Best BridgeBuilders Podcasts (2024)

1
Reports From The Front: Bridgebuilding Fellows at Baylor University 35:28

6h ago35:28

35:28

Michael Whitenton (Ph.D.) directs the Bridgebuilding Fellows program at Baylor University, a program that seeks to help students to engage in healthy and virtuous civil discourse. Michael joins today’s episode to speak with Tim and Rick about the origins and aims of the program. Today’s episode helps listeners become aware of other groups and organ…

1
From war reporter to peace journalist in Uganda 27:21

3h ago27:21

27:21

Gloria Laker Aciro was a teenager when war upended her family’s life in Northern Uganda. The Lord's Resistance Army, led by the infamous Joseph Kony, were known for their brutality, and for kidnapping children and making them child soldiers or child brides. As a young displaced person, Aciro became a journalist so the world would know about the suf…

1
How To Handle "Rhetorical Situations" 29:46

2h ago29:46

29:46

When we move from influencing an individual to influencing a community or a body of people, the field of communication studies would say we transition from persuasion to rhetoric. In this transition, we often find ourselves in “rhetorical situations.” Tim and Rick unpack the rhetorical situation, including elements and affects of this communication…

1
Elevating nonviolent narratives in Hollywood 30:51

15d ago30:51

30:51

Close your eyes and think of the word “war” or “gun violence.” What’s the first image that comes up? Maybe it’s news footage of the wars in Gaza or Ukraine. Or maybe it’s a scene from a movie like Hotel Rwanda or Bridge on the River Kwai, or a shoutout in any number of crime and cop dramas. Scripted storytelling, with its ability to get up close an…

1
Tim's New Book: End the Stalemate 32:31

1M ago32:31

32:31

In this episode, Austin Suter, executive director for United? We Pray, interviews Tim on his recently released book, End the Stalemate: Move Past Cancel Culture To Meaningful Conversations (released by Tyndale House on June 18, 2024), which Tim has co-authored with Sean McDowell. Tim speaks with Austin about the purposes in writing this book, which…

1
Can the UN 'save us from hell'? 30:27

1M ago30:27

30:27

“The United Nations was not created in order to deliver us to heaven, but in order to save us from hell.” - Dag Hammarskjöld. “To Save Us From Hell” is a new weekly news and analysis podcast about the UN. Mark Leon Goldberg, a veteran global affairs journalist and editor of the news outlets UN Dispatch and Global Dispatches, and Anjali Dayal, a pol…

1
Can I Really Believe What I'm Reading in the Bible? 38:55

1M ago38:55

38:55

Some stories in the Bible are hard to understand, let alone approve. For those who are questioning and finding it difficult to trust the God of the Bible and certain historical events as recorded in the Scriptures, it helps to hear stories from people who have worked through their own questions and doubts to arrive at healthy, more firmly held beli…

1
Democracy Works: Youth activism gets pragmatic 34:20

2M ago34:20

34:20

On February 14, 2018, a former student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, with an assault rifle he’d purchased legally. Hiding in a janitor’s closet, David Hogg recorded his classmates on his phone. "I interviewed my classmates so that if we didn't make it out of there, hopefully our voices would carry on,” Ho…

1
Searching For A Better Way: Wisdom, Buddhism & Christianity 34:26

2M ago34:26

34:26

Susan Lim (Ph.D.) is a history scholar and writer who decided to follow Jesus in her teenage years after having grown up in a Buddhist family. Susan joins today’s episode to share her story from Buddha to Jesus, and it’s a powerful story that has reverberated through her family. She also speaks with Tim and Rick on the similarities and differences …

1
How do you measure peace? 27:38

2M ago27:38

27:38

How do you measure peace in a country? Do you look at the rates of violent crime? Assess the justice system? What about freedom of the press, the health of the economy, or general happiness? Today's guest, Steve Killelea, is the founder and Executive Chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace, an internationally renowned think tank. Each yea…

1
Communication Spirals & The Temptation To Escalate 27:46

2M ago27:46

27:46

What are communication spirals and how do they contribute to the argument culture? On today’s episode, Tim and Rick discuss these patterns of negative communication and what can trigger them. They also draw from research in communication theory to suggest ways to de-escalate situations when we become perturbed, frustration boils, and we want to up …

1
Teaching Peace Journalism in Lebanon 33:56

3M ago33:56

33:56

Vanessa Bassil is the founder and president of the Media Association for Peace, and has personally trained journalists and journalism students in Lebanon and other countries in the Middle East. She is currently in graduate school at the University of Bonn in Germany, working towards a PhD in Peace Journalism. Peace Journalism, the guiding practice …

