The Better Samaritan with Kent Annan and Jamie Aten is a blog focused on a humble posture of continually seeking to do good, better, from everyday acts of kindness to navigating the most complex humanitarian challenges facing the church and society. Our goal is to help you (as well as other Christians and churches ) to more effectively love your neighbor.
Inspiration for this title comes from a sermon line by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., where he says, "It is not enough to aid the wounded man on the [Jericho] Road. It is also necessary to work to change the conditions of the Road which made robbery possible."
About Jamie Aten
Jamie Aten (Ph.D., Indiana State University) is the founder and co-director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute and holds the Blanchard Chair of Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership at Wheaton College. His research focuses on the psychology of religion/spirituality and disasters, which has been supported by over $6 million in grant funding. His most recent book is A Walking Disaster: What Surviving Katrina and Cancer Taught Me About Faith and Resilience (Templeton Press, 2018). He is also the co-author or co-editor of 7 academic books, including the Disaster Ministry Handbook (InterVarsity Press) and Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapy for Trauma (APA Books). In 2016, he received the FEMA Community Preparedness Champion Award at the White House. He was also awarded the 2010 American Psychological Association Division 36 (Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality) Early Career Award.
Follow him on Twitter at @drjamieaten and learn more at jamieaten.com. Invite Jamie to speak here.
His writings on this blog, and on social media, are his opinions and do not necessarily represent the institutions and organizations where he serves.
About Kent Annan
Kent Annan is co-director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute and director of Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership at Wheaton College, where he teaches in the M.A. in Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership program. He is author of You Welcomed Me: Loving Refugees and Immigrants Because God First Loved Us (2018), Slow Kingdom Coming: Practices for Doing Justice, Loving Mercy, and Walking Humbly in the World (2016), After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World Is Shaken (2011), and Following Jesus through the Eye of the Needle (2009). He writes regularly for national publications and speaks often at churches, colleges, and conferences around North America. He co-founded and formerly served as co-director of Haiti Partners, a nonprofit focused on education in Haiti. He’s a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Palm Beach Atlantic University (B.A.). He teaches adult education at his local church. He is married to Shelly, and together they have a daughter and son.
Follow him on Twitter at @kentannan and learn more at kentannan.com. Invite Kent to speak here.
His writings on this blog, and on social media, are his opinions and do not necessarily represent the institutions and organizations where he serves.
