Walking Forward Podcast K.A. Ellis

Global persecution against religious minorities is rising to ‘pandemic’ levels. How should we think about this global rise of hostility against biblical Christianity? Should American Christians count themselves among those numbers? K.A. Ellis sits down with field and policy expert Knox Thames to discuss religious freedom at home and abroad.

Knox Thames is a visiting expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace with the Middle East and Religion and Inclusive Societies teams. Thames joined USIP after 20 years of government service, including at the State Department and two different U.S. government foreign policy commissions.

Most recently, Thames served across two administrations as the special advisor for religious minorities in the Near East and South and Central Asia at the U.S. Department of State. The first to serve in this capacity, he received a civil service appointment in September 2015 to lead State Department efforts to address the situation of religious minorities in these regions.

Thames previously served on the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe—also known as the Helsinki Commission—as well as with the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom, AmeriCorps, and the U.S. Army War College as an adjunct research professor. In addition to USIP, he is currently a senior fellow with the Institute for Global Engagement, with both positions made possible thanks to the Templeton Religion Trust.

Reflecting his expertise on religion and global affairs, Thames’ articles have appeared in the Yale Journal of International Affairs, the Small Wars Journal, and the Georgetown Journal for International Affairs. He was the initiator and lead author of “International Religious Freedom Advocacy: A Guide to Organizations, Law and NGOs” published by Baylor University Press. He has spoken before the U.S. Congress, the United Nations, the European Parliament, the OSCE, and the U.S. military war colleges.

Alton Hardy is the son of Selma, Alabama sharecroppers. He grew up on America's margins, fled the margins, and then returned in a stunning reversal of life. In this episode, Rev. Hardy shares about experiencing the New Testament reality in the American south, seeing revival through prayer, going deeper than temporal justice to fruitful discipleship, and the deep spiritual hunger he's found among young men and women in Birmingham/Fairfield, Alabama. This is revival on the margins.

Professor Ellis chats with Kori Porter, CEO of Christian Solidarity Worldwide USA about discipleship on the margins, the call to global human rights, and the ongoing marginalization and abuse of Christian believers in Northern Nigeria.

Mrs. Ellis talks with "Christian Atento," a pastor's helper in Cuba. CA shares how life has changed in the last 60 years, how the global pandemic has challenged everyday tasks, and the church's positive role in helping citizens flourish.

In episode 1 of Walking Forward, host K.A. Ellis and her global travel partner, author Trillia Newbell, discuss Trillia’s book Sacred Endurance. They explore what the Bible says about the differences - and similarities - in endurance under personal trials, versus endurance under anti-Christian hostility and persecution.