1
Thinking About Attending A Gay Wedding? 33:34

3M ago33:34

33:34

Earlier this year, a convictional firestorm ensued over advice Alistair Begg, a prominent North American pastor and radio host of Truth for Life, gave to a woman about attending her grandchild's gay wedding. Bob Lepine, the on-air announcer for Truth for Life, joins today’s episode to speak with Tim and Rick about how this situation provides us wit…

1
Making Peace “Possible” with William Ury 47:20

3M ago47:20

47:20

William Ury is one of the world’s most influential peacebuilders and experts on negotiation. He advised Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos in the lead up to that country's historic 2016 peace agreement with the FARC, and played a key role in de-escalating nuclear tensions between the U.S. and North Korea in 2017. Getting to Yes, which Ury co-wr…

1
A Legal Professor On Learning To Disagree 28:59

3M ago28:59

28:59

Can principles from law and a legal education help us in our day to day disagreements with colleagues, neighbors, family and friends? Our guest today, legal professor John Inazu, thinks so, and he speaks with Rick about his newly released book, Learning To Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect. They discus…

1
Tales of Tibetan resilience and resistance in exile 35:53

4M ago35:53

35:53

When India-based reporter Amy Yee got a call from her editor to cover a press conference with the Dalai Lama, she stopped what she was doing and booked the next flight. She was headed for Dharamsala, where the Buddhist leader and thousands of Tibetan refugees make their home. It was March 2008, and the Dalai Lama was responding to violence in Tibet…

1
Assessing Disagreements Among Friends 32:31

4M ago32:31

32:31

Isaac Adams and Austin Suter are back on the podcast to recount a significant disagreement they experienced in their friendship. They go back into the disagreement with Tim and Rick and discuss issues of contempt, interpersonal differences, complexities and wounds, and spiritual battle. They caution against a bulldozer mentality and highlight how t…

1
Decoding dehumanization in the brain 36:54

4M ago36:54

36:54

“Humans are not rational beings with emotions. In fact, we're just the opposite. We're emotionally based beings who can only think rationally when we feel that our identities, as we see them, are understood and valued by others.” Those words from neuroscientist Bob Deutch triggered a lightbulb moment in the mind of Tim Phillips, a veteran peacebuil…

1
On Being Democrat and Pro-Life 35:29

4M ago35:29

35:29

Today’s episode is a joint podcast with the Think Biblically podcast, and we have a great conversation with artist and Connecticut state representative Treneé McGee, who is a pro-life member of the Democratic Party. Rep. McGee has a knack for holding together responsibilities and convictions that don’t often go together in our current political cli…

1
Understanding intergenerational trauma in Israel/Palestine 32:53

4M ago32:53

32:53

Intergenerational trauma, also called historical trauma, is defined as cumulative emotional and psychological wounding over the lifespan and across generations, emanating from massive group trauma experiences. The brutal October 7th attacks by Hamas inside of Israel, and the IDF’s seemingly relentless assault on Gaza have captured the world’s atten…

1
Trailer 2:13

5M ago2:13

2:13

In the news media, war gets more headlines than peace, conflict more airtime than reconciliation. And in our polarized world, reporting on conflict in a way that frames conflicts as us vs. them, good vs. evil often serves to dig us in deeper. On Making Peace Visible, we speak with journalists and peacebuilders who help us understand the human side …

1
A Friendship Forged Through Differences 37:15

5M ago37:15

37:15

Isaac Adams and Austin Suter join today’s episode to discuss the challenges and camaraderie they’ve experienced in their interracial friendship. They speak with Tim and Rick about the beginnings of their friendship and the importance of having an established relationship when the difficulties and disagreements hit, which inevitably occur. They disc…

1
In search of good conflict 32:17

5M ago32:17

32:17

After over two decades as a journalist, including ten years covering terrorism and disasters for TIME Magazine, Amanda Ripley thought she understood conflict. But when momentum started to build around the candidacy of Donald Trump, she questioned what she thought she knew. Ripley interviewed psychologists, mediators, and people who had made it out …

1
Biola Students Share Their Experience With Unify America 37:04

5M ago37:04

37:04

On this segment of Reports From The Front, two of Tim’s students, Helena and Carson, who are studying Communications at Biola University, discuss their recent experience on Unify America. They seized the opportunity to speak with their political opposites on contested issues, including abortion, and they speak with Tim and Rick about what it was li…

