Conversing with Mark Labberton

• ICE Raids and Christian Witness, with Robert Chao Romero

  “Migration is grace,” says UCLA professor Robert Chao Romero, author of Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity. In this episode, he joins Mark Labberton to discuss the immigration crisis through stories from Southern California, theology of migration, and the challenge of Christian nationalism for the American response to the immigration crisis we face. Romero narrates heartbreaking accounts of ICE raids, racial profiling, and dehumanization, while also offering hope rooted in scripture and the early church. He points out the “Xenodochias” of the ancient and medieval church that cared for migrants. And he shows how biblical narratives—from Abraham to Jesus—reveal God’s mercy in migration. Romero calls Christians to see the image of God in migrants, resist the “Latino threat narrative,” and reclaim the church’s historic role in welcoming the stranger. Episode Highlights “Migration is grace. … You wouldn’t have a Bible without migration.” “Jesus lived and died as an outsider in solidarity with all outsiders, and he rose to new life among outsiders.” “The gospel is an outward pushing invitation… it is the pushing out actually into the far and remote places of suffering in need.” “This level of targeting of the Latino community has not happened since 1954 and Operation Wetback.” “We think that crossing the US border is like crossing the Jordan into the promised land, and we’re baptized into the Yankee Doodle song.” Helpful Links and Resources Brown Church by Robert Chao Romero UCLA César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o and Central American Studies Fuller Seminary’s Centro Latino CLUE: Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice World Relief About Robert Chao Romero Robert Chao Romero is an associate professor in the UCLA César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o and Central American Studies and in the Asian American Studies Department. With a background in law and history, his research and teaching explore the intersections of race, immigration, faith, and justice. He is the author of Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity (IVP Academic), which chronicles the long history of Latino Christian social justice movements. Romero is also an ordained pastor, active in local church ministry and theological reflection on immigration, Christian nationalism, and the global church. Show Notes Immigration Crisis and ICE Raids Student testimonies of fear and trauma at UCLA during immigration crackdowns Stories of ICE targeting bus stops, car washes, and Home Depots in Southern California Latino citizens, veterans, and even high school students detained despite legal status A man fleeing ICE was killed in traffic, sparking vigils and protests Historical Parallels and Christian Nationalism Comparison to Operation Wetback of 1954, when over one million were deported Escalating racial profiling, reinforced by Supreme Court decisions “Latino Threat Narrative” portrays Latinos as criminals and unwilling to assimilate Christian nationalism merges citizenship and faith, echoing “manifest destiny” Theology of Migration and Outsiders Migration as grace: God intervenes with compassion in nearly every biblical migration story “We live alongside the world. We don't belong to the world.” “ Jesus lived and died as an outsider in solidarity with all outsiders, and he rose to new life among outsiders.” (Jorge Lara-Braud) Jesus as an asylum seeker in Egypt; Ruth and Joseph as biblical migrants Early church created “xenodochias”—ancient and medieval social service centers for immigrants and the poor Outsider theology: Christians as strangers and aliens, called to care for outsiders “Jesus lived and died as an outsider in solidarity with all outsiders.” Policy Challenges and Misconceptions Millions of mixed-status households trapped by the “10-year bar” in immigration law Asylum seekers legally present cases at the border under U.S. law Refugees undergo extensive vetting, often over decades Common myths about immigrants as “illegal” are contradicted by law and history Faith, Empathy, and the Church Empathy as central to Christian response, counter to narratives of fear and scarcity Latino pastors passing on both the gospel and nationalism from missionary influence The church historically provided refugee care before the UN Refugee Agency existed Worship with immigrant congregations as a source of hope and resilience Orthodox theology: worship joins heaven and earth, every tribe and nation before the Lamb Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment Magazine and Fuller Seminary.  

