JustUs Talks 2022

We're back after this global pandemic! We are excited to share fresh talks with authors who are working to build a just world on various fronts. Listen in and share with your friends.  Most of the books shared can be purchased at ivpress.com  unless otherwise stated. For all books listed, go to ivpress.com and use code JUSTUS for 30% off and free shipping up to two weeks after show premieres on our Facebook page. 

Episode 17 - October 2022

In this episode of Justus Talks, Dr. Rios speaks with Al Lopus about his new book, The Road to Flourishing: Eight Keys to Boost Employee Engagement and Well-Being. Al Lopus is the CEO and cofounder of the Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI), which provides research-based measurement tools and strategic advisory services to help Christian organizations set the standard as the best, most effective workplaces in the world. Prior to cofounding BCWI, Al served for over twenty years in leadership roles with the global human resource consulting firm Watson Wyatt (now Willis Towers Watson), where he built a reputation for his vision and implementation of human capital programs.

Their discussion centers on what makes for a flourishing workplace?

Many organizations find themselves spinning their wheels in work cultures filled with toxicity, dysfunction, conflict, and fear. Unengaged employees drag down productivity, and ineffective management undermines morale. How can we create workplaces where people don't just struggle to get through the day but instead thrive and love what they do and where they work? 

This is a great one to listen to for any organizational leader. 

Follow Al Lopus on Twitter @allopus

Episode 16 - August 2022

In this episode, Dr. Rios speaks with Dr. George Yancey on his book, Beyond Racial Division: A Unifying Alternative to Colorblindness and Antiracism. 

Efforts at colorblindness and antiracism have not been very effective in addressing racial tensions in the United States. Colorblindness ignores the realities of race and the history of injustice. On the other hand, antiracism centers racial concerns and in so doing often alienates people who need to be involved in the process.

Sociologist George Yancey offers an alternative approach to racial relations where all parties contribute and are mutually accountable to one another for societal well-being. He provides empirical rationale for how collaborative conversations in a mutual accountability model can reduce racial division. History and societal complexity mean that different participants may have different kinds of responsibility, but all are involved in seeking the common good for all to thrive. Avoiding unilateral decisions that close off dialogue, Yancey casts a vision for moving beyond racial alienation toward a lifestyle and movement of collaborative conversation and mutuality.

Listen in to the convo below.

WEBSITE: https://www.georgeyancey.com/#!

Follow him on Twitter: @profyancey

Episode 15 - July 2022

In this episode, Dr. Rios speaks with Dr. Susan Maros on her book, Calling in Context: Location and Vocational Formation. Dr. Rios still speaks with people who wonder about their calling and they are in their 50s and 60s!  We are told to "find our calling?" but HOW? Is it a one time revelation or an ongoing evolution? 

Perhaps some of the things we have learned about "calling" need to be unlearned. Well that is what Dr. Maros thinks! 

Listen in as Dr. Rios asks about the common misconceptions we bring to the topic of calling. 

Find Dr. Susan Maros on Twitter here

Episode 14 - June 2022

In this episode, Dr. Rios talks with her friend, Daniel Yang about his first book Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save the American Church. Don't miss this conversation!

"The American church is at a critical crossroads. Our witness has been compromised, our numbers are down, and our reputation has been sullied, due largely to our own faults and fears. The church's ethnocentrism, consumerism, and syncretism have blurred the lines between discipleship and partisanship. Pastor Eric Costanzo, missiologist Daniel Yang, and nonprofit leader Matthew Soerens find that for the church to return to health, we must decenter ourselves from our American idols and recenter on the undeniable, inalienable core reality of the global, transcultural kingdom of God. Our guides in this process are global Christians and the poor, who offer hope from the margins, and the ancient church, which survived through the ages amid temptations of power and corruption. Their witness points us to refocus on the kingdom of God, the image of God, the Word of God, and the mission of God.

The path to the future takes us away from ourselves in unlikely directions. By learning from the global church and marginalized voices, we can return to our roots of being kingdom-focused, loving our neighbor, and giving of ourselves in missional service to the world."

Find Daniel on Twitter here

Episode 13 - May 2022

In this episode, Dr. Liz speaks with Dr. Susan Harris Howell, author of Buried Talents: Overcoming Gendered Socialization to Answer God's Call. Most of us don't realize that we have been getting cues about what is an appropriate path for women since childhood. Many times, those cues have been this is what a good woman does, this is the vocation of good women, etc. As a Professor in Gender Studies, Dr. Howell realized that many women were not fulfilling their God-given passion because they have internalized a message that whatever "that" was it wasn't for "women."