1
Reporting from Iran with a bias towards peace 36:07

5M ago36:07

36:07

We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show! Reza Sayah is an Iranian-American journalist, currently based in Tehran. He’s reported on major events around the world including the Ukrainian Revolution of 2004, the Second Iraq War, and the Egyptian Revolution. Reza has spent much of his career work…

1
Reports From The Front: Unify America 44:55

6M ago44:55

44:55

Today on the podcast we have another segment of Reports From The Front, a positive story of someone who is doing things right. Tim and Rick speak with Abby Ferguson, Director of Partnerships with Unify America, on the challenges of communicating personal convictions to people we disagree with as well as progress Unify America is seeing with student…

1
Refugees and immigration: what’s missing from the narrative 32:33

6M ago32:33

32:33

As of May 2023, there were an estimated 110 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Many are escaping wars, gang violence or repressive regimes, others are fleeing climate change impacts. Some are leaving collapsed economies where they can’t feed their families. How journalists cover refugees…

1
Why Are People Leaving Church? 29:04

6M ago29:04

29:04

Jim Davis, pastor and co-author of the recent book, The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back, is back on the podcast to speak with Tim and Rick about some of the reasons why people are leaving churches. They talk about the role incivility, poor communication, “clustering,” and online habits …

1
Telling murder stories differently 22:17

6M ago22:17

22:17

On Making Peace Visible, we are always questioning the mantra, if it bleeds, it leads. Boston’s Charles Stuart murder case is a classic example of what can go horribly wrong when you follow that mantra. Charles Stuart was a father-to-be from the suburbs of Boston. Shortly after attending a birthing class in the city with his wife, Carol, Charles St…

1
On The Road To UC Berkeley 29:17

7M ago29:17

29:17

Through our connections with CRU, a ministry that engages students and faculty on college campuses across the U.S., the Winsome Conviction Project received an invitation to provide training for a student group at UC Berkeley on how to have winsome conversations with people who hold opposing views. Tim and Rick reflect on this learning experience an…

1
Why we make this show: An interview with Jamil Simon 32:29

7M ago32:29

32:29

In this episode we’re featuring a recent interview with our host, documentary filmmaker and lifelong peace activist Jamil Simon on This is My Silver Lining, a podcast about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, with an emphasis on life’s unexpected twists. Jamil has certainly had plenty of those. In 1990 he took a job in Tunisia designing com…

1
Be An Ambassador for Christ: Statecraft and Shrewdness 34:23

7M ago34:23

34:23

In 2 Corinthians 5:20, the Apostle Paul tells Christians they are “ambassadors for Christ.” Ambassadorship is part of our Christian identity. Paul wrote these words a long time ago, so what does it look like to be an ambassador today? On this episode, communication theorist Tim Downs returns to the podcast to discuss this question with Tim and Rick…

1
All the peace we cannot see 36:31

7M ago36:31

36:31

Making Peace Visible is a show about how the media covers peace and conflict. One of the major reasons we make it is because peace gets so little coverage in the news media. When we do hear news about peace, it's usually focused on signing an agreement. When that’s done, the cameras, and the world's attention move on. But that handshake moment is j…

1
The Four Horsemen of the (Relational) Apocalypse 30:08

8M ago30:08

30:08

Conflict in relationships is unavoidable. Healthy and successful relationships know how to counteract unhealthy communication styles and adopt alternative forms of discourse to work through the conflict. On this episode, Tim and Rick discuss John Gottman’s famous metaphor for unhealthy communication styles that lead to failure in relationships, the…

1
Democracy Works: Between Democracy and Autocracy 31:40

8M ago31:40

31:40

Between democracy and autocracy is an anocracy, defined by political scientists as a country that has elements of both forms of government — usually one that’s on the way up to becoming a full democracy or on the way down to full autocracy. This messy middle is the state when civil wars are most likely to start, and the one that requires the most d…

1
Getting Help From Gottman 32:57

8M ago32:57

32:57

American psychologist John Gottman has a knack for discerning healthy arguments from unhealthy ones, and he is known for identifying pattern markers that spell doom for a relationship. On this episode, Tim and Rick draw key insights from Gottman’s body of research on disagreement in relationships and patterns of healthy communication and discuss ap…

1
Unmasking American myths about war and the military 36:01

8M ago36:01

36:01

In the United States, about one sixth of the federal budget goes to defense. This year the country spent more on the military than any year since 2001 – over $816 billion. Why does spending continue to rise in the wake of US withdrawal from Afghanistan? Why are many Americans so passive in the face of the massive expenditures for defense that crowd…

