Latest Episodes for this Channel
Sun November 02 2008
By now it is abundantly clear, a morality tale of epic proportions is unfolding across the land. The protagonist… is Us. You and me. The antago...
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By now it is abundantly clear, a morality tale of epic proportions is unfolding across the land. The protagonist… is Us. You and me. The antagonist? The formidable army of The Seven Deadly
Sins, led into battle by its bold and brazen, insatiable and rapacious commander… Greed. His deputy, Wrath, sits on the sideline, chomping at the bit, ready and eager to burst on the scene and
make...
read more
By now it is abundantly clear, a morality tale of epic proportions is unfolding across the land. The protagonist… is Us. You and me. The antagonist? The formidable army of The Seven Deadly
Sins, led into battle by its bold and brazen, insatiable and rapacious commander… Greed. His deputy, Wrath, sits on the sideline, chomping at the bit, ready and eager to burst on the scene and
make heads roll. Meanwhile, Greed and his legions set up headquarters on Wall Street and Main Street. They are cloaked in Willful Ignorance and Blind Self Interest and armed with weapons of mass
destruction called “Sub Prime Mortgages”, “Arcane Financial Instruments” and “Exotic Derivatives”. They calculate their next move from high atop their mountain of
gold, behind the walls of their impenetrable Fortress of Financial Security, far removed from the daily battle below and immune to the defeat, despair and destruction they have caused. They promise
wealth and glory for all but the only thing that trickles down from this mountaintop is More Want and Desire. And they laugh at our pathetic gullibility as they go skydiving with golden parachutes.
So the battle rages on. What’s at stake are our very hearts and souls, our sense of right and wrong, of what’s important, good, and true. Yes, a morality tale is unfolding across the
land. How it all ends is anyone’s guess, but the lessons are as clear as the opening bell for anyone paying attention. Listen in as Provoke asks: is this a crisis of ethics? If so, who is
responsible? What would justice look like? And what message does the Cross offer at a time like this? There is something here for everyone. Don’t miss it. Guests are: NEWS ALERT - UPCOMING SHOW
Topic: The Spiritual Lessons of the Financial Crisis By now it is abundantly clear, a morality tale of epic proportions is unfolding across the land. The protagonist… is Us. You and me. The
antagonist? The formidable army of The Seven Deadly Sins – the SDS - led into battle by its bold and brazen, insatiable and rapacious commander… Greed. His deputy, Wrath, sits on the
sideline, chomping at the bit, ready and eager to burst on the scene and make heads roll. Meanwhile, Greed and his legions set up headquarters on Wall Street and Main Street. They are cloaked in
Willful Ignorance and Blind Self Interest and armed with weapons of mass destruction called “Sub Prime Mortgages”, “Arcane Financial Instruments” and “Exotic
Derivatives”. They calculate their next move from high atop their mountain of gold, behind the walls of their impenetrable Fortress of Financial Security, far removed from the daily battle
below and immune to the defeat, despair and destruction they have caused. They promise wealth and glory for all but the only thing that trickles down from this mountaintop is More Want and Desire.
And they laugh at our pathetic gullibility as they go skydiving with golden parachutes. So the battle rages on. What’s at stake are our very hearts and souls, our sense of right and wrong, of
what’s important, good, and true. Yes, a morality tale is unfolding across the land. How it all ends is anyone’s guess, but the lessons are as clear as the opening bell for anyone paying
attention. Listen in as Provoke asks: is this a crisis of ethics? If so, who is responsible? What would justice look like? And what message does the Cross offer at a time like this? There is
something here for everyone. Don’t miss it. Guests are: Reverend Mark Bozzuti-Jones, pastor of Trinity Wall Street Episcopal Church, New York City; Reverend James Martin SJ, Associate Editor of
America Magazine and author of My Life with the Saints; and Mr. Michael Sean Williams, regular contributor to America Magazine.
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Sun November 02 2008
By now it is abundantly clear, a morality tale of epic proportions is unfolding across the land. The protagonist… is Us. You and me. The antago...
read more
By now it is abundantly clear, a morality tale of epic proportions is unfolding across the land. The protagonist… is Us. You and me. The antagonist? The formidable army of The Seven Deadly
Sins, led into battle by its bold and brazen, insatiable and rapacious commander… Greed. His deputy, Wrath, sits on the sideline, chomping at the bit, ready and eager to burst on the scene and
make...
read more
By now it is abundantly clear, a morality tale of epic proportions is unfolding across the land. The protagonist… is Us. You and me. The antagonist? The formidable army of The Seven Deadly
Sins, led into battle by its bold and brazen, insatiable and rapacious commander… Greed. His deputy, Wrath, sits on the sideline, chomping at the bit, ready and eager to burst on the scene and
make heads roll. Meanwhile, Greed and his legions set up headquarters on Wall Street and Main Street. They are cloaked in Willful Ignorance and Blind Self Interest and armed with weapons of mass
destruction called “Sub Prime Mortgages”, “Arcane Financial Instruments” and “Exotic Derivatives”. They calculate their next move from high atop their mountain of
gold, behind the walls of their impenetrable Fortress of Financial Security, far removed from the daily battle below and immune to the defeat, despair and destruction they have caused. They promise
wealth and glory for all but the only thing that trickles down from this mountaintop is More Want and Desire. And they laugh at our pathetic gullibility as they go skydiving with golden parachutes.
