What insights essential for today's divided America can be found in the timeless writing of the great James Baldwin? And what recent developments in religion news are likely to resonate throughout our culture, in faith and secular areas alike? On this week's State of Belief, the weekly radio program and podcast from Interfaith Alliance, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush addresses both of these topics.The great American writer James Baldwin passed away 36 years ago. But his seminal works - as well as his unvarnished social commentary - continue to inspire readers and admirers today. And his message of an unlikely but possible true bridging of racial divides in this country is but one of the prophetic calls included in Prof. Greg Garrett's new book, The Gospel According to James Baldwin. A longtime professor at Baylor University, Greg has spent years following Baldwin - metaphorically and physically - to discover some of the reasons he sees his subject as "A prophet of humanity."Religion News Service is the leading nonprofit, nonsectarian journalistic enterprise in the United States focusing on religion, and the ways faith influences every part of our society and culture. Award-winning journalists Adelle Banks, projects editor and national reporter, and Jack Jenkins, national reporter and author of the book American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country, are back on State of Belief to review some stories from the summer some of us may have missed, and preview what they expect will hold the spotlight in the coming few months.

Since the beginning, The State of Belief has consistently pushed back against elected officials exploiting their positions of power to impose their own personal beliefs on those whom they serve. While that issue remains pervasive, other politicians have demonstrated that there is a better way – how personal faith can inspire devoted public service without crossing the line and violating Church-State separation. This week on The State of Belief, Texas State Representatives Salman Bhojani and James Talarico join host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, to discuss how they bring personal convictions to the Statehouse while respecting the important boundaries between religion and government.Rep. James Talarico is a former public school teacher first elected to serve in the Texas House of Representatives in 2018. A Harvard grad, Rep. Talarico has worked to ensure all Texas students have access to a quality education. In his first term, he helped write the most significant reform to the state’s school finance system in 20 years. He went on to pass major legislation to open up millions of dollars for student mental health and character education programs, establish the first-ever cap on Pre-K class sizes to reduce student-to-teacher ratios, and improve the quality and affordability of child care.Born in Pakistan to a large family, Rep. Salman Bhojani immigrated to the Lone Star State when he was 19 years old. Rep. Bhojani earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas and became a small business owner—purchasing convenience stores across the DFW Metroplex. He's also an attorney and the first Muslim elected to the Texas State house - as well as the first person of color ever elected to represent House District 92. Rep. Bhojani has led the charge for bills protecting the religiously diverse beliefs of all Texans on matters including the observance of holy days and expanding the faiths represented among credentialed marriage celebrants.To expand our reach, State of Belief  is now being distributed via the Religion News Service family of podcasts. Be sure to subscribe to the next generation of State of Belief today via Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or at http://www.stateofbelief.com/newpodcast.

From our nation’s founding, religion and politics have been intertwined. But the stereotype of what a “religious activist” looks like and believes is far from the reality. Our nation has a rich history of diverse people of faith fighting for justice, from racial equality, to health care access, to LGBTQ+ rights, the list goes on. This week on The State of Belief, the weekly radio show and podcast from Interfaith Alliance, we’ll hear from one such champion, Rev. Jennifer Butler.Jen founded Faith in Public Life, a leading organization fighting for equity, fueled by faith, 17 years ago. And while the political landscape looks significantly different today, the moral imperative to pursue justice remains just as strong. Now serving as a consultant for institutions seeking to develop faith-based partnerships, she joins Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance and host of The State of Belief, this week to reflect on her changemaker career thus far; share a very personal, poignant story about the power of disinformation; discuss her book, Who Stole My Bible? Reclaiming Scripture as a Handbook for Resisting Tyranny; how the progressive religious values that inspired leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. are actually shared by most Americans of faith today; and reveal where she finds hope.

