In this episode we welcome Jim Wallis, a writer, teacher, preacher and justice advocate who believes the gospel of Jesus must be emancipated from its cultural and political captivities. He is a New York Times bestselling author, public theologian, preacher and commentator on ethics and public life. He is the inaugural holder of the Chair in Faith and Justice and the founding Director of the Georgetown University Center on Faith and Justice. He is the founder of Sojourners, and is the author of 12 books and host of the popular podcast The Soul of the Nation.

Jim and I discuss his faith journey, his founding the Sojourner community and magazine, his current role as the Desmond Tutu Chair for Faith and Justice at Georgetown University, lessons he learned from Bishop Tutu in South Africa, the difference between hope and optimism, and the importance of integrating faith with the pursuit of justice. Our dialogue delves into responding to Christian nationalism, advocating for the poor, and maintaining hope in challenging times.

Guest Links

• Center on Faith & Justice at Georgetown University
• The Jim Wallis Podcast: Soul of a Nation
• Books
• Substack Blog
• Facebook
• Bluesky (@revjimwallis.bsky.social)
• X / Twitter (@jimwallis)

In this episode, we welcome a very special guest, the dynamic and inspirational Bishop Michael Curry, 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. Known worldwide for his passionate proclamation of "The Way of Love," Bishop Curry's ministry centers on the transformative power of God’s unconditional love to heal, unite, and renew.

With his charismatic preaching style and a heart devoted to justice, reconciliation, and inclusion, Bishop Curry rose to international prominence after delivering a moving sermon on the power of love at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Yet his legacy extends far beyond that moment, as he has consistently challenged the Church to follow Jesus by embracing love, confronting societal divisions, fighting injustice, and embodying hope in action.

Join us as Bishop Curry and our host, Bishop Mark Beckwith, discuss a vision for a more compassionate world and how we can all embrace love as a force for transformation in our own lives. This conversation will inspire and uplift anyone searching for deeper meaning, courage, and connection.

• The Way of Love Podcast
• Facebook (@PBMBCurry)
• X / Twitter (@BishopCurry)
• Instagram (@pb_curry)

• Love Is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times (2020)
• The Power of Love: Sermons, Reflections, and Wisdom to Uplift and Inspire (2018)
• Songs My Grandma Sang (2015)
• Following the Way of Jesus: Volume 6 (Church's Teachings for a Changing World) (2013)
• Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus (2013)

It's an honor to welcome new guest Curtis Chang to Reconciliation Roundtable to discuss his efforts to bridge partisan divides through his work on the The Good Faith Podcast and The After Party project. In this episode, we delve into the importance of addressing spiritual dysfunctions in the Church and fostering meaningful dialogues across differences. Curtis offers helpful insights into overcoming political polarization, the temptations of power, and finding hope and mission in local communities.

Curtis Chang is a consulting professor at Duke Divinity School and a Senior Fellow at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is also a former senior pastor of an Evangelical Covenant Church in San Jose, California. Curtis is the author of The Anxiety Opportunity: How Worry Is the Doorway to Your Best Self (2023) and co-author with Nancy French of The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics (2024).

Curtis is the Executive Director of Redeeming Babel, home of The After Party faith & politics course. He's also the host of The Good Faith Podcast, where friends who follow Jesus gather each week for conversations that matter.

He founded Redeeming Babel in 2019 to address three underlying theological problems driving the chaos and confusion of our current world. These three problems damage Christians in their interior, institutional, and societal selves:

• a mistaken spirituality of anxiety (interior)
• a missing theology of organizations (institutional)
• a misshapen approach to politics (societal)

• Redeeming Babel
• The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics
• The Good Faith Podcast
• Facebook (@CurtisChangOfficial)
• X / Twitter (@CurtisChangRB)