So the battle rages on. What’s at stake are our very hearts and souls, our sense of right and wrong, of what’s important, good, and true. Yes, a morality tale is unfolding across the
land. How it all ends is anyone’s guess, but the lessons are as clear as the opening bell for anyone paying attention. Listen in as Provoke asks: is this a crisis of ethics? If so, who is
responsible? What would justice look like? And what message does the Cross offer at a time like this? There is something here for everyone. Don’t miss it. Guests are: Reverend Mark
Bozzuti-Jones, pastor of Trinity Wall Street Episcopal Church, New York City; Reverend James Martin SJ, Associate Editor of America Magazine and author of My Life with the Saints; and Mr. Michael
Sean Williams, regular contributor to America Magazine.
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Sun October 19 2008
Ask anyone what role religion plays in international politics and more often than not the answer is decidedly negative. There are too many conflicts i...
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Ask anyone what role religion plays in international politics and more often than not the answer is decidedly negative. There are too many conflicts in recent history where religion is viewed as part
of the problem for some to ever entertain the idea that religion could also be part of the solution. Nevertheless, our guest on this week's show makes a compelling argument for faith based diplomacy,
...
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Ask anyone what role religion plays in international politics and more often than not the answer is decidedly negative. There are too many conflicts in recent history where religion is viewed as part
of the problem for some to ever entertain the idea that religion could also be part of the solution. Nevertheless, our guest on this week's show makes a compelling argument for faith based diplomacy,
calling it the missing dimension in statecraft, and has dedicated his life to pursuing diplomacy through religion around the world. He refutes the claim that religion is the cause of many conflicts;
arguing instead that religion is simply co-opted by powerful political factions who use it as a pawn to further their own agendas. His name is Dr. Douglas Johnston, President and Founder of the
International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, and the author of: Religion, The Missing Dimension of Statecraft and: Faith-Based Diplomacy, Trumping Realpolitik. Dr. Johnston is a distinguished
graduate of the US Naval Academy and holds a PhD in political science from Harvard University, where he taught for many years. In our conversation with Dr. Johnston we discussed his very practical
approach to faith based diplomacy, how the core principles of all the world religions can be brought to bear in resolving heated and deep-rooted conflicts around the world and how we all can learn to
be peacemakers, not just peacekeepers. This show is a must for students considering studies in conflict resolution, diplomacy or foreign service.
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Sun October 05 2008
On our last show, we discussed the need for the return of civility to the public square and it was suggested that if that is to happen, it must be cul...
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On our last show, we discussed the need for the return of civility to the public square and it was suggested that if that is to happen, it must be cultivated as a ‘habit of the heart’. In
other words, we can’t expect diplomacy and civility to help us live with our deepest differences on political, religious, cultural or inter-national levels when individual human beings
can&rsquo...
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On our last show, we discussed the need for the return of civility to the public square and it was suggested that if that is to happen, it must be cultivated as a ‘habit of the heart’. In
other words, we can’t expect diplomacy and civility to help us live with our deepest differences on political, religious, cultural or inter-national levels when individual human beings
can’t treat each other with common decency and respect on a daily basis. So today we look at civility on the individual level and ask: how and where do we begin to cultivate those habits of the
heart within ourselves? What do civility and sacrifice have to do with each other? Where is the concept of civility being taught today? And what does the practice of civility have to do with the
practice of faith? Our guest is Dr. P.M. Forni, co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project and author of Choosing Civility and The Civility Solution. Tune in to this much needed refresher
course on what Dr. Forni calls, "gracious goodness."
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Sun September 21 2008
In a world torn apart by extremism – particularly religious extremism on one side and radical secularism on the other – the question arise...
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In a world torn apart by extremism – particularly religious extremism on one side and radical secularism on the other – the question arises: ‘How do we live with our deepest
differences?’ Is it even possible? Or is our true human nature revealed in our affinity for keeping others ‘in their place’, for imposing ‘our way’ on them and for using
everythi...
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In a world torn apart by extremism – particularly religious extremism on one side and radical secularism on the other – the question arises: ‘How do we live with our deepest
differences?’ Is it even possible? Or is our true human nature revealed in our affinity for keeping others ‘in their place’, for imposing ‘our way’ on them and for using
everything from morality, philosophy and sacred text as an excuse to do so? And if we can’t learn to live with our deepest differences in a pluralistic society like the United States - where we
have the constitutional foundation in place to make it possible – then, where can it be done? This week’s guest, Mr. Os Guinness, makes a strong argument for a return to civility as a way
to achieve this rather crucial goal and he puts his hope in the United States as the country that can lead the way – over and above even inter-faith dialogue. That’s a pretty optimistic
expectation for a country that’s morphed into one monstrously reactionary body of jerking knees, wagging fingers, and screaming heads. In fact, But Mr. Guinness approaches the subject from a
unique point of view: that of the outsider looking in. He is a European who nevertheless has lived in the United States for the past twenty-five years. Theoretically at least, that makes him a little
more objective than the rest of us and it is from this unique vantage point that he has made some keen observations. Over the years he has written more than 25 books on the American experience and
the human condition; public life and public policy. He has been a guest scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies and a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institute. He served as
the Executive Director of the Williamsburg Charter Foundation and was the creative force behind the Trinity Forum, a DC think tank whose mission is to engage leaders in the social issues of the day
within the context of faith. In the end, whether or not you agree with every position Mr. Guinness takes or conclusion he comes to, is beside the point. What he does do is make a persuasive argument
for what he calls, the ‘Civil Public Square.’ Tune in to this thought provoking discussion on the potential for what he calls a ‘post-secular’ society. Guest: Mr. Os Guinness,
author of, "The Case for Civility and Why Our Future Depends on It"
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