There are desperate needs in this world that religion and interfaith coalitions can address in uniquely effective ways. And a leading expert on the intersection of religion, development and peace joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush on this week's State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance's weekly radio program and podcast.Dr. Katherine Marshall is Senior Fellow at Georgetown University's Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, and leads the center's work on religion and global development. She's also a professor of the practice of development, conflict, and religion in the Walsh School of Foreign Service. Katherine serves as executive director of the World's Faith Development Dialogue, and is a member of the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid at the U.S. Agency for International Development. She was a World Bank officer from 1971 to 2006 where she led the Faith and Ethics Initiative between 2000 and 2006.To say that Katherine's five decades of leadership equips her with unique insights is an understatement. From pioneering work to include women's voices, to addressing the sensitive topic of development dollars influencing NGOs, to what's the same and what's different about the challenges faced by communities in far-flung parts of the world, her conversation with Paul offers both food for thought, and inspiration for getting involved.

The Parliament of the World’s Religions brings together thousands of religious leaders and activists from around the globe and across diverse faith traditions. Interfaith Alliance was honored to participate in this month’s convening in Chicago and meet so many new friends across faith and place committed to fighting the good fight for an inclusive vision of religious freedom and democracy. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we’ll hear from a few of those allies in a special dispatch from Chicago.Hear State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush in conversation with Cardinal Blase Joseph Cupich, who serves as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago; OMNIA Institute for Contextual Leadership’s lead organizer for women’s initiatives Soraya Deen and OMNIA Institute President Rev. Dr. Shanta D. Premawardhana; Tri-Faith Initiative Executive Director and Co-Founder Wendy Goldberg; Academy Award-nominated director and producer Joshua Seftel, Stranger at the Gate film; and Sukhbir Singh, the main langar organizer and representative of the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha in the United Kingdom.We end this week’s State of Belief with the impassioned words Paul spoke to the Parliament’s plenary session in Chicago.

More and more, scholars of religion and history are making a point to differentiate between Christian nationalism – a pernicious and anti-democratic ideology – and white Christian nationalism, a specific manifestation of this extreme movement that has influenced our nation’s policy and structures for decades. Now, a historian and researcher exposes how these themes actually date back centuries – to even before the founding of the nation. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we dive into the history of race, religion, and power in the United States.Dr. Robert P. Jones, founding CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, is gearing up to release his newest book, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future, on September 5th. In it, he reveals the deep connection between organized religion and the dehumanization of Native Americans and Africans – a dehumanization that was officially sanctioned by the Western Church. Robby and Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, host of The State of Belief, explore this shocking history and the very real ways it continues to play out in the present day – including rhetoric we’re already hearing ahead of a contentious 2024 election.

Starting on Monday, August 14th, Chicago, Ill. will play host to a unique week-long global initiative for peace and mutual understanding: the Parliament of the World’s Religions. With a history tracing back to 1893, the Parliament’s convenings attract participants from more than 200 diverse religious, indigenous, and secular beliefs and more than 80 nations. This year’s theme is A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom and Human Rights - and we’ll explore that theme and what we can expect in Chicago on this week’s State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance's weekly radio program and podcast.State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by three leaders who are deeply involved in organizing the 2023 convening of the Parliament.Rev. Stephen Avino serves as the Executive Director of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. On the staff of the parliament since 2012, Stephen has remained deeply committed to the success of the global interfaith movement, serving as a key organizer for the 2015 Parliament Convening in Salt Lake City, the 2018 Parliament Convening in Toronto, and the 2021 Virtual Parliament Convening.Sara Rahim a young professional with vast interfaith experience who trains others in social impact. A progressive Muslim, Sara is a past plenary speaker in the Parliament’s Inaugural Women's Assembly and has addressed the United Nations representing the Parliament and its mission.Phyllis Curott has served terms on the Parliament board across over three decades. One of the first public wiccan priestesses in America, Phyllis is chairing this year's program and founded the Parliament women's task force.

You've heard a lot of compelling State of Belief conversations addressing the very real threat of Christian nationalism to American democracy and our pluralistic society. Now it's time to expand the focus to include the damage American religion itself is enduring from this authoritarian movement. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush goes in-depth with Christian nationalism scholar Dr. Andrew L. Whitehead.Andrew is co-author of Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States, and is publishing his latest book, American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church, on August 15th.Andrew grew up in an Evangelical environment that was fertile ground for the Christian nationalist agenda, and brings deeply personal insights to this urgent subject. He's associate professor of sociology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, where he codirects the Association of Religion Data Archives at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture.

