Bold Love Podcast

On our final episode of season 2, our guest is author, animator and filmmaker Phil Vischer. He has had a significant impact on American culture with his groundbreaking children’s series, VeggieTales. And then, at the peak of his success, everything turned upside down.  Over-aggressive expansion coupled with a lawsuit from a former distributor forced Phil’s company, Big Idea Productions, into bankruptcy in 2003.  Phil lost his company, his characters, his dream. Rather than losing hope, Phil found himself with a ministry he never expected – a ministry to anyone who has lost a dream. Since, Phil detailed the dramatic rise and fall of his dream and the lessons learned in his book, Me, Myself & Bob along with launching another Children's series called What’s In The Bible and a top Christian podcast called The Holy Post Podcast. You can hear Pastor Bob being interviewed on the Holy Post podcast as well which is a must-listen if you haven’t as well! Pastor Bob and Phil hit on their interconnected history, issues going on in church & culture, the re-emergence of puppets, systematized evangelism & a 'Let's Predict the Future' game. A MUST listen rich with wisdom & laughter. Like most podcasts, we are able to make these impactful conversations happen with support from partnering organizations and individuals like you. If you felt led to support these conversations, you can now do so and give at support.boldlovepodcast.com. Whether a single gift or a monthly donation - we are thankful for you. The first 5 monthly donors will receive a special gift from Pastor Bob!  SHOW NOTES: Holy Post Podcast with Phil Vischer Support Bold Love Podcast with a Donation Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Blog Bold as Love: What Can Happen When We See People the Way God Does   About Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is the founder of GlocalNet, a non-profit dedicated to mobilizing the church for transformation in the public square, founder and chairman of Glocal Ventures Inc (GVI) and co-founder of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN), a multifaith organization committed to creating international religious freedom through intentional cross-cultural relationships. He is also currently the Senior Global Pastor at Northwood Church and host of the Bold Love podcast. Bob has contributed or been featured on the World Economic Forum, Fox Business Channel, Washington Post, New York Times, Huckabee Show, Religious News Service, C-Span, Templeton Religions Trust, El-Hibri, Christianity Today, Outreach Magazine and more. Bob is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (Doctorate of Ministry), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity), and Baylor University (BA). He and his wife Niki have two children and three grandchildren. Click Here for Full Bio      

Today our guest is Dr. Ingrid Mattson. Born and raised in Canada where she attended Catholic school, and later studied and converted to Islam. After becoming a Professor of Islamic Studies at Hartford Seminary, Dr. Mattson served as vice-president then as president of the Islamic Society of North American- Where she established the Office of Interfaith and Community Engagement in Washington, DC, and facilitated new partnerships with other faith-based communities and civic organizations. She was also a member of the Interfaith Taskforce of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships during the presidency of Barack Obama. And is currently working on a major project addressing spiritual and sexual abuse in Muslim spaces called The Hurma Project. Home – The Hurma Project Pastor Bob and Dr. Mattson dive into conversation on multi-faith relationships that don’t compromise faith but strengthen communities, speaking out on religious extremism and the initiative of helping those that have been tragically affected by spiritual and sexual abuse by those in position of religious authority.   SHOW NOTES: The Hurma Project Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Blog Bold as Love: What Can Happen When We See People the Way God Does   About Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is the founder of GlocalNet, a non-profit dedicated to mobilizing the church for transformation in the public square, founder and chairman of Glocal Ventures Inc (GVI) and co-founder of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN), a multifaith organization committed to creating international religious freedom through intentional cross-cultural relationships. He is also currently the Senior Global Pastor at Northwood Church and host of the Bold Love podcast. Bob has contributed or been featured on the World Economic Forum, Fox Business Channel, Washington Post, New York Times, Huckabee Show, Religious News Service, C-Span, Templeton Religions Trust, El-Hibri, Christianity Today, Outreach Magazine and more. Bob is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (Doctorate of Ministry), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity), and Baylor University (BA). He and his wife Niki have two children and three grandchildren. Click Here for Full Bio  