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• Humanitarian Health Care, with Eric Ha

  Millions of people today face dire medical and mental health challenges. What role should the church play in foreign humanitarian aid to address starvation and deadly illness? In this episode, Eric Ha, CEO of Medical Teams International, joins Mark Labberton for a sobering, hopeful conversation on global humanitarian crises and the role of the church in responding to both the physical and spiritual needs of those who are suffering. Drawing from his years at International Justice Mission and now at Medical Teams International, Ha shares vivid accounts from refugee camps in East Africa and migrant communities in Colombia. He reflects on the collapse of US foreign aid, the limits of humanitarian response, and the urgent need for churches to reclaim their historic role in caring for the vulnerable. Ha wrestles candidly with the calling of Christian communities to embody God’s expansive love even amid staggering need. Episode Highlights “These humans that bear the image of the divine and the eternal, and the holy and the sacred.” “Last year, Medical Teams staff helped deliver fifty thousand babies—that's a delivery every ten minutes, somewhere around the world in these extraordinarily harsh settings.” “Finding the thread and kernel of hope is actually a lot more challenging.” “For thousands of years prior to the UN, the infrastructure and ecosystem for the care of refugees was the church. It was God’s people.” “The gospel is an outward pushing invitation.… It is the pushing out actually into the far and remote places of suffering in need, and to see the presence of God.” Helpful Links and Resources Medical Teams International International Justice Mission UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency PEPFAR—The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Clinton Global Initiative About Eric Ha Eric Ha is the chief executive officer of Medical Teams International, a Christian humanitarian relief organization providing life-saving medical care for people in crisis worldwide. Before joining Medical Teams, he served more than a decade in senior leadership roles at International Justice Mission, advancing global efforts to combat human trafficking and slavery. A lawyer by training, Ha brings a deep commitment to justice, compassion, and the mobilization of the church in service of the vulnerable. Show Notes Global Humanitarian Crises and Refugee Care Eric Ha shares his journey from law and IJM to leading Medical Teams International Medical Teams founded in response to Cambodia’s killing fields, continuing nearly 50 years of healthcare missions Primary healthcare for refugees: maternal care, vaccinations, mosquito nets, antimalarials, antidiarrheals, and mental health Serving 9 million people in East Africa, including Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Sudan Refugee camps lack electricity, clean water, and adequate shelter—average displacement nearly 20 years Medical Teams delivers maternal care that dramatically reduces mortality, helping deliver 50,000 babies last year Healthcare and Human Dignity The crisis is not statistics—it’s humans bearing God’s image, glimpses of laughter, joy, and resilience Colombia: working with Venezuelan migrants amid drastic cuts in U.S. aid (down to 10% of prior levels) Withdrawal of foreign aid leaves communities devastated and forces NGOs to scale back Transition from justice work at IJM to medical humanitarian work brings both immediacy of impact and insufficiency of resources Hope and Despair in Humanitarian Work Theories of change at IJM allowed for hope in systemic reform; displacement crises feel harder to solve Challenge of holding onto hope in the face of preventable death and suffering Churches historically provided refugee care before the UN; today, withdrawal of aid exposes the need for church re-engagement Need to reimagine church-government partnerships in humanitarian response Empathy, Collaboration, and Mental Health Empathy as essential orientation in humanitarian work, easily lost without intentionality Competitiveness and survivalism among NGOs risks eclipsing empathy Mental health needs are massive: trauma among children in refugee camps threatens future stability Clinton Global Initiative highlights Medical Teams’ commitment to expand mental health care for children in Sudan Training local health workers and communities to recognize trauma and create safe spaces for children Invitation to the Church and Listeners The gospel calls us outward, not inward—expanding our experience of God’s vastness through engagement with suffering Churches must discern how to integrate humanitarian concerns without distraction, embracing their historic role in refugee care Prayer requests: for hope, for patience to wait on the Lord, and for wisdom in making hard decisions “We are invited into a different orientation—the empathy piece is so critical because it is the thing that allows us to engage.” Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

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• Church Real Estate and Finance, with Mark Elsdon