1
Storytelling with equal-opportunity empathy 34:01

8M ago34:01

34:01

Trey Kay knows both sides of America's partisan divide intimately. He was born and raised in a conservative family in Charleston, West Virginia. As a young man he moved to New York City, where he later became a producer on the arts and culture program Studio 360, at WNYC. These days, Trey splits his time between New York and West Virginia to make U…

1
Let's Work On Indirect Communication 30:40

8M ago30:40

30:40

Culture changes, and rapid shifts in culture generate challenges in communication. Although the truth of the Gospel is timeless, Christians should do their homework on changes in culture and figure out how to shape the Good News so that it is hearable. On today’s episode, Tim and Rick are joined by Tim Down, author, cartoonist and communication the…

1
The Great Dechurching 26:04

9M ago26:04

26:04

Jim Davis, pastor and co-author of the recent book, The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back, comes on the podcast to talk about the current and fastest religious shift going on in America. Tim and Rick speak with Jim about a comprehensive study he help conduct looking at people who are leav…

1
In Modi's India, journalists must toe the line or risk jail time 36:42

9M ago36:42

36:42

Western media has often referred to India as the world’s largest democracy. But during the last decade, the world has witnessed the decline of many democratic institutions in India. In a recent Time Magazine article our guest Suchitra Vijayan questions whether India can still be called a democracy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government ha…

1
It's Not Pointless, Good Things Still Happen 32:40

9M ago32:40

32:40

We’re revisiting a question we frequently get: “Why bother talking to somebody if you aren’t going to change their mind?” Especially in the argument culture, conversing with someone who won’t change their mind can seem pointless, an exercise in futility. While persuading someone to change their mind is a good and worthy goal in a conversation, and …

1
How do we design for peace? 25:10

10M ago25:10

25:10

On Making Peace Visible we usually focus on stories -- narratives about peace and conflict that are told in the news, on social media, and shared in our collective zeitgeist. We’ve seen examples of how storytelling can both stoke the fire of war and encourage peaceful dialogue. In this episode, we look at a different, but related way of creating sp…

1
Insurance Considerations this Open Season 30:08

10M ago30:08

30:08

Federal open season is coming up. To get ready, this week’s FEDtalk program will inform feds about the variety of insurance options you should be considering this open season. FEDtalk host Debra Roth, Partner at Shaw Bransford & Roth P.C., is joined by Shane Canfield, CEO of Worldwide Assurance for Employees of Public Agencies (WAEPA). Canfield has…

1
Tim Keller's Remarkable Civility 33:38

10M ago33:38

33:38

Tim Keller was a pastor in New York City who had enormous influence far beyond the city limits. He died of pancreatic cancer in May 2023. One of his many influences that is sure to endure will be on how engage public life with faithful Christian witness. On this episode, Tim and Rick share lessons they have learned from Tim Keller on representing t…

1
Un-embedding Western narratives about Afghanistan 32:40

10M ago32:40

32:40

One way to cover war is to follow the road offered by the dominant army. In Afghanistan, that often meant journalists were embedded with U.S. or NATO troops, and saw the war and the world around it through their eyes. Guest Bette Dam is a Dutch journalist who covered the war in Afghanistan for 15 years. She began her coverage in 2006, embedded with…

1
Navigating Congressional Chaos: A Federal Employee’s Guide 29:34

10M ago29:34

29:34

While Congress narrowly averted a shutdown last weekend, federal employees’ fear of a lapse in appropriations this November has not been alleviated. On this week’s FEDtalk, we break down the current state of Congress, how federal employees can prepare for what is to come, and how Congress can act now to prevent these issues in the future. FEDtalk h…

1
Why Talk To Someone If They Won't Change Their Mind? 27:35

10M ago27:35

27:35

Why bother having a discussion if the other party isn’t going to change their mind? Fair question, and it’s one we get a lot. So, let’s consider what makes the struggle of sticking with it worth it. On this episode, Tim and Rick discuss what to keep in mind when a disagreement appears pointless and going nowhere, and they highlight that appearances…

1
Inside comms strategy at the world's largest peacebuilding NGO 32:00

11M ago32:00

32:00

We talk a lot on this show about the reasons why peace and conflict resolution aren’t more visible in the news media and our public conversation. Our past guests have presented a variety of explanations: TV news segments are too short to talk about much beyond dramatic events, like battles and coups. For-profit media doesn't cover peace efforts bec…

1
When Christians Disagree 47:18

11M ago47:18

47:18

It can get messy when you seek to have a faithful presence in your community and love your neighbors while holding to your theological convictions. Greg Stump, pastor at Redeemer Church in La Mirada, CA, is back on the podcast to talk through how he navigated having faithful presence when presented with a great ministry opportunity in his neighborh…

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