“You’ve got to view the ban on books and the attempt to stop Critical Race Theory, by which they mean any teaching of the actual history of the country with respect to racism and white supremacy - all of these are efforts basically to condition the children of America, the young people of America, to get ready for being subjects in an authoritarian society.”Representative Jamie Raskin has established himself as one of our country's fiercest advocates for Democracy and against the extremists trying to tear it down. He notably served on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, and co-founded the Congressional Freethought Caucus. Congressman Raskin joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush this week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, to talk about the state of our democracy.An author of several books about the interplay between the Supreme Court and democracy, Rep. Raskin speaks with Paul about his own experience of having a book he authored banned in Texas schools.Across faith and place, we know that the most dangerous thing we could do is sit idly by while our democracy – and our fundamental rights – are under relentless attack. Listen in to hear Rep. Raskin discuss the challenges we face, how he’s navigated profound personal loss, what gives him hope, and how his faith informs his public service.Paul also speaks with Darcy Hirsh, Interfaith Alliance Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy. They discuss Interfaith Alliance’s support of the Freedom to Vote Act, a pro-democracy bill recently reintroduced by US Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock of Georgia in the Senate, and Rep. John Sarbanes of Maryland in the House. Darcy also speaks further about the ways people of faith and conscience can participate in our democracy outside of voting, including volunteering as a poll worker or educating others on the issues they consider most important.

The Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins has made his mark in government, religion, and media. The former director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Biden, has also served as director of Interfaith Outreach for the Democratic National Committee, where he also led faith outreach during the 2012 reelection campaign of President Barack Obama. For decades, Derrick combined these prominent government roles with the one-on-one contacts with individual congregants required of an ordained pastor. And he brings the insights only this background can provide to State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance's weekly radio program and podcast.In this wide-ranging conversation with State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, President of Interfaith Alliance, Derrick explores how the political climate has deteriorated since the Obama presidency, and how the oft-maligned term "Woke" actually represents an essential value. But you'll also hear how contact with ideological opposites and the resilience he's seen in so many people he's served, particularly in African-American communities, give him hope and enthusiasm to keep pushing forward as the 2024 election cycle begins.

In June, the Supreme Court delivered its ruling in 303 Creative v. Elenis, a case brought forward by Lorie Smith, an evangelical Christian website designer in Colorado who said she should not have to provide services to same-sex couples due to her religious beliefs. The court decided 6-3 that the First Amendment’s free speech protection allows businesses that involve “creativity” or “expression” to deny services to LGBTQ+ customers. The ruling has created much confusion and uncertainty around what doors have been opened wide for other exemptions from anti-discrimination laws.This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, our host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by Elizabeth Reiner Platt, director of Columbia Law School's Law, Rights, and Religion Project to discuss this case and how it could lead to a wide range of discrimination.Before joining Columbia Law School, Liz was a Staff Attorney at MFY Legal Services Mental Health Law Project. A graduate of the New York University School of Law, she was also Carr Center for Reproductive Justice Fellow at A Better Balance.A year after the court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, Paul and Liz also speak about how, amid an increase in abortion bans across the U.S., religious abortion rights supporters are testing the principle of religious freedom in legal battles. In the past year alone, clergy and members of various faiths have filed lawsuits in eight states asserting that abortion bans and restrictions infringe on their religious beliefs.

