Faith, Policy, and Refugees: What’s Happening and Where Can We Find Hope?
Release Date: 04/25/2025
How Joyful Generosity Is Changing the Way We Give
The Better Samaritan Podcast
What if giving could be joyful instead of guilt-driven? In this episode, Jamie Goodwin, professor at Wheaton College, shares how her background in global churches, journalism, and teaching led her to a deeper view of generosity. We talk about practical ways to give—like giving circles and hybrid nonprofit models—that engage communities and reflect diverse cultures.
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The Future of Foreign Aid
The Better Samaritan Podcast
What’s on the horizon for foreign aid and humanitarian response strategies, especially in light of ongoing funding cuts to foreign aid around the world?
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NGO Strategy and Leadership: 10 Steps of Crisis Management
The Better Samaritan Podcast
Veteran humanitarian leader Roger Sandberg joins us to discuss how NGOs can lead effectively in the midst of funding cuts and uncertainty. As political shifts tighten budgets, the gap between global needs and available resources continues to widen. Roger shares practical strategies for assessing risk, strengthening communication within teams, and re-imagining sources of funding.
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Faith, Resilience, and the Realities of Humanitarian Work
The Better Samaritan Podcast
What happens when humanitarian work collides with political upheaval and shifting policies?
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How Funding Cuts Are Impacting Anti-Trafficking Efforts With Rev. Dr. Sandra Morgan
The Better Samaritan Podcast
How do federal and foreign aid cuts impact anti-trafficking work, both directly and indirectly?
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Compassion and Complexity: Evangelicals on Government and Humanitarian Aid
The Better Samaritan Podcast
What happens when churches, governments, and communities work together across differences in opinion for the common good? In this episode, Dr. Walter Kim, President of the National Association of Evangelicals, joins us to talk about how different parts of the evangelical church are responding to shifts in humanitarian aid and funding, and why these varied responses matter.
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Beyond Charity: Rev. Eugene Cho on Faith, Advocacy, and Fighting Global Hunger
The Better Samaritan Podcast
How do advocacy and policy help combat child hunger and malnutrition, both in the U.S. and around the world? In this episode, Rev. Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World, joins us to talk about what’s needed to tackle food insecurity around the world, what’s working, what’s not, and why surface-level solutions won’t cut it.
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What Happens When Foreign Aid Gets Cut? Lessons from the Front Lines
The Better Samaritan Podcast
What happens when humanitarian aid gets pulled, but the needs don’t stop? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Beth Stuebing, a missionary surgeon in Malawi with the Christian Health Service Corps. She shares what it’s like on the front lines of healthcare when funding disappears—and why faith-based organizations working on the ground can’t do it alone.
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Faith in Action: How Students Are Advocating for Global Health and Justice
The Better Samaritan Podcast
What happens when college students decide to take action on global issues?
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Inside PEPFAR: What’s at Stake and How Churches Can Engage
The Better Samaritan Podcast
This episode, we talk with Jenny Dyer, founder of the 2030 Collaborative, about her involvement raising awareness for HIV/AIDS - from working with Bono and the ONE Campaign to championing global health in Washington and beyond.
info_outlineWhat happens when the very systems meant to help refugees end up hurting them instead?
And what can the Church do to help? In today’s episode, Kent Annan and Dr. Jamie Aten talk with Matthew Soerens from World Relief about the real impact of U.S. refugee policies—especially the dramatic changes under the Trump administration.
Matt pulls back the curtain on what’s happening behind the scenes: families stuck in limbo, staff furloughs at resettlement agencies, and churches stepping in to help. We also talk about how policy decisions can create ripple effects that last for years.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone who cares about justice, faith, and showing up for vulnerable communities. Plus, Matt shares ways churches can advocate, volunteer, and help cut through the noise to create real change.
Explore resources mentioned in the podcast:
(11:27) Christian statement on Refugee Resettlement
(14:10) Notre Dame Study on the economic benefits of refugees
(15:33) Lifeway Research on Evangelical opinions towards immigration
(16:48) The Heritage Foundation research on vetting refugees
(17:39) Study - Immigrant groups are less likely to commit violent crimes than US citizens
(18:03) Research on the connection between refugee resettlement and terrorist activity
(25:36) I Was A Stranger Scripture Reading Challenge
About Matt Soerens
Matthew Soerens is the Vice President of Advocacy and Policy at World Relief, where he provides oversight for all advocacy initiatives and policy positions of World Relief. He also serves as the National Coordinator for the Evangelical Immigration Table, a coalition that advocates for immigration reforms consistent with biblical values. He is the co-author of Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save the American Church (2022), Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion, & Truth in the Immigration Debate (2018), and Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis (2016).
Resources from Matt Soerens/World Relief:
“Immigrants, Pets and the Sin of Slander in a Social Media Age
“On the Conservative Divide Over Refugee Resettlement, Where Will Trump Fall?”
State of the Golden Door report (with Open Doors US)
Download your free copy of our Called to Serve: Navigating Your Christian Vocation in Humanitarian, Disaster, and Development Work e-book, which includes articles full of practical advice, insight, and encouragement.
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This episode was produced by WildfireCreative
Theme Song: “Turning Over Tables” by The Brilliance
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The Better Samaritan podcast is produced by the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College, which offers an M.A. in Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership and a Trauma Certificate. To learn more and apply, visit our website. Get your application fee to the HDL M.A. program waived with code TBS25.
Jamie Aten, Ph.D., and Kent Annan, M.Div., co-direct the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College and are the Co-Founders of Spiritual First Aid.
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