  The church is so much more than a building—but when it comes to managing the physical property of church real estate, we often overlook the great good that can emerge from the land and structures. In this episode, social entrepreneur, strategic executive, and author Mark Elsdon joins Mark Labberton on Conversing to explore how churches and faith communities can reimagine their assets—land, buildings, and money—as instruments for mission, community transformation, and spiritual flourishing. From his decades of work at Pres House in Madison, Wisconsin, to his role as consultant, author, and co-leader of RootedGood, Elsdon shares stories of innovation, courage, and the hard but hopeful work of repurposing property and resources for God’s mission in the world. Episode Highlights “It isn’t about property, nor is it about money. It’s about people’s lives and it’s about God’s work in people’s lives.” “We often have the faith of our forebears in the church. But the question is, do we have the courage of them?” “I don’t think God’s going away. I don’t think God’s declining. But the way people are engaging their faith is really changed and is changing.” “Sometimes I talk about this as like the Blockbuster Video moment… People still want experiences of the divine. They just don’t want to access it primarily on a Sunday morning.” “Constraints can produce creativity and, in the life of faith, can also produce a willingness to trust.” Helpful Links and Resources Mark Elsdon's Website *We Aren't Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry,* by Mark Elsdon *Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition,* by Mark Elsdon RootedGood - resources for congregations, judicatories, and other church leaders related to social enterprise and church property Good Futures Accelerator course How-To Guides Threshold Sacred Development - A mission-aligned property development company focused on supporting churches doing community-oriented development About Mark Elsdon Mark Elsdon lives and works at the intersection of money and meaning as an entrepreneur, non-profit executive, author, and speaker. He is the author of We Aren't Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry (2021) and editor of Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition (2024). In addition to his role as a director with RootedGood, Mark is also executive director at Pres House, where he led the transformation of a dormant non-profit into a growing, vibrant, multi-million-dollar organization. Mark has a BA in psychology from the University of California–Berkeley, a master of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin School of Business. He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, USA, and lives in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark is an avid cyclist and considers it a good year when he rides more miles on his bike than he drives in his car. Show Notes Mark Elsdon reflects on thirty years of ministry, beginning with campus work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Launch of a $17 million student housing project that became a transformative ministry for thousands of students. Elsdon’s discovery: “It isn’t about property, nor is it about money. It’s about people’s lives and it’s about God’s work in people’s lives.” Creation of a sober housing program at Pres House that has saved the state of Wisconsin more than a million dollars in addiction-related costs. Innovative blend of mission, ministry, and real estate development to foster student flourishing. The unique impact of housing students in recovery alongside the wider student population. Elsdon’s MBA studies at UW–Madison and his calling at the intersection of money and mission. The “Blockbuster Video moment” for American Christianity: people still seek meaning, community, and transcendence, but not in traditional formats. Challenges churches face with aging buildings, declining attendance, and financial strain. How repurposing property reveals new opportunities for mission and ministry. RootedGood’s “Good Futures” Accelerator course: helping churches rethink land, buildings, and resources for social enterprise and revenue generation. Example of two congregations in Madison merging to create an environmentally sustainable multifamily housing project and community center. Redefining church property as community space: “flipping the script” so the building belongs to the neighborhood, with the church as anchor tenant. Courage, risk-taking, and letting go of past models are essential for churches to reimagine their future. The critical role of pastoral and lay leadership in sparking change and vision. Storytelling as central to church renewal: “We often have the faith of our forebears in the church. But the question is, do we have the courage of them?” Learning from the pandemic: every church has the capacity for innovation and adaptation. Honouring grief and loss while embracing resurrection hope in church property transitions. Example from San Antonio: members resisted redevelopment until their need for funerals in the sanctuary was acknowledged—turning “either/or” into “both/and.” Affordable housing crisis intersects directly with church land opportunities. Turner Center study: California churches and colleges hold land equal to five Oaklands suitable for affordable housing development. Elsdon warns against cookie-cutter “models” and emphasizes local context, story, and creativity. Forecast: up to 100,000 church properties in the US may be sold or repurposed in the next decade. Elsdon’s hope: more repurposing than selling, with land and buildings becoming assets for life-giving mission. The value of constraints: “Constraints can produce creativity and, in the life of faith, can also produce a willingness to trust.” Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.  

