of the Road which made robbery possible.Philanthropy is marvelous, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the need for working to remove many conditions of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.—The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his sermon draft, "On Being A Good Neighbor" Welcome to the Better Samaritan podcast.Having worked in disaster and humanitarian crises around the globe in our academic and practical work at the Humanitarian Disaster Institute, we’ve seen many well-intentioned good Samaritans come forward to help others.Unfortunately, not all good Samaritans are helpful. (And we’ve made plenty of mistakes and keep learning ourselves!) If being seen helping others on the side of the road is more important to us than the victim himself, we miss the point. And caring for the victim without addressing the root causes of his plight doesn't end injustice—it only perpetuates it.Join HDI co-directors Jamie Aten and Kent Annan each week for a new conversation about how we can love the hurting person right in front of us, while also addressing the conditions that put them there in the first place.Normally in each episode we'll interview experts from various fields of study. Next week, inauguration week, we’re thrilled to present a conversation with Michael Wear, a leading political thinker who has advised presidents on faith outreach.But today, we process together what happened last week at the U.S. Capitol. Why does it matter for Christians? How, and why, can we go about confessing and lamenting this event—even if we didn't take part?RESOURCES:“Evangelicals must denounce the Christian nationalism in Capitol riots”—opinion piece for Religion News Service by Jamie Aten and Kent AnnanSlow Kingdom Coming: Practices for Doing Justice, Loving Mercy and Walking Humbly in the World by Kent Annan"On Being a Good Neighbor", sermon draft by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.This episode produced by Laura FinchTheme Song “Turning Over Tables” by The BrillianceNewsletters: HDI newsletter, Reclaiming Hope newsletter by Michael and Melissa WearSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSSFollow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch(Note to the listener: In this podcast, sometimes we'll have evangelicals, sometimes we won't. We thinking learning how to do good better involves listening to lots of perspectives, with different insights and understanding with us. Sometimes it will make us uncomfortable, sometimes we'll agree, sometimes we won't. We think that's good. We want to listen for correction. Especially in our blind spots.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to The Better Samaritan, a podcast where we’re learning how to do good, better. Hosts Jamie Aten and Kent Annan will — along with you — explore ways we can more effectively love our neighbors, from everyday acts of kindness to navigating the most complex humanitarian challenges facing the church and society. The name “The Better Samaritan” was inspired by a sermon on the parable of the Good Samaritan from The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, “It is not enough to aid the wounded man on the Jericho Road. It is also necessary to work to change the conditions of the Road that made robbery possible.”In our work at the Humanitarian Disaster Institute, we see many well-intentioned Christians set out to help those in need who end up unintentionally causing harm, or at least not doing as much good as they hoped. This is a podcast where you can listen in as we learn from the wisdom and experiences of those who are seeking to be Better Samaritans through their work... so we can all help those with urgent needs in front of us today, and improve the road so others can walk it safely in the future.Join us on The Better Samaritan podcast as we learn from experts on disaster recovery, refugee assistance and resettlement, human trafficking, public health, racial reconciliation, and more.Subscribe to The Better Samaritan podcast today to get each new episode as we embark on this journey of learning to do good, better.Thank you to The Brilliance for permission to use their song "Turning Over Tables" — learn more about them and their music at http://thebrilliancemusic.com/.RESOURCES:"On Being a Good Neighbor", sermon draft by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.This episode produced by Laura FinchTheme Song “Turning Over Tables” by The BrillianceSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS | HDI newsletterFollow us on Twitter: @kentannan | @drjamieaten | @laura_e_finch(Note to the listener: In this podcast, sometimes we'll have evangelicals, sometimes we won't. We thinking learning how to do good better involves listening to lots of perspectives, with different insights and understanding with us. Sometimes it will make us uncomfortable, sometimes we'll agree, sometimes we won't. We think that's good. We want to listen for correction. Especially in our blind spots.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices