Discover the psychological secrets behind why people are leaving behind their faith and quietly quitting church as we sit down with esteemed guests, Dr. Aaron McLaughlin and Dr. Daryl Van Tongeren. In our eye-opening conversation, we dig into their recent study "Losing My Religion," funded by the John Templeton Foundation, which aimed to understand the characteristics, reasons, and mental health of the religious “dones” (individuals who once held religious beliefs but have since walked away from...
Jun 16, 2023•26 min
What if anxiety, a feeling we often dread, could actually be an opportunity for spiritual growth? In this fascinating conversation with Curtis Chang— executive director of Redeeming Babel, consulting professor at Duke Divinity School, and senior fellow at Fuller Theological Seminary—we discuss his new book, The Anxiety Opportunity, and explore how to approach anxiety from a Christian perspective. Together, we dive into the relationship between Christianity and coping with loss in times of anxiet...
Jun 02, 2023•28 min
What if we could help every child flourish in the face of adversity and trauma? Join us as we speak with two staff members of Christian Heritage, a non-profit agency in Nebraska: Roy Baldwin, the executive director, and Emma Sugita, CH’s training director. Christian Heritage’s mission is to see the gospel redeem the most broken families through their programs and services, including Beyond Prison, Families Together, and Care Portal. Roy and Emma relate stories of hope from the front lines of fos...
May 18, 2023•27 min
In this episode, Jamie delves into the crucial topic of helping your congregation become a trauma-informed church. He also notes the perils of non-trauma-informed congregations. With nearly 70% of people experiencing trauma at some point in their lives, it's essential for churches to understand trauma’s prevalence and impact, in order to create a safe and supportive environment for those affected. Join us as we continue to learn how to “do good, better” and create more compassionate, accountable...
Apr 27, 2023•10 min
In this episode, Jamie introduces a Christian grounding technique he and Kent developed for the Spiritual First Aid certificate course, Grounded in Grace: The 5-4-3-2-1 Technique. The technique is designed to help manage stress and anxiety by directing our attention to the present moment through our five senses. Because it incorporates prayer and visualization, this practice can strengthen our faith and deepen our connection to God. As Jamie notes, it’s vital for helpers to take care of themselv...
Apr 14, 2023•9 min•Ep. 42
In this episode, Jamie dives into the unholy trinity of burnout: burnout itself, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma. This trio is familiar to many in helping professions, ministry positions, or volunteer roles. Understanding their definitions and root causes is essential for preventing—and overcoming—each of them. As Christian helpers, we can't ignore these issues. Instead, we must prioritize our well-being to serve others more effectively and model healthier life rhythms. Together as the ...
Mar 30, 2023•10 min
One of the things Jamie and Kent have learned over the years is that “doing good, better” is demanding emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. It's quite common for helpers to feel a high level of stress, and they may eventually succumb to compassion fatigue or even burnout. In a special edition of the podcast, Jamie leads us through a 10-minute progressive muscle relaxation exercise to help relieve stress. We hope it will encourage you as you continue to serve and make a difference ...
Mar 16, 2023•14 min•Ep. 42
In this unique episode, Jamie and Kent sit down with poet and pastor Drew Jackson, author of two volumes of poetry, including God Speaks Through Wombs: Poems on God’s Unexpected Coming. Drew reads several of his poems, leading into discussions about Jesus as an outsider, how justice work is a core gospel ethic, and why remaining vulnerable and compassionate is imperative for Christians who want to “do good, better.”. Listen as: (0:00:03) - Drew reads his poem “Nazareth,” reflecting on Luke 1:2 (...
Feb 22, 2023•45 min•Ep. 42
In this wide-ranging episode, Jamie and Kent sit down with Bob Smietana, a veteran news reporter and author of Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters. Together they discuss why people are leaving American churches, examine the loss of resources from current trends (and scandals), and discuss what we can do to continue moving forward. Listen in to learn more about: Crises that Jamie and Kent are not prepared for—like cat-worshiping cults. The changing landsc...
Feb 09, 2023•48 min•Ep. 45
We’re excited to begin a brand-new season of “The Better Samaritan” with a special episode. A few months ago, Jamie Aten and Kent Annan were invited by One Collective to teach Spiritual First Aid training for Christians serving refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) impacted by the war in Ukraine. In this episode, Jamie and Kent share audio they recorded on the field and reflections while on the trip and after they’d been home a few weeks. You’ll hear:: How they almost missed the trip ...
Feb 02, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 44
“Disillusionment is the loss of a lie that we have believed.” —Peter Greer, HOPE International Most people who work in humanitarian and helping professions end up in a familiar cycle: idealism leads to disillusionment which leads to either cynicism, or hope. Peter Greer and Chris Horst, both with HOPE International, have seen it again and again. For their new book, “The Gift of Disillusionment: Enduring Hope for Leaders After Idealism Fades,” they interviewed Christian leaders from around the wo...
Jun 13, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 43
"This issue is not going away, and it’s not a one church issue. Has spanned the church world in all denominations. I think it’s something that God is exposing because he loves the church and wants to see her well." —Danielle Strickland Danielle Strickland spent 22 years as a Salvation Army officer in 3 countries, fighting exploitation and human trafficking, before becoming a church planter and teacher. At a Canadian megachurch where she was serving, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse came to her ...
Jun 06, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 42
When Paul McLaughlin went to his advisor, Mark McMinn, to pitch a dissertation on wisdom psychology, Mark told him: “Paul, that sounds like a great topic, but psychologists do not really study wisdom.” Paul proved him wrong, and years later they’ve together crafted a book on it: As Christians, what can we learn from the science of wisdom? And how we can cultivate this virtue in our hectic, tragic modern world? In this episode, Kent and Jamie also query Paul and Mark on topics like: What’s the di...
May 30, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 41
84 million people have been forcibly displaced around the world. Add to that a recent 5 million from Ukraine, and the world’s borders are under tremendous pressure. According to Ali Noorani, founder of the National Immigration Forum, that creates a deep sense of fear that our borders are out of control. To ‘do something’ used to mean to treat refugees & immigrants in the harshest way possible. But how do we, as a country, uphold our values of both freedom and fairness in this area? Ali has c...
Apr 25, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 40
As a helper, you want to help, serve and honor those you work with. That might be as a church leader, disaster relief worker, nurse or barista. But as an imperfect person, you may need to do some soul-searching in order to most effectively help those around you. Dr. Holly Oxhandler’s book, The Soul of the Helper: Seven Stages to Seeing the Sacred Within Yourself So You Can See It In Others, is an invitation for helpers to become curious about their inner landscape. What is happening within us im...
Apr 18, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 39
How has militarism shaped our idea of the way a Christian ‘should’ be? Does it make sense to put theology at the center of what it means to be an evangelical—even if pastors would like it to be? Jamie and Kent sat down with Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of “Jesus and John Wayne,” to ask her these questions and talk about her take on evangelicals’ relationship with the ‘outsider’—plus—the dangerous byproduct of attention to global persecution of Christians. RESOURCES: "On Being a Good Neighbor...
Mar 28, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 38
In 1995, a book was published with a provocative opening: "The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind." (Christianity Today would go on to award this Book of the Year.) Today on the podcast, the author of that book—prominent evangelical historian Mark Noll—looks back on the last 30 years of the movement ahead of the book’s re-release. He talks with Jamie and Kent about the vast diversity in the movement, populism and the way it permeates Christian politi...
Mar 15, 2022•35 min•Season 1Ep. 37
In just 13 days, two million Ukrainians have so far been absorbed into other nations in the European Union—not in camps, but in homes, welcomed with open arms by 27 nations. How much more can Europe absorb? Roger Sandberg, VP of Field Operations for Medical Teams International, was asked by the government of Poland to operate a clinic on the border of Ukraine. He just arrived in the region, and joins us to update on the humanitarian response to the crisis. RESOURCES: Roger’s organization: Medica...
Mar 08, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin is the founder and Executive Director of Soulfire International Ministry and Senior Vice President of Ministry Impact at the American Bible Society. Previously, she ran the Trauma Healing Institute at the American Bible Society. She spoke with Kent and Jamie about questions like: How do you define impact in ministry? What steps can local churches take to make sure they are helping victims of trauma—and not making things worse? What is normalized stress, and how can ...
Mar 07, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Which Enneagram numbers are drawn to helping professions? Might trauma impact our Enneagram types? And how can we use the Enneagram to do good, better? Listen as Jamie (3) and Kent (number as yet unknown) interview Suzanne Stabile, often known as the ‘godmother’ of the enneagram, on these questions and more. Suzanne’s newest book, The Journey to Wholeness, explains what it means for certain numbers on the Enneagram to ‘move to’ other numbers in health—or in stress. RESOURCES: Suzanne’s website S...
Feb 21, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Participants at last year's virtual Spiritual First Aid Summit were totally captivated by one particular workshop. It was a free-writing exercise with Bethany D. Hiser, who refers to herself as a "recovering social justice workaholic." Hiser authored the book, "From Burned Out to Beloved: Soul Care for Wounded Healers." We decided to bring Hiser's workshop to you, our podcast listeners, for you to use anytime. The wonderful music accompaniment is provided by Aaron Andries, of "Graveyards to Gard...
Feb 07, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Pastors can't stop talking about this recent article by Melissa Florer-Bixler, Raleigh Mennonite Church and the chair of L'Arche North Carolina. Nearly half of pastors under 45 have considered leaving ministry in the past year, along with much of the rest of the workforce—a phenomenon which seems to be unique to the U.S., for various reasons. Since Jamie conducted research on pastors who stayed in their communities after Hurricane Katrina, Kent sat down with the two of them to ask: What is the '...
Jan 31, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Michelle Reyes is a second generation Indian American author, speaker, and activist. She serves as the Co-Executive Director at Pax and as the Vice President of the Asian American Christian Collaborative, an organization born out of the anti-Asian racism growing due to the pandemic. Michelle’s first book, Becoming All Things: How Small Changes Lead to Lasting Changes Across Cultures, released earlier this year. Michelle and her husband, Aaron, co-planted Hope Community Church, a minority-led mul...
Dec 20, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 31
There are many reasons we might feel isolated these days. The ups and downs of the pandemic have forced us to socially distance and carefully plan our social gatherings, especially large group events. Political and cultural polarization makes us feel like we no longer know our neighbors and family members. And technology, while connecting us on a superficial level, can leave us feeling starved of deep, substantive relationships. To provide you with a moment of solitude and reflection at the end ...
Dec 13, 2021•13 min•Season 1Ep. 30
The hit show "The Chosen" raised $10 million through crowdfunding for its first season alone. And when tickets went on sale for its upcoming Christmas special—which is starting out in theatres–it topped the box office chart. As nonprofit leaders (and professors), Kent and HDI colleague Jamie Goodwin wanted to know: what drives Dallas’ marketing philosophy? Is it anything that other nonprofits could replicate? (And what themes does he plan to explore in season 3?) More highlights from this episod...
Dec 06, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 29
As Howard University welcomed students impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Marcus watched with fascination the chapels provided for these students on his campus. That experience—plus serving on alternative spring breaks and witnessing the power of multifaith services at an even younger age—launched him into a career connecting churches and government entities. Now, he’s an administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Today on The Better Samaritan, Marcus answers questions ...
Nov 29, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Sophia Lee and Stefani McDade tell hosts Kent Annan and Jamie Aten about their personal experiences reporting on the Afghan refugee crisis—and ways they see the church responding. (As it turns out, the more you practice welcoming, the better you get at it.) Sophia describes a difference between people who have interacted with refugees and people who have only read about them.Stefani describes a blueprint for churches who are ready to welcome—what previous work needs to be done if you’re serious ...
Nov 22, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 27
As disasters increase each year across the globe, research shows that the vulnerable suffer disproportionately from them. Fortunately, the church is uniquely suited by its design to bring much-needed assistance to the vulnerable. That’s why in 2011, disaster psychologist Jamie Aten founded the Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI) at Wheaton College. Its mission: to help the church prepare and care for a disaster-filled world. HDI uses research to create resources and events geared toward studen...
Nov 15, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Shane Claiborne, of Red Letter Christians, just spent a few days participating in the “We the People Ride” along the southern border, a story-telling effort to meet the people who live, serve and work along the border. and those who have the best way forward for our immigration and border practices. He joins Kent and Jamie in this episode to describe what he realized there: that hope abounds, especially in places we might be inclined to think are the most hopeless. Listen for more on scarcity mi...
Nov 08, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Philip Yancey grew up confused by the contradictions: “We heard about love and grace, but I didn’t experience much,” he says. Throughout his fifty year writing career, this is the book he has contemplated all along: “I truly believe this is the one book I was put on earth to write.” Today Philip joins the Better Samaritan podcast to discuss his new memoir, Where the Light Fell. He reveals what has happened between his mother & brother since writing his memoir, compares the response to the po...
Nov 01, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 24