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• The Imbalance of Power, with Yuval Levin

  Unity is acting together even when we don’t think alike. And one of the primary aims of the American Constitution is to support a democracy of those unified in diversity. Yuval Levin joins Mark Labberton to explore the precarious state of American constitutional life and the imbalance of power between the branches of the U.S. government. Drawing from his book America’s Covenant, Levin argues that the Founders designed the Constitution above all to preserve unity in a divided society. Yet today, he warns, the imbalance of power—particularly the weakness of Congress and the rise of presidential authority—threatens democratic legitimacy. In this conversation, Levin reflects on originalism, the courts, Donald Trump’s expanding influence, and the dangers of both passivity and autocracy. With clarity and urgency, he calls for renewed civic engagement and for Congress to reclaim its central role. Episode Highlights “Unity doesn’t mean thinking alike. Unity means acting together. And the question for a modern political society is how do we act together when we don't think alike?” “The biggest problem we have is that Congress is under-active, radically under-active and has turned itself into a spectator.” “The president is in charge of the executive branch, but the executive branch is not in charge of the American government.” “I am very concerned about this kind of Caesar-ism. I think it is very dangerous.” “What we're seeing is constitutional creep, where the president is pushing and nobody's pushing back, and only Congress can do it.” “I worry a lot about Donald Trump. But the reason I worry is because Congress isn’t doing its job.” “The politics of an autocratic state is a politics of spectators, and we just cannot become spectators.” “All of us will find ourselves in the minority sooner or later.” Helpful Links and Resources America’s Covenant: The Constitution and the Path to National Unity, by Yuval Levin American Enterprise Institute (Find Yuval Levin’s current research and publications) *New York Times Opinion* – Yuval Levin’s columns at the New York Times About Yuval Levin Yuval Levin is director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he also holds the Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Public Policy. He is the founder and editor of National Affairs, senior editor of The New Atlantis, a contributing editor at National Review, and a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times. He is the author of several books on political theory and public policy, most recently American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation—and Could Again (Basic Books, 2024), which examines the U.S. Constitution through the lens of national unity in a divided society. Show Notes Constitutional unity and division Yuval Levin summarizes America’s Covenant as a reintroduction to the Constitution framed around the challenge of unity in diversity. “Unity doesn’t mean thinking alike. Unity means acting together.” The Constitution prioritizes bargaining, negotiation, and legitimacy over efficiency. Congress was designed as the “first branch” of government to embody pluralism and force compromise. The decline of Congress and rise of the presidency Levin argues Congress is radically under-active, ceding ground to presidents and courts. “The biggest problem we have is that Congress is under-active, radically under-active and has turned itself into a spectator.” Excessive focus on the presidency erodes democratic legitimacy. Current frustrations stem from misunderstanding the system’s design: it resists narrow majorities and forces broad coalitions. Courts, originalism, and the unitary executive Levin affirms he is an originalist: “a philosophy of judicial interpretation … a mode of self-restraint for judges.” Supreme Court decisions in recent years repeatedly signal: “Congress, do your job.” He outlines the unitary executive theory: the president controls the executive branch, but not the government as a whole. “The president is in charge of the executive branch, but the executive branch is not in charge of the American government.” Trump’s expanding power Levin warns of the growing push to centralize authority in the presidency. “I am very concerned about this kind of Caesar-ism. I think it is very dangerous.” Trump’s second term differs because restraints have vanished; his circle now encourages unrestrained executive action. Disruption of long-held norms has weakened trust in American institutions globally and domestically. Constitutional crisis vs. constitutional creep Levin distinguishes between “creep,” “conflict,” and “crisis.” He argues the U.S. is experiencing constitutional creep: unchecked executive power without Congress pushing back. True crisis would involve direct defiance of the courts—something still possible but not yet realized. The role of citizens and civic responsibility Levin stresses the danger of passivity: “The politics of an autocratic state is a politics of spectators, and we just cannot become spectators.” Citizens should keep writing to Congress, vote with clear expectations, and engage in local governance. State legislatures, though less visible, often function better than Congress today. Clear thinking itself, Levin suggests, is a moral act for a healthy republic. Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment Magazine and Fuller Seminary.  