Today our guest is Zeenat Rahman, who is the Director of the Inclusive America Project at the Aspen Institute.  She is an expert on global youth issues, multifaith and diversity engagement, and served as Special Adviser to Secretaries Clinton and Kerry on Global Youth Issues at the U.S. Department of State. Her experience spans national security, foreign policy, and leadership development through work in government, private sector, and NGO’s – effectively bridging the gap between policy and community solutions. So, she is a perfect fit for our discussions here on the Bold Love podcast and we have so many great topics we get to touch on with Zeenat including creating bonds of trust among youth, is the next generation more passionate about being understanding of faith, cultures and working together regardless of faith and her experience as a Special Advisor in the White House.     SHOW NOTES: Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Blog Bold as Love: What Can Happen When We See People the Way God Does Aspen Institute Inclusive America Project     About Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is the founder of GlocalNet, a non-profit dedicated to mobilizing the church for transformation in the public square, founder and chairman of Glocal Ventures Inc (GVI) and co-founder of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN), a multifaith organization committed to creating international religious freedom through intentional cross-cultural relationships. He is also currently the Senior Global Pastor at Northwood Church and host of the Bold Love podcast. Bob has contributed or been featured on the World Economic Forum, Fox Business Channel, Washington Post, New York Times, Huckabee Show, Religious News Service, C-Span, Templeton Religions Trust, El-Hibri, Christianity Today, Outreach Magazine and more. Bob is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (Doctorate of Ministry), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity), and Baylor University (BA). He and his wife Niki have two children and three grandchildren. Click Here for Full Bio

Pastor Dwight McKissic is a prominent Baptist Pastor and has been outspoken recently in regards to some disagreements within the Southern Baptist Convention. He is the founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. We will dive into some intricate topics with Pastor McKissic on his recent take on the state of the Southern Baptist Convention, racism in the nation and the church, and what we need to do to mend divides in our tribe and nation. Pastor McKissic's vision is to develop multi-cultural churches and ministries while mentoring church planters, he is the author of several books including "Beyond Roots: In Search of Blacks In The Bible". SHOW NOTES: Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Blog Article on McKissic Leaving SBC of Texas - RNS Books by Dwight McKissic Bold as Love: What Can Happen When We See People the Way God Does   About Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is the founder of GlocalNet, a non-profit dedicated to mobilizing the church for transformation in the public square, founder and chairman of Glocal Ventures Inc (GVI) and co-founder of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN), a multifaith organization committed to creating international religious freedom through intentional cross-cultural relationships. He is also currently the Senior Global Pastor at Northwood Church and host of the Bold Love podcast. Bob has contributed or been featured on the World Economic Forum, Fox Business Channel, Washington Post, New York Times, Huckabee Show, Religious News Service, C-Span, Templeton Religions Trust, El-Hibri, Christianity Today, Outreach Magazine and more. Bob is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (Doctorate of Ministry), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity), and Baylor University (BA). He and his wife Niki have two children and three grandchildren. Click Here for Full Bio  

As an evangelical Christian, Rich Stearns dives into a wide array of topics that are needed to help mend divides within his own tribe and relationships with those that are not. Topics from morality, caring for one another regardless, leadership in a diverse world, helping those in seek of refuge, and several tidbits of wisdom he's compiled on leadership along his journey. Stearns is an author and President Emeritus of World Vision, one of the world's largest nonprofit humanitarian organizations. Over his two decades with the organization, Rich built a strong leadership team focused on bringing corporate best practices to the nonprofit sector. He traveled to more than 60 of the nearly 100 countries in which World Vision has a presence. He served as a prophetic voice, calling on the American church to respond to the AIDS pandemic in the early 2000s and later raising awareness of the global refugee crisis and global poverty. As a thought leader, Rich appeared regularly in media outlets such as Christianity Today, FOX News, CNN, NPR, Charisma News, and Relevant magazine. Rich is the author of several books, including the best-selling, award-winning The Hole in Our Gospel. He also wrote Unfinished, and most recently published his new book “Lead Like it Matters to God”. SHOW NOTES: Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Blog Lead Like It Matters To God - Rich Stearns Hole in Our Gospel - Rich Stearns Bold as Love: What Can Happen When We See People the Way God Does   About Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is the founder of GlocalNet, a non-profit dedicated to mobilizing the church for transformation in the public square, founder and chairman of Glocal Ventures Inc (GVI) and co-founder of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN), a multifaith organization committed to creating international religious freedom through intentional cross-cultural relationships. He is also currently the Senior Global Pastor at Northwood Church and host of the Bold Love podcast. Bob has contributed or been featured on the World Economic Forum, Fox Business Channel, Washington Post, New York Times, Huckabee Show, Religious News Service, C-Span, Templeton Religions Trust, El-Hibri, Christianity Today, Outreach Magazine and more. Bob is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (Doctorate of Ministry), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity), and Baylor University (BA). He and his wife Niki have two children and three grandchildren. Click Here for Full Bio  

We are honored to speak with Dr. Ibrahim Al-Naimi in this episode of the Bold Love Podcast. In his home country of Qatar, Dr. Al-Naimi is the Undersecretary of the Minister of Education and has a long history of starting and leading colleges and universities. At the international level, Dr. Al-Naimi is recognized as a global ambassador promoting a culture of multi-faith relations. He has and continues to serve as Chair of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) since its inception in 2007 which serves as a platform for supporting awareness of religious and cultural values in order to address the problems and issues of concern to all people around the world.   SHOW NOTES: Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Blog Bold as Love: What Can Happen When We See People the Way God Does   About Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is the founder of GlocalNet, a non-profit dedicated to mobilizing the church for transformation in the public square, founder and chairman of Glocal Ventures Inc (GVI) and co-founder of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN), a multifaith organization committed to creating international religious freedom through intentional cross-cultural relationships. He is also currently the Senior Global Pastor at Northwood Church and host of the Bold Love podcast. Bob has contributed or been featured on the World Economic Forum, Fox Business Channel, Washington Post, New York Times, Huckabee Show, Religious News Service, C-Span, Templeton Religions Trust, El-Hibri, Christianity Today, Outreach Magazine and more. Bob is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (Doctorate of Ministry), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity), and Baylor University (BA). He and his wife Niki have two children and three grandchildren. Click Here for Full Bio

We are honored to have this trio of experts of Religious Freedom on the podcast today as we will dive into the great accomplishments of Religious Freedom over the past several years and the biggest hurdles that need to be addressed along with the importance of basic human rights. Pastor Bob will lead us on this journey on this roundtable with our very special guests including 2 former Ambassadors-At-Large for International Religious Freedom - Amb David Saperstein (during Obama administration) and Amb Sam Brownback (during Trump administration) along with Asma Uddin from the Aspen Institute. This was such an incredible conversation that takes on rules of law and rules of the heart in a true bridge-building fashion. SHOW NOTES: Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Blog Asma Uddin Bio Amb. Sam Brownback Bio Amb David Saperstein Bio Office for International Religious Freedom Bold as Love: What Can Happen When We See People the Way God Does   About Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is the founder of GlocalNet, a non-profit dedicated to mobilizing the church for transformation in the public square, founder and chairman of Glocal Ventures Inc (GVI) and co-founder of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN), a multifaith organization committed to creating international religious freedom through intentional cross-cultural relationships. He is also currently the Senior Global Pastor at Northwood Church and host of the Bold Love podcast. Bob has contributed or been featured on the World Economic Forum, Fox Business Channel, Washington Post, New York Times, Huckabee Show, Religious News Service, C-Span, Templeton Religions Trust, El-Hibri, Christianity Today, Outreach Magazine and more. Bob is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (Doctorate of Ministry), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity), and Baylor University (BA). He and his wife Niki have two children and three grandchildren. Click Here for Full Bio   Follow Bob:  Twitter Facebook  Blog   

In our first episode of Season 2, we dive into data that religion researcher Dalia Mogahed has seen in her research in regards to Islamaphobia, how different tribes respond to polarization, and the importance of faiths working together in the public square to help build civil flourishing communities. Dalia Mogahed is the Director of Research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, where she leads the organization’s pioneering research and thought leadership programs on American Muslims. Mogahed is former Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, where she led the analysis of surveys of Muslim communities worldwide. The theme of all of these conversations Pastor Bob will be having during season 2 will be focused on “Mending the Divide”. So get ready and come along this ride with us! SHOW NOTES: Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Blog ISPU Poll - Muslims at a Crossroads Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty Bold as Love: What Can Happen When We See People the Way God Does   About Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is the founder of GlocalNet, a non-profit dedicated to mobilizing the church for transformation in the public square, founder and chairman of Glocal Ventures Inc (GVI) and co-founder of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN), a multifaith organization committed to creating international religious freedom through intentional cross-cultural relationships. He is also currently the Senior Global Pastor at Northwood Church and host of the Bold Love podcast. Bob has contributed or been featured on the World Economic Forum, Fox Business Channel, Washington Post, New York Times, Huckabee Show, Religious News Service, C-Span, Templeton Religions Trust, El-Hibri, Christianity Today, Outreach Magazine and more. Bob is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (Doctorate of Ministry), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity), and Baylor University (BA). He and his wife Niki have two children and three grandchildren. Click Here for Full Bio   Follow Bob: Twitter Facebook  Blog 

