The State Of Belief By cover art

The State Of Belief

By: Interfaith Alliance
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  • Summary

  • Every week, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush hosts lively, funny and poignant conversations with inspiring religious and civic leaders; as well as artists and activists from across the country. Listeners get a potent mix of spiritual wisdom, political strategy, and hopeful commentary from national and local leaders who are rising up to meet this urgent moment in America. With the tagline: “Where Religion and Democracy Meet,” State of Belief is a celebration of our nation’s diversities and an invitation to join together to, in the words of the great James Baldwin, "achieve our country.”
    © 2023
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Episodes
  • Amy Spitalnick: Antisemitism and Democracy

    Amy Spitalnick: Antisemitism and Democracy
    Jul 20 2024
    In a time when fundamental democratic norms are increasingly contested and targeted, religious identities and freedoms are threatened by increasing hate crimes, conspiracy theories, and misinformation. Amy Spitalnick of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs is working to put out these fires by fighting antisemitism and anti-democratic extremism, protecting religious freedom, and encouraging difficult conversations across lines of difference. For this week's episode of The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, Amy joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush to discuss antisemitic actions and tropes, and how they pose a grave threat to broader multi-faith liberal democracy. “We know that we're not alone in this, and we know that so many communities in the region and here in the United States are still very much sitting in that pain and that trauma because of the ongoing war; the ongoing, hostages that are being held; that the loss of innocent Palestinian lives; the horrific toll on Israel and the Israeli people. And again, the waves of hate here at home that we're continuing to grapple with. And we have no choice in this moment but to think about what this all means - not just to this question of allyship and helping people understand what it means to show up as an ally right now, which has been such a huge part of our work at JCPA - but also to not shy away from those hard and challenging conversations, even as some of the loudest voices tell us that the pain and the grief we're feeling mean we should just put up walls and walk away.” - Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the national convener of Jewish coalitions working across communities to build a just and inclusive American democracy. Amy is the former executive director of Integrity First for America, which won its groundbreaking lawsuit against neo-Nazis, White supremacists, and hate groups responsible for the Charlottesville violence. An expert on extremism and building effective partnerships for good, Amy has worked for a number of federal, state, and local officials, as well as campaigns and advocacy organizations.
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    1 hr
  • A Slow Civil War with Jeff Sharlet

    A Slow Civil War with Jeff Sharlet
    Jul 13 2024
    The political climate in the last few weeks has left many feeling overwhelmed and scared, waiting for the next shoe to drop. The increasing collaboration of right-wing groups to rally around Project 2025 shows the threat of what the Christian nationalist right’s interpretation of the Bible - and of America - might look like in the future. For this week's episode of The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by author and journalist Jeff Sharlet to discuss his most recent book, and how we can come together in the face of the White supremacist militarized vision presented by Project 2025. “Now the mainstream press is starting to pick up and report Project 2025. But they're still looking at it in traditional Washington terms, and not noticing what that project is, is really an attempt to merge Reaganism and Trumpism. But not so much to merge them, but to fully fold in the last vestiges of the right-wing Reaganite Republican Party into a full fascist Trumpist movement. And in that service, in terms of Christian nationalism, they lay out four pillars. [...] one is God and the family. Putting the family at the center of things. And it's astonishing and sad that in the United States, now, the word “family” has been claimed by the right. Everybody has one, but the right seems to think they own that word.” -Jeff Sharlet, best-selling author of eight books, including The Family and C Street, which focus on the Christian nationalist forces deeply embedded in the halls of American power. His latest book, The Undertow: Scenes from A Slow Civil War, surveys the national landscape in the aftermath of Joe Biden's ascent to the White House. Jeff is Frederick Sessions Beebe '35 Professor in the Art of Writing at Dartmouth College. You can follow his writing on Substack.
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    56 mins
  • How July 4th and Juneteenth Can Bring America Together

    How July 4th and Juneteenth Can Bring America Together
    Jul 6 2024
    Happy Independence Day Weekend! In this episode of The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance's weekly podcast and radio program, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush interviews Rev. Thomas L. Bowen, White House Senior Advisor for Faith Engagement. As the nation celebrates the Fourth of July, the conversation ranges to Juneteenth, an important holiday celebrating freedom and the end of enslavement in this country. Thomas discusses his upbringing in Elyria, Ohio, and the mentors who shaped his path, including Mary Wright Edelman and Gardner Taylor. The conversation explores the significance of religious freedom, interfaith unity, and the historical importance of Juneteenth. He highlights President Biden's commitment to social justice, influenced by his Catholic faith, and the role of faith in fostering community and resilience. The episode underscores the intersection of faith, social justice, and public engagement in promoting unity and understanding in a divisive and dangerous time. "We're not only a nation of immigrants. We are a nation of refugees. I think we need to examine that and look at that, because when you put that image in your mind, you see that people are leaving something. People are coming here for something. There's something that makes them leave their family and come. And I think that we need to look at that. These these are stories. These are our history as a nation. This is a problem we get in: we don't know our history, and we don't know our story. I mean, there's a certain aspects of it, but we're not just a nation of immigrants. We are a nation of refugees. - Rev. Thomas Bowen, White House Senior Advisor for Faith Engagement. He earned the nickname "DC's Pastor" during his service in the Washington Mayor's Office. An ordained Baptist minister, Thomas is the Earl L. Harrison Minister of Social Justice at Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., where he has served since 2002.
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    55 mins
Politics & Government Spirituality
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