It is illegal to steal from your workplace; yet across the nation, employers are stealing from their employees every day. Practices such as withholding tips, bouncing paychecks, hiring employees as "independent contractors," and refusing a final paycheck are surprisingly common. Kim Bobo, executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice and author of Wage Theft in America: Why Millions of Americans are Not Getting Paid--and What We Can Do About It, describes the scene.

Inner Compass interview show

Wage Theft in America

Punk rocker turned music critic Jessica Hopper, author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking: How to Start a Band, Book Gigs, and Get Rolling to Rock Stardom, takes us on tour with the women of rock & roll, including a stop at the new phenomenon of girls’ rock camps. Karen Saupe hosts.

Rock & Roll Women

To get to the top, business executives need drive and determination. But to be their "best selves," they must slow down enough to look around and see how they’re affecting those who work for them. Rubi Ho, vice president of Sherpa Executive Coaching, tells how he helps leaders confront and overcome the haunting pressures they face--or aren’t facing--using his own story of overcoming as inspiration. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

Executive Coaching

The most common form of slavery today is sex trafficking, with victims numbering in the millions. Although we may prefer to imagine it’s mostly happening overseas, many young victims are walking the streets of U.S. cities and towns. When youth worker Andy Soper found himself suddenly facing this ugly truth, he started The Manasseh Project to highlight the tragedy and what can be done to help. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

Child Sex Trafficking: in Your Town Too?

There’s nothing like some prize money to get things moving. Ask Charles Lindbergh and his Spirit of St. Louis, or Peter Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of the X Prize Foundation. Author of Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think, Diamandis believes human innovation can overcome any hurdle--especially when the competitive spirit gets involved. He describes scientific breakthroughs of the past and future, incentivized by the $10 million X Prize for the benefit of humanity. Karen Saupe hosts.

X Prize: Spurring Scientific Innovation

Do we really know what our teens think and feel? Or do they just give us the answers we want? Chap Clark, professor of Youth, Family, and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of Hurt 2.0: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers, has research that says teens are on rough seas without a rudder while adults rush them around, distracted by their own agendas. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

Are Adolescents Abandoned?

Are soldiers prepared for the life-altering sacrifices they may have to make? Captain Scotty Smiley enthusiastically joined the army, graduated from West Point, and then lost his eyesight when an Iraqi car bomb exploded in front of him. Hear about his journey back to wholeness, as described in his memoir Hope Unseen: The Story of the U.S. Army's First Blind Active-Duty Officer. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

A Wounded Warrior Finds Hope

It’s a country where a bowl of rice is an extravagance for many citizens, and where reading the Bible or stepping on a photo of the supreme leader can land you in jail. Mike Kim knew little of North Korea when he first visited, but once he learned, he could never forget. Hear about his response and the hundreds of defectors he’s been able to help, as described in his memoir Escaping North Korea: Defiance and Hope in the World's Most Repressive Country. Karen Saupe hosts.

Escaping North Korea

When we hear about layoffs and other painful business decisions, the blame often goes to voracious stockholders or the unforgiving bottom line. Jeff Van Duzer says not so fast--though companies must survive, there is a time for examining those demands and realigning priorities. He is author of Why Business Matters to God: and What Still Needs to Be Fixed. Shirley Hoogstra hosts.

Business Priorities: People or Profit?

What happens when an evangelical Christian and a Mormon pray together? Most people wouldn’t know, since it happens so rarely. But Fuller Theological Seminary president Richard Mouw has been meeting with Mormon leaders for years, and has been amazed at the changes he’s witnessed as the Mormon faith matures. Mouw describes the hopes and experiences detailed in his book, Talking with Mormons: An Invitation to Evangelicals. Karen Saupe hosts.

A Christian Apology to Mormons

Since the U.S. economy relies on immigrant workers, not to mention the $12 billion they pay in taxes, many argue there should be more avenues for them to legally come and go as needed. Jenny Yang, Vice President of Advocacy at World Relief, describes what comprehensive reform should include, as laid out in her book Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

In Iraq, the alarming rate of children born with birth defects is actually opening doors to collaborations that never existed before. Jeremy Courtney & Cody Fisher, co-founders of the Preemptive Love Coalition, describe their adventures bringing together foreign doctors and sick children with some amazing results. Along the way, they’ve found that the hearts that have changed most have been their own.

Restoring Hearts in Iraq

When called upon to define who we are, not many think to mention our land and neighbors. But it wasn’t always that way. Willie Jennings, Associate Professor of Theology and Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School, invites a return to the rootedness that communities used to enjoy. His book The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race, suggests connections should grow from shared spaces--not shared attributes such as skin color--and that Christians need to be modeling this. Karen Saupe hosts.

Rootedness: Beyond Skin-Deep

At a time of life when most people would be relaxing into retirement, Vern Hoffman started up a faith-based justice organization that now involves hundreds in his city. Focusing on aspects where change is most possible, the Micah Center has seen some exciting results. Hear the story, which now includes Jordan Bruxvoort, the young man Hoffman selected to carry on the charge. Karen Saupe hosts.

A Faith-Based Community Organizing Story

In some cities, pockets of serenity can be found where people of many races find themselves mingling and enjoying each other’s presence. Yale sociologist Elijah Anderson, author of The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in Everyday Life, has studied these public spaces and shares what they reveal about us and our hope as a society. Karen Saupe hosts.

Racial Harmony in the City

Inner Compass is a television interview show that explores how people make their decisions about ethical, religious, and social justice issues. Guests include authors, activists, religious leaders, and engaging thinkers from around the world. In its ninth season on PBS West Michigan and first on PBS nationally, Inner Compass is produced by Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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Inner Compass interview show

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