The past few years have brought tremendous polarization in our country and the world. Whether political differences or social injustice, competing news sources or arguments on social platforms – people are becoming more and more divided all in the eyes of the public square. But how do we repair this extreme polarization? How do we better relate to one another despite differences? What can we do? That is why the theme of all of these conversations Pastor Bob will be having during season 2 will be focused on “Mending the Divide”.  We like to think that if your faith ventures beyond the walls of your church, or tribe, or religion – into the world with people who thought differently than you. And have a realization to see people as beings made in the image of God – it would radically change people’s mindset. We plan to facilitate discussions surrounding guidance & wisdom on suggestions on what it will take to begin to mend our divides. We ask you the listener, to come on this journey with us with an open mind to relate to others despite your differences without compromising your faith. During this preview, we ask Pastor Bob, with what has transpired over the past couple of years in our nation, why do you think having discussions around finding ways to halt the growing polarization and large divide we are seeing is critical. We’d hope you’d join us on this story-telling journey focused on encouraging you the listener to live out your faith boldly, how to better love your neighbor and to learn how to relate to others despite your differences without compromising your faith. For more information about Pastor Bob’s story, notes on this episode or how to get involved in some of the work, please go to bobrobertsjr.com. And if you missed any of our 9 episodes in season 1, don’t miss those and they can be heard on your preferred podcast player or at bobrobertsjr.com.   -------   SHOW NOTES: Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Blog Bold as Love: What Can Happen When We See People the Way God Does   About Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is the founder of GlocalNet, a non-profit dedicated to mobilizing the church for transformation in the public square, founder and chairman of Glocal Ventures Inc (GVI) and co-founder of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN), a multifaith organization committed to creating international religious freedom through intentional cross-cultural relationships. He is also currently the Senior Global Pastor at Northwood Church and host of the Bold Love podcast. Bob has contributed or been featured on the World Economic Forum, Fox Business Channel, Washington Post, New York Times, Huckabee Show, Religious News Service, C-Span, Templeton Religions Trust, El-Hibri, Christianity Today, Outreach Magazine and more. Bob is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (Doctorate of Ministry), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity), and Baylor University (BA). He and his wife Niki have two children and three grandchildren. Click Here for Full Bio   Follow Bob:  Twitter Facebook  Blog   

On the final Bold Love episode of the year, Pastor Bob interviews Imam Dr. Omar Suleiman. We deep dive into faith's role in social justice, how Muslims & Christians should build relationships despite differences for the good of society & the future of American Muslims. Omar is a renowned Muslim scholar and faith-driven activist for human rights. He is the Founder and President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, and an adjunct professor of Islamic Studies in the Graduate Liberal Studies program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. In addition to being recognized by CNN as one of 25 Muslim American changemakers, Suleiman is included in The Muslim 500 - an annual ranking of the world's most influential Muslims compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre He is a New Orleans native and in addition to talking delicious cajun cuisine, we get to discuss how faith played a role in his upbringing, how his faith drives him to stand up & speak up for injustices seen locally and globally, how he urges Muslims & Christians to build deeper relationships with each other even with a disagreement in theology for the good of society and how American Muslims have been on a rocky roller coaster ride with US administration, policies and the two major political parties in general and what that looks like moving forward.   SHOW NOTES: Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Blog Yaqeen Institue Website Moving past inshallah: What Muslims want to see in a Biden presidency by Omar Suleiman Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty Bold as Love: What Can Happen When We See People the Way God Does   About Pastor Bob Roberts Jr Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is the founder of GlocalNet, a non-profit dedicated to mobilizing the church for transformation in the public square, founder and chairman of Glocal Ventures Inc (GVI) and co-founder of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN), a multifaith organization committed to creating international religious freedom through intentional cross-cultural relationships. He is also currently the Senior Global Pastor at Northwood Church and host of the Bold Love podcast. Bob has contributed or been featured on the World Economic Forum, Fox Business Channel, Washington Post, New York Times, Huckabee Show, Religious News Service, C-Span, Templeton Religions Trust, El-Hibri, Christianity Today, Outreach Magazine and more. Bob is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (Doctorate of Ministry), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity), and Baylor University (BA). He and his wife Niki have two children and three grandchildren. Click Here for Full Bio   Follow Bob: Twitter Facebook  Blog