In this episode of the For the Good of the Public podcast, Michael and Phebe present a conversation about child hunger and child poverty and highlights organizations that are doing the essential work on the ground. Jason DeParle, a reporter for The New York Times and author of A Good Provider is One Who Leaves and American Dream, moderates the conversation with Rev. Pamela Irvin, Founder, President and CEO of Feeding Southwest Virginia; Rev. Eugene Cho, President and CEO of Bread for the World; and Anne Filipic, CEO at Share Our Strength. Child poverty fell to a record low in 2021 due to the expansion of government aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that rate along with child hunger have now returned to pre-pandemic levels. One in five children in the U.S. are food insecure. These panelists discuss the pathways to addressing and ending child hunger in America.

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“Where does that leave us? I guess an optimist could say that having been through the experience of cutting child poverty in half, we’ve seen the potency and potential of government action. Progressives often say that poverty is a policy choice, not a fate. And if the government could cut it in half, they could do so again. Of course, I’m a journalist, not an optimist. A pessimist might point to the political backlash against that aid and especially the current determination among conservative Republicans who control the House of Representatives to make deep cuts to government spending.” -Jason [07:42]

“The way that I think about the work, Yes, I am deeply passionate about making sure that all our children have full bellies, but I think about it more broadly. I think about it as ensuring that all our children have the opportunity to reach their full potential.” -Anne [09:40]

“And I’ll tell you the truth. I’ve seen some of the oldest people that I’ve worked with now for 42 years, and I believe it’s the fountain of youth. When you pour yourself out into someone else, it keeps you young. It keeps you spirited, and it gives you a sense of accomplishment in a way that you couldn’t do it any other way.” -Rev. Irvin [18:35]

“When people ask me the question, ‘How do you think or why do you think people of faith and Christian should be involved in this work?’ I often and respectfully push back and say, how can we not?” -Rev. Cho [19:40]

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] Intro

[02:30] This week’s guests

[06:04] Context on child poverty

[08:27] Disrupting the status quo

[14:38] The power of influence

[19:19] Theology of flourishing

[25:04] Speaking across political divides

[31:01] Government aid vs private aid

[35:00] Outro

REFERENCES

• Rev. Pamela Irvin, Founder, President and CEO of Feeding Southwest Virginia
• Rev. Eugene Cho, President and CEO of Bread for the World
• Anne Filipic, CEO at Share Our Strength
• Jason DeParle, reporter at the New York Times

In this episode of For the Good of the Public podcast, Michael and Phebe present a conversation with Christine Emba, staff writer at the Atlantic and author of Rethinking Sex: A Provocation, and Chine McDonald, director of Theos, a research think tank based in London. Christine argues that when it comes to sexual ethics today, “Consent is the floor. It was never meant to be the ceiling.” In this vital conversation, Christine and Chine help us face the reality of our culture today, and discuss what it might look like to build a healthier culture around sexuality and romantic relationships.

Watch the video recording of this talk on YouTube!

“It also feels like from your work and your conversation with younger people, that there is almost a realization that consent isn’t enough, that there is a dissatisfaction somewhere in their sexual relationships.” -Chine [10:34]

“As a number of people have told me, the vibes are bad. They’re very bad in the romantic culture. And that’s actually true.” -Christine [11:58]

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] Intro

[02:29] What we highlighted this conversation

[04:47] About this week’s guests

[06:11] The problem with the focus on consent

[10:35] It’s ok to want intimacy

[15:44] Men and toxic masculinity

[23:12] The role of the Church

[28:07] Outro

REFERENCES

• Christine Emba’s articles at The Atlantic
• Rethinking Sex: A Provocation by Christine Emba
• Chine McDonald
• For the Good of the Public, Episode 9: Faith and Belonging
• Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness. By Christine Emba
• Theos
• For the Good of the Public Summit
• Let’s rethink sex by Christine Emba
• Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community

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In this episode of For the Good of the Public podcast, Michael and Phebe present an agenda-setting speech by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy delivered at CCPL’s inaugural summit about the “spiritual crisis” in America in which “millions of Americans feel like they have lost their sense of purpose, their identity, their conception of meaning.” Senator Murphy argues that “if we want to restore the spiritual health of this nation, then we have got to have a more purposeful and more powerful policy of supporting strong healthy religious institutions and a loud, vibrant labor movement.”

Watch the video recording of this talk on YouTube!

“Civic leaders are asking these questions. There’s an invitation on the table for Christians to engage in a substantive way, and it’s worth considering. What do you have to offer? What do you have to say?” -Michael [03:12]

“What I believe is that supporting institutions that help build the common good and help grow social connection, it just has to be at the center, not at the periphery, of our public work.” -Senator Murphy [18:07]

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] Intro

[03:35] About this week’s guest

[04:02] A spiritual crisis

[07:06] What makes a good life?

[12:18] The need for strong institutions

[18:18] Restoring America’s soul

[22:05] Outro

REFERENCES

• U.S. Senator Chris Murphy
• Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community
• Murphy, Casey Introduce Bill to Fight Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Older Americans
• National Strategy for Social Connection Act
• For the Good of the Public Summit
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
• Civilian unemployment rate
• Harvard Study of Adult Development
• The State of American Friendship: Change, Challenges, and Loss: Findings from the May 2021 American Perspectives Survey by Daniel A. Cox
• Unions increase job satisfaction in the United States by Benjamin Artz, David G. Blanchflower and Alex Bryson
• Shawn Fain, President of United Automobile Workers (UAW)
• The Spirit of Our Politics by Michael Wear