No Small Endeavor with Lee C. Camp

After consistently eclipsing all other countries in the number of mass shootings per year, why is America still so obsessed with guns? And in the face of such a polarizing issue, what can be done to stop the killing? “A lot of people think we have a violence problem, but it doesn't seem to be the case; but where we are different is in terms of guns,” says Dr. David Hemenway of Harvard University’s...

What on God’s green earth does climate change have to do with living a good life? To answer such a question, says author and professor Debra Rienstra, we must first ask a more basic one: what is the good life? “We have assumed that it is affluence and upward mobility,” she says, “but that good life is not sustainable.” If a good life is one of purpose and healing, then it is precisely the Western...

The unabridged interview version of Lee's interview with John Dear How do you live a good life in a world of 30 wars, 13,000 nuclear weapons, 4 billion people in poverty, racism, gun violence, child hunger, and catastrophic climate change? This is the question posed by Catholic priest and activist John Dear. For years, Father Dear has taken part in peace movements alongside folks like Coretta King...

How do you live a good life in a world of 30 wars, 13,000 nuclear weapons, 4 billion people in poverty, racism, gun violence, child hunger, and catastrophic climate change? This is the question posed by Catholic priest and activist John Dear. For years, Father Dear has taken part in peace movements alongside folks like Coretta King, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Desmond tutu. In this episode, he has some u...

We wanted to rebroadcast our interview with Justin Jones. Recently Justin was one of two Black lawmakers in the Tennessee House who were expelled for breaking decorum. You can watch the video of the debate and vote to expel them here. Since Justin is now the national face of a movement to end gun violence and racial discrimination we thought our interview might help provide some context to the man...

What does one’s past have to do with their anger and anxiety in the present? What do our bodies remember that our minds don’t? And what do our brains want more than chocolate, sex, or a sports car? Psychiatrist Curt Thompson discusses these questions from the perspective of both brain science and theology. A psychiatrist in private practice, Dr. Thompson has expertise in interpersonal neurobiology...

For all our modern so-called progress, global happiness levels have been consistently going down, especially in the richest and most developed countries. So what does it really take to be happy? Since 1938, Harvard scientists have been closely studying the lives of over 700 individuals to answer that very question. In this episode, two of those scientists - Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz - discu...

Christian culture in our day is full of superstars: authors, athletes, media personas, and even pastors with millions of followers and fans. Their success, and the devotion they receive, often rivals that of their secular counterparts. But what if such fame actually does more harm than good? Today, Katleyn Beaty explores this question at length, discussing how Christianity became an arena for cele...

We live in an age full of lifehacks, self-help books, and productivity gurus. But for all of the tips and tricks we adopt in order to squeeze every ounce of production out of our days, many of us only end up busier and more stressed than we were before. What if there’s a better way to live a full, fruitful life? "The world is bursting with wonder,” says Oliver Burkeman, “and yet it's the rare prod...

***This is the special release of the unabridged interview with American Civil Rights hero Reverend James Lawson. You can find the normal shorter produced version in our podcast feed. The American Civil Rights Movement, like Gandhi's Indian Independence Movement, was famously set apart by its employment of non-violent resistance methods. But have you ever wondered how such a movement was possible...

The American Civil Rights Movement, like Gandhi's Indian Independence Movement, was famously set apart by its employment of non-violent resistance methods. But have you ever wondered how such a movement was possible on so large a scale? In this episode, we are honored to have the man who Martin Luther King Jr. called friend, mentor, and the very conscience and architect of the Civil Rights movemen...

What does it mean to live a good life, and how do we start? On our show, we make it a habit of repeating our tagline: “Exploring what it means to live a good life.” But in this episode, we address the issue head-on like never before, with the help of Notre Dame Professor of Philosophy Meghan Sullivan. We discuss her book “The Good Life Method,” which gives helpful insight about the kinds of questi...

Author of The Shack, William Paul Young, joins us on this episode of No Small Endeavor. At age 50, William Paul Young wrote the New York Times Best-selling novel “The Shack.” It went on to sell 25 million copies and was turned into a major motion picture. 11 years prior, Paul’s wife discovered he was having an extra-marital affair. With nothing left to hide, he began a journey toward healing and w...

How do you forgive someone who committed unspeakable horror against someone you love? In 2015, 21-year-old white supremacist, Dylann Roof, was welcomed into a bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Minutes later, he opened fire and murdered nine members of the church. At his trial, the family members of those killed got the chance to speak to Roof...

In honor of MLK day, we're once again airing our conversation with Martin Luther King's first lawyer Fred Gray. We hope this episode celebrates the progress made toward justice and reminds us of the work yet to be done. Dr. Gray tells stunning stories of his work as a civil rights lawyer standing before the supreme court on multiple occasions, and what it was like to stand beside MLK and Rosa Park...

What do our brains want more than chocolate, sex, or a sports car? What does your memory of long past events have to do with the apparently unrelated arguments and anxiety you are experiencing these days? Psychiatrist Curt Thompson discusses these questions from the perspective of both brain science and theology. A psychiatrist in private practice, Dr. Thompson has expertise in interpersonal neuro...

The folk-pop duo Johnnyswim, comprised of married couple Amanda Sudano and Abner Ramirez, discuss their reality television shows, their public marriage, their radically different childhoods, and their opinions about Christianity in America. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are there different narratives around race in America? Some Americans believe that we are a “shining city on a hill” a beacon of truth and justice for the world, but anyone with eyes can see that there are some major contradictions in that narrative. James Baldwin called this “The Lie” and we discuss it in great detail with Dr. Eddie Glaude and his book Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and...

Does religion make us happier? David Desteno discusses his book How God Works, in which he makes the argument, backed by research, that the wisdom of the world’s great religious traditions lines up with recent psychological and neuroscientific findings about what constitutes a good, flourishing life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

The civil rights movement was led by a host of brilliant and courageous men and women, among their ranks the lawyer Dr. Fred Gray. He was MLK's first attorney, he successfully argued before the Supreme Court multiple times, and he was a close friend of Rosa Parks. Today, he shares those stories, along with his thoughts on the ongoing fight for equity in the United States. See omnystudio.com/listen...

What happens when one of the country’s most outspoken critics of white male Christian political conservatism sits down with a well-known white male conservative Christian political pundit? Find out, as Kristin Du Mez and David French discuss politics, culture, and the desperate need for hospitality in the digital age. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad ch...

Ethics professor and host Lee C. Camp explores what it means to live a good life by sitting down with some of the world's greatest thinkers, creatives, and everyone in between—from PRX, Tokens Media and Great Feeling Studios.  For fans of On Being, The Daily Stoic, and Oprah's Super Soul. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Guests include: Malcolm Gladwell James Lawson Tara Brach Rainn Wilso...

The inaugural episode of No Small Endeavor, in which Lee discusses the reasons behind the name change, the mission entailed by the new name, and the centrality of conversation, courage, and community. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The final episode of Tokens Show (in a way). Jason Eskridge, Michael Hicks, and Odessa Settles discuss their experiences with tokenism, and Lee reveals why, given such realities, the Tokens Show has decided upon a new name.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are many parenting styles doing more harm than good? Alfie Kohn discusses the surprising psychology behind the widely practiced reward/punishment model of raising kids, and why we should “work with” our children instead of trying to control their behavior.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices