On Inner Compass, you'll watch refreshingly candid conversations with articulate people who have thought broadly and deeply about issues that matter. We're not interested in telling you what to think—just in helping you nourish and exercise your own conscience as you listen to how others have tuned theirs.
30-Second Samples:
“Look at Me!" Narcissism or Self-Esteem?
Are teens posting risqué photos on the internet because they are starved for attention, or because they are convinced they’re HOT? Should EVERYONE on the team get a trophy? Calvin College January Series guest Jean Twenge of the San Diego State University psychology department, and author of The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement, warns that our culture of extreme encouragement may have gone too far. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.
School & Housing “Choice” Programs
The new wave of government voucher programs aims to correct segregation that happens all too often; the privileged move away from under-resourced public schooling or housing, leaving the rest wondering what their options are. Mary Pattillo, professor of sociology and African American Studies at Northwestern University, describes what hundreds of interviews in Chicago reveal about what works and what doesn’t with these programs. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.
Healthier Healthcare Environments
When we think of the need for an improved healthcare system, often the focus is on the patients’ experience. But there can be no strength of care if the caregivers themselves are discouraged to the point of exhaustion. Bonnie Wesorick, founder of the Clinical Practice Model Resource Center in Grand Rapids, MI, describes how a healthy work culture should feel. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.
Democracy & Sharia Law: Can They Coexist?
As we watch Muslim countries consider new forms of government, many in America hope that democracy will win out. But some Muslim countries have used the voting process to establish Sharia law, which includes strict regulations pertaining to punishment, sexuality, religious obligations, hygiene, and personal finances. Jim Skillen, former president of the Center for Public Justice in Washington, DC, discusses current thinking on whether Sharia law can be combined with democracy. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.
Starting a Free African School
Thousands of children in Uganda don’t go to school because their parents can’t afford books, a uniform, or sometimes, just a pencil. The orphans there have even less of a chance. WhenCalvin College January Series guest Twesigye Jackson Kaguri was confronted with this picture, he and his wife decided to use their savings to establish a free school for orphans. Hear his adventures, also described in his book, The Price of Stones: Building a School for My Village. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.
Healthcare Around the World
Fans of U.S. health care reform point out that many other countries provide coverage for all their citizens, and no one files for bankruptcy due to medical bills. But how exactly do these countries do it? Calvin College January Series guest and journalist T.R. Reid, author of The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care, tells of his travels comparing systems around the world. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.
Christian, Evolutionist, or Both?
Some scientific theories seem to matter a lot more to people than others. The theory of evolution has always gotten plenty of attention, especially from those who treasure the scriptural book of Genesis. Alvin Plantinga, emeriti professor from the Notre Dame philosophy department, describes some of the main controversies between of evolution, intelligent design, and creationism and whether Christians can reconcile some of these differences. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.
The New Face of Evangelicalism
By 2050, the majority of the U.S. population will be nonwhite. The American church will make this transition even sooner, and if successful, will position itself as a model to the rest of society. Calvin College January Series guest Soong-Chan Rah, of North Park Theological Seminary and author of The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity, suggests ways we can make room for a richness that will benefit us all. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.
Speaking of Faith
After Calvin College January Series guest Krista Tippett graduated from seminary, she noticed a hole in the media. There was finally plenty of religion coverage, but the simplicity of the reports drove her to launch a public radio interview show, “Speaking of Faith” (now titled “On Being”). Tippet explains how she helps her guests reveal the complexities of their beliefs and values. Karen Saupe hosts.
Ready for Robots?
As people have fewer phone conversations, choosing instead to use texts and on-line social networking, anthropologist Sherry Turkle has noticed something. Director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and the Self, she researches how people interact with experimental sociable robots. People are growing more receptive to robots taking the place of some human relationships as we become more accustomed to our narrowing human interactions. Hear this and other observations from her book Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. Karen Saupe hosts.
Exchanging Gangs For Jobs
Finding a job may not seem the highest priority for most gang members, but Calvin College January Series guest Father Greg Boyle learned otherwise when he befriended gang members in his parish and started the largest gang intervention program in the U.S. His book Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion describes his personal experience working with Homeboy Industries in downtown Los Angeles for over twenty years, and he shares what those experiences have taught him. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.
Pornography's Destructive Path
Although viewing pornography is often dismissed as a rite of passage into adulthood, Michael Leahy, author of Porn Nation and Porn University, hears a different message from thousands of college students. Many are not prepared for the guilt, altered perspective, and addiction that often follow in pornography's wake. Leahy describes the destruction from first-hand experience, and suggests ways to begin rebuilding. Karen Saupe hosts.
All Kinds of Minds
As a young adult visiting her aunt’s farm, Calvin College January Series guest Temple Grandin found herself able to intuit what the livestock feared as they experienced the regular stresses of farm life. Was it because of her autism? Now this Colorado State University professor is widely known both for her animal welfare research and for her many books on autism. She tells how she has dedicated her life to helping animals and people understand each other. Karen Saupe hosts.
Does Sexual Orientation Equal Identity?
The practice of labeling people by sexual orientation—homosexual, heterosexual, etc.—started only a century ago. At times labels can help make sense of our world, but at other times labeling individuals can be dehumanizing and can even be a form of injustice. Our sexuality need not define us, argues Jenell Williams Paris, anthropology professor at Messiah College and author of The End of Sexual Identity: Why Sex is Too Important to Define Who We Are. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.
An Unexpected Parenthood
Special needs children are labeled for the extra care they require. Observers may wonder how their families would cope with all those responsibilities. Faye Knol, whose son who was born 14 weeks premature and lived into early adulthood with severe disabilities, offers the rest of the picture. The title of her memoir, Receiving David: The Gift of a Son Who Taught Us How to Live and Love, says it all. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.