The tables turn this week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast. Our host, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, will be sitting in the guest chair, as former CBS News White House Correspondent Peter Maer interviews Paul about his first year at the helm of Interfaith Alliance. As the great-grandson of Baptist theologian Walter Rauschenbusch and Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish United States Supreme Court justice, Paul will also speak about how his family tree has impacted his personal faith and activism journey.A leading voice in national news for more than a quarter century, Peter Maer served as a White House correspondent with CBS News from 1986 to 2015. He covered presidential politics, major national and international disasters, and was awarded honors including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award, five Merriman Smith Awards for Presidential Coverage, and the Overseas Press Award. In 2019, Interfaith Alliance honored Peter with its annual Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award. Peter currently serves on the Board of Interfaith Alliance.Peter and Paul also discuss the approaching 30th anniversary of Interfaith Alliance, the expansion of affiliate organizations across the U.S., and where Paul finds hope amid the pressing challenges our nation faces on a number of fronts.

From the COVID-19 pandemic to the January 6th insurrection, there’s no shortage of twists and turns the nation has endured in recent years. Underpinning each of these events is a battle over what’s true and what’s false, forcing Americans to more carefully consider where they receive their information. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, with Independence Day almost upon us, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush examines the power of untruth in rewriting history, and how that impacts the present. Falsehoods are also central to campaigns attacking LGBT-positive content in public schools, and we’ll look at a case study in Montgomery County, MD.Dr. Kevin M. Kruse is Professor of History at Princeton University. He specializes in the political, social, and urban/suburban history of twentieth-century America, with a particular interest in conflicts over race, rights and religion and the making of modern conservatism. His books include One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America, and he’s currently posting essential commentary at his Substack titled Campaign Trails.Lies and scaremongering have triggered fears of LGBT-positive educational materials in Montgomery County, MD public schools – including among some Muslim and other minority families. Paul welcomes Ambereen Khan, host of the popular Interfaith Voices program on National Public Radio and a parent in the Montgomery County school district, for a conversation about the fear campaign as well as how finding common ground at the individual level can spark empathy and defuse an increasingly tense situation.

One year ago, the Supreme Court decimated the reproductive and religious freedom rights of Americans. Catalyzed by extremist religious activists, the conservative majority on the Court opened the door for a flood of state-level bans and restrictions by nullifying the long-standing Roe v. Wade decision. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we’ll reflect on the devastating consequences of Dobbs v. Jackson and hear insight on how faith communities can organize to protect reproductive access in our post-Roe reality. State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushebush also explores the essential role of faith communities in protecting our precious democracy for all with experts researching and organizing to do just that.The Rev. Angela Tyler-Williams is co-director for movement building at SACReD, the Spiritual Alliance of Communities for Reproductive Dignity, which brings together organizers, religious leaders, and congregations to advance reproductive justice. On what she calls the one year anti-versary of Dobbs, there is no better guest to reflect on what we lost - and challenge us to navigate the challenges ahead together.A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy exists to build and support a robust, well-resourced, trans-partisan Jewish coalition working together to strengthen democracy. Executive Director Aaron Dorfman, and Sofi Herscher Andorsky, Vice President for Strategy and Communications, join Paul for an important - and inspiring - conversation about lessons learned in 2020, and how they must be applied in 2024.State of Belief has a new home and is being distributed via the Religion News Service family of podcasts. Be sure to subscribe to the next generation of State of Belief today via Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or at http://www.stateofbelief.com/newpodcast.