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• The New Testament in Color, with Janette Ok and Jordan Ryan

  There’s no such thing as a neutral reading of the Bible. Every reading is inflected by first-person experience, cultural context, history, and more. In this episode, biblical scholars Janette Ok and Jordan J. Ryan join Mark Labberton to reflect on The New Testament in Color, a groundbreaking new biblical commentary that brings together diverse voices across racial, cultural, and social locations. They share how their own ethnic and cultural backgrounds as Asian American and Filipino Canadian readers shaped their understanding of Scripture, the importance of social location, using the creeds as guardrails for hermeneutics, and how contextual interpretation deepens biblical authority rather than diminishing it. Episode Highlights “There is no such thing as a neutral reading of the Bible.” —Mark Labberton “It really dawned on me the importance of being aware of who I am, my family background, my history in the United States, all these things.” —Janette Ok “Filipinos I think are always sort of on the margins… trying to understand how Asian we really are or aren’t.” —Jordan J. Ryan “Objectivity is nothing more than the fruit of authentic subjectivity.” —Jordan J. Ryan quoting Bernard Lonergan “Colorblindness is actually something that's not true… particularity is fundamental to the gospel.” —Janette Ok “It was one of the most freeing experiences that I’ve had because it finally gave me permission to do the thing that I’d always wanted to do.” —Jordan J. Ryan Helpful Links and Resources The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Commentary on the New Testament (IVP Academic) About Janette Ok Janette Ok is associate professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. A leading scholar in Asian American biblical interpretation, she is a co-editor of The New Testament in Color and author of Constructing Ethnic Identity in 1 Peter. About Jordan Ryan Jordan Ryan is associate professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School, and author of The Role of the Synagogue in the Aims of Jesus and From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. His research explores Acts, archaeology, and Filipino American biblical interpretation. Show Notes The New Testament in color and contextual biblical Interpretation “There is no such thing as a neutral reading of the Bible.” Janette’s growing up in a Korean immigrant church in Detroit, carrying “the weight of assimilation.” Asian American literature, especially Bone by Fae Myenne Ng Opening our eyes to the power of articulating immigrant experience Jordan Ryan’s mixed-race Canadian upbringing—Filipino mother, white father—and early encounters with Scripture through unhoused communities. “Filipinos are always sort of on the margins of Asian America.” —Jordan Ryan Contextual reading of the bible All readings are contextual, contrasting liberation theology, unhoused readers, and Western academic traditions Challenges and dangers of contextualization “The first danger is to think that we can remove ourselves from the work of textual interpretation.” Social location is not an external lens but intrinsic to the gospel. “Objectivity is nothing more than the fruit of authentic subjectivity.” Archaeology that informs contextual questions “Colorblind” readings ignore particularity and miss the incarnational nature of Scripture. Biblical authority and the living word Biblical authority as central: “It’s why I teach at Wheaton College and not somewhere else.” “When we say the Bible is the living Word of God… it means it has to speak to us today.” Preachers already contextualize every Sunday; The New Testament in Color makes this explicit and communal New Testament in Color was initiated by Esau McCaulley in 2018 Preceded by works like True to Our Native Land and Women’s Bible Commentary Distinctive by gathering scholars from African American, Latino, Asian American, Native American, and European American backgrounds in one volume Goal: Embody diversity without sacrificing particularity or biblical trust. Commentary on Acts, including Filipino American theology and diaspora identity “It was one of the most freeing experiences that I’ve had.” He traced themes of foreignness, colonialism, and God’s care for the imprisoned in Acts 1 Peter and Asian American biblical interpretation, wrestling with exile, belonging, and “perpetual foreigner” stereotypes Home as central theological concern—“not everyone feels at home in the same way.” —Janette Ok Editing, diversity, and reader reception Balancing freedom with theological boundaries rooted in the creeds Diversity created unevenness, but also richness and authenticity. “The fingerprints that make it so living.” —Janette Ok Professors report the book resonates with students of color whose lived experiences often feel absent in traditional scholarship “Sometimes people don’t know where to begin… I encourage my students to always consult scholars who read and look differently from themselves.” Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

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