All this month, Interfaith Alliance and its partners are celebrating Faith for Pride, our annual effort to mobilize people of all faiths and none in support of LGBTQ+ rights. Our work aims to energize faith-based organizations, congregations, and activists around Pride Month and equip them with the tools to support LGBTQ+ justice year-round.On this week’s show, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, host of State of Belief and president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, will share highlights from our Faith for Pride kickoff event earlier this month. We’ll hear from an inspiring and diverse group of faith leaders, all united in their vision of a more equitable nation:Rev. Don Abram, M.Div, executive director of Pride in the PewsFelipe Zurita Quintana, leadership council chair for United Religions Initiative of North AmericaSushma Dwivedi, progressive Hindu pundit and founder of the Purple Pundit ProjectAni Zonneveld, founder and president, Muslims for Progressive ValuesMaharat Rori Picker Neiss, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis and proud mom to a trans childPastor Bill Knezovich of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Fresno, California, which was recently vandalized for being LGBTQ+ affirmingTracey Labgold, Florida education & training manager for the Jewish LGBTQ+ organization Keshet and Chair of ADL's National Education CommitteeMalachi Garza, organizing director at the Solidaire NetworkRev. Traci Blackmon, executive minister of Justice & Witness Ministries, United Church of ChristSpeakers also discuss the ongoing fight against the flood of anti-LGBTQ+ bills that are advancing in statehouses across the country, emblematic of a dangerous national campaign that Christian nationalists and their allies are waging against our LGBTQ+ siblings - almost always misusing the language of faith to do so.More than 100 national and local organizations are co-sponsoring this year’s Faith for Pride initiative, including the Anti-Defamation League, Keshet, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Sikh Coalition, United Religions Initiative, and the United Church of Christ. Together, we can organize and mobilize against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and hateful rhetoric that threaten the lives of LGBTQ+ people.State of Belief has a new home and is being distributed via the Religion News Service family of podcasts. Be sure to subscribe to the next generation of State of Belief today via Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or at http://www.stateofbelief.com/newpodcast.

Since 2006, Interfaith Alliance's wekly radio show and podcast State of Belief has brought lively and impactful discussions to the homes of Americans across faith and place. Even after more than two decades, there is nothing on the airwaves like State of Belief: our conversations with inspiring leaders illuminate the path to securing equal rights for people from every background and protecting our democracy. The host is Interfaith Alliance President Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush.We owe so much of what State of Belief is today to the founder of the show, the Rev. Dr. Welton Gaddy, who from the very beginning brought his wisdom, spiritual depth, and love of people to every show. Our friend Welton died this week in his home in Louisiana. He was a giant in the interfaith world, as well as a beloved local Baptist pastor, and there is no replacing him. Our goal is to honor his legacy and continue his great work through the ongoing mission of Interfaith Alliance and State of Belief.It is perhaps fitting, then, that today Interfaith Alliance is proud to launch a new partnership with Religion News Service, the go-to source of global news on religion, to distribute State of Belief. We join the growing family of podcasts available through RNS, including Saved by the City and Martini Judaism. By teaming up with Religion News Service, we have an exciting opportunity to reach new listeners across the nation.We’re thrilled to welcome a very special inaugural guest to kick off our exciting collaboration on June 10, 2023: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, president of Repairers of the Breach, and professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy and founding director of the Center for Public Theology & Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. Bishop Barber is a leading prophetic voice for social and economic justice in this country. A powerful public speaker, legendary organizer, teacher and author, he’s a very sought after interview guest – and we're thrilled to have him with us on this week’s show talking about his work, and his insights for what’s needed from American public religion at such a time as this.We’ll be sharing more updates about our new partnership in the weeks ahead. We hope you’ll join us on this new journey. Subscribe right now at via Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or at http://www.stateofbelief.com/newpodcast.

Nearly three decades ago, Interfaith Alliance was founded to celebrate true religious freedom and to challenge the bigotry and hatred arising from religious and political extremists. Today, that mission is more urgent than ever, as Christian nationalists and their allies try to blur the boundaries between church and state. On this week’s State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast., host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by experts on how religion sways American politics today. He’ll speak with Dr. Ryan Burge, assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, about his latest statistical analysis of the intersection of religion and politics. And Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson, winner of the 2023 New York Society for Professional Journalists ‘Deadline Club’ award for opinion writing, joins Paul to discuss the convergence of gun idolatry and white Christian identity, and the recent political religious efforts to influence judicial nominations.Dr. Ryan Burge is assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University and the co-founder of Religion in Public, a forum for scholars of religion and politics to make their work accessible to a more general audience. His Substack is Graphs About Religion. The expanded, second edition of his important book, The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They are Going has just been released.Rabbi Dr. Jay Michelson is a CNN commentator and columnist for Rolling Stone. Previously, he was the Supreme Court columnist at The Daily Beast. Jay is the author of ten books, including the best-selling, God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality, and is an affiliated professor at Chicago Theological Seminary. Jay holds a PhD in Jewish thought from Hebrew University, a JD from Yale Law School, and a non-denominational rabbinic ordination.

If there's one thing our age demands, it's courage. Courage for solidarity with the marginalized; to uphold principle; and to live with integrity. A powerful book on the subject has just been published by Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, the Epicopal bishop of Washington, DC, How We Learn To Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith. The author joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush on this week’s State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast. Looking toward the 2024 election, Interfaith Alliance’s main legislative priorities include advancing LGBTQ+ equality, maintaining the separation of religion and government and holding candidates to that promise, keeping public money in public schools, and ensuring people of all beliefs can access health care that aligns with their values. Paul will speak with Darcy Hirsh, who recently took over as the organization’s lead policy and advocacy expert.Bishop Mariann Budde leads the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C., having become the first woman to hold the position in 2011. Prior to filling that role, she served as a parish priest for 18 years and spent much of that time championing social justice causes. She is also the chair and president of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation and author of several books including Receiving Jesus: The Way of Love and her latest, How We Learn To Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith.Darcy Hirsh is Interfaith Alliance’s new senior director of policy and advocacy. Prior to joining Interfaith Alliance, Darcy served as associate vice president for public affairs and government relations at The Jewish Federations of North America, where she directed national legislative strategy on behalf of 146 federations and 300 independent communities throughout the U.S. She has a wealth of experience leading grassroots engagement and interfaith coalition efforts, and will speak with Paul about Interfaith Alliance’s new resource for fighting antisemitism as the White House announces its comprehensive strategy, and her vision for the organization moving into the 2024 election.

There may be different motives behind the widespread othering of Black and LGBTQI+ Americans today, but the tactics are, sadly, effective – and dangerous to our very democracy. Worse, religious rhetoric gets dragged into the conversation even as books on historical racism get banned and some 500 anti-LGBTQI+ bills proliferate in statehouses across the country. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, you’ll hear about building diverse coalitions as the key to achieving inclusivity across lines of division, on the way to a multireligious, multiracial democracy for all of us.More Than I Imagined: What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew is the gripping story of meeting your mother in a mental institution, and confronting a deeply racist half of your family. The author is John Blake, an award-winning CNN journalist who covers race, religion, and politics. John joins State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush to talk about this deeply personal memoir, and to share the hard-won lessons that cultivating difficult relationships is the only true way to lasting healing across lines of division.June, Pride Month, is just around the corner, and that means it’s almost time for Faith for Pride, a national campaign to push back against anti-LGBTQ+ extremism and support the beloved LGBTQ+ members of our communities. Interfaith Alliance and a broad coalition of organizations is leading this effort, and Maureen O’Leary, director of field and organizing at the Alliance, brings a preview of what’s in store – and an invitation for congregations and communities to get involved.

In recent years, American evangelical identity has become so closely associated with only its most politically conservative, religiously narrow, and culturally white claimants. Today, white evangelicals are considered to be the most reliable supporters of the Republican Party and its political candidates. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by two guests with insider knowledge on these dynamics as well as the progressive evangelical movement that has simultaneously become forgotten in the history books.Dr. Bradley Onishi is the host of the Straight White American Jesus podcast, the most popular religion and politics podcast on Apple Podcasts. His latest book, Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism and What Comes Next, hit the shelves in January and uses vignettes from his past life as an Evangelical Christian leader to unpack the religious history that led to the January 6th insurrection. A scholar of religion, Brad teaches about and researches Christian nationalism, the history of evangelicalism, race and racism in American religion, and more.Dr. Isaac Sharp is Director of Certificate Programming and Visiting Assistant Professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Isaac’s current research focuses on the theology, ethics, and history of American evangelicalism. In April, he published a new book, The Other Evangelicals: A Story of Liberal, Black, Progressive, Feminist, and Gay Christians and the Movement That Pushed Them Out, which debuted on Amazon at number one for books on sociology and religion. The book is a must-read for any reader seeking a deep dive into a more inclusive history of religion in America.