The State Of Belief

On this 250th Independence Day, how much do our founding documents still matter to Americans? It turns out a lot, according to guest Prof. Jeffrey Rosen. CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, he’s a law professor at George Washington University and has traveled the country speaking to diverse audiences that share a deep commitment to our nation’s founding principles.  J...

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, Americans still believe that religious liberty is a cornerstone of our democracy. Against that backdrop, the Trump administration’s creation of a Religious Liberty Commission in May 2025 that is utterly lacking in diversity, and risks favoring some voices while leaving out others – called for a comprehensive response. Called to respond, Interf...

Can a family be radical, and radically ordinary, at the same time? The question came up as I interviewed my guest this week – author Brad Gooch, who happens to be married to host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, and the other dad to their two kids. Brad has written a book, Good Morning Moon: A Snapshot of an American Family, that’s both a personal memoir and a loving telling of their family’s story...

A backbone of the work we are able to do in the pro-democracy faith movement is the network of local Interfaith Alliance affiliates spread across the entire country—in red states and blue states and from sea to shining sea. As the attacks on religious freedom for all intensify, more and more communities are creating Interfaith Alliance affiliates. At the same time, the longest-active affiliate, In...

Rev. Dr. Serene Jones served as president of Union Theological Seminary in New York City for 18 years—long enough to see her own daughter graduate from the historic institution. During that time, she has been a strong advocate for integrating activism with theological education, mirroring her own calling and journey. We get Rev. Jones’ insights into how a seminary education has changed in the past...

What does it mean to be a stranger? Rabbi Angela Buchdahl’s journey of faith, identity, and belonging teaches us the value of embracing the strangers among us—and our inner strangers, as well. In our increasingly divided world, the struggle to find belonging often leads us to question our identities. A cantor as well as a rabbi, she brings the experience of coming to a strange land, and the joy of...

What hope is there for the rule of law when the Justice Department is deployed to settle political scores and privilege one religion over others? A lot, as it turns out—but the work of rebuilding our nation's voting and justice systems won't be fast, and it won't be easy, according to this week's guest, Vanita Gupta, a civil rights attorney and former Associate Attorney General of the United State...

A seismic shift is happening in America’s religious and political landscape—and we need to understand it now. Religion scholar and theologian Dr. Matthew D. Taylor unpacks how Christian nationalism, spiritual warfare, and authoritarian mythologies are reshaping democracy, fueling violence, and distorting faith. If you're wondering why faith is being weaponized to justify tyranny, or how religion f...

In the same two weeks, the Trump Anti-Christian Bias Task Force filled 560 pages with reports of deliberate discrimination by the Biden administration (and pretty much everyone else), and the Supreme Court ruled that anti-minority bias is gone from our elections and the landmark Voting Rights Act is no longer needed. That’s exactly backwards, and we’ll get a chance to hear the expert opinion of Re...

Have you noticed how Pope Leo's calm, fearless stance is rattling those in power? He’s not just speaking to Catholics; he's challenging the very idea that religion should be silent in times of crisis, whether the topic is war or the treatment of immigrants. This week, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush welcomes two leading American Catholic voices: religion professor Dr. Anthea Butler and best-se...

Is the tide finally turning on the bigotry, fear-mongering and manufactured division in our society, including on college campuses? The success of a joyful gathering last week at traditionally Baptist Baylor University in Waco, Texas, suggests it might be. This week on The State of Belief, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush brings us with him to the Baylor campus, sharing his own words of welcome...

What does democracy truly mean in 2026, and how can we ensure its survival? What hope can the recent election in Hungary offer for reversing the slide of democracy in the US and elsewhere? Host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush talks with Dr. Staffan I. Lindberg, founder of the Varieties of Democracy Institute, about V-Dem’s latest global report titled, Unraveling the Democratic Era? The report raise...

This week, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush welcomes Rebecca Solnit—prolific writer, best-selling author, activist, and public intellectual. With 25 books to her credit—so far—Rebecca's latest is titled The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change. In our conversation, she emphasizes collective hope, continuous community action, and a reevaluation of stories and faiths to inspi...

What does it mean to be in a war that nobody openly declares? What are the legal and moral boundaries of military force? And what does true courage look like today — especially for ordinary citizens who feel overwhelmed or unsure of how to respond? With the global impact of the war in Iran growing daily, this week on The State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by Retired Lt....

How deeply has Christian Nationalism penetrated American society? It’s clearly a driving force in our government, but what about ordinary people across the country? With an enormous sample size, the Public Religion Research Institute’s 2025 American Values Atlas offers unique – and surprising - insights. PRRI President Dr. Robert P. Jones is on The State of Belief with the details. Only 13% of the...

We’ve been looking at the war on Iran through the wrong lens, according to Iranian-American religion scholar Reza Aslan. It’s tempting to think that economic sanctions or military strikes will change Iran’s course overnight. But Reza’s words on The State of Belief challenge that assumption, revealing a deeper truth about history, identity, and the illusions we cling to. Reza shares a striking stor...

Virility and victimhood – how do these seemingly opposite characteristics prop up strongman leaders throughout recent history? Expert and best-selling author Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat connects the dots in a conversation full of wisdom and, ultimately, hope that the current attempt at authoritarian rule in the United States is on the decline. The author of Strongmen: from Mussolini to Today, Ruth makes cl...

As exhausted as many of us are by the ever more sordid revelations in the Epstein scandal, author and journalist Rabbi Jay Michaelson says its importance is only growing. Joining host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush on this edition of The State of Belief, Jay argues that the way the scandal is being handled is nothing short of a moral referendum, “not just on Donald Trump and on the administration,...

Father Jim Martin’s new memoir, Work in Progress: Confessions of a Bus Boy, Dishwasher, Caddy, Usher, Factory Worker, Bank Teller, Corporate Tool, and Priest, includes plenty of funny stories that are also deeply human, full of honesty and hope. Jim’s always a wonderful guest, and this week he joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush to walk us through some of the memorable moments in this book....

In a time of mounting division and injustice, faith isn’t just a personal refuge—it’s a call to step up and speak out. This week, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by Bishop Dwayne Royster, Executive Director of Faith in Action. Talk about action—Bishop Dwayne and partners organized a massive, diverse, faith-inspired gathering in Washington, D.C. just days after a series of ICE-related...

What does courage look like on the ground? For many faith leaders and everyday citizens, it involves showing up despite risks, discomfort, or opposition. Dr. Simran Jeet Singh, scholar and activist, describes courage rooted in love and fearlessness—values encoded in Sikh teachings like nirpo (fearlessness) and nirvad (without hatred). Simran reflects that true bravery is not about bravado or self-...

It’s not a zero-sum game. This week on The State of Belief, interfaith organizer Maggie Siddiqi makes clear that coming together to counter antisemitism and Islamophobia is an essential part of the effort to protect American democracy. And doing that requires countering the narrative that somehow supporting one of these communities is harming the other. Maggie and host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbu...

On this edition of The State of Belief, Democracy Forward President and CEO (and one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World 2025) Skye Perryman is back to talk about the first year of this presidency. Democracy Forward has filed hundreds of court challenges to the administration’s unconstitutional power grab and has been remarkably successful in winning most of them. She stres...

In this episode of The State of Belief, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush engages with four distinguished religious leaders and activists from Minnesota: Rev. Susie Hayward, Rev. Dr. Jia Starr Brown, Rev. Dr. Rebecca Voelkel, and Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs. The discussion centers on the current authoritarian crisis engulfing their community, driven by ICE raids and systemic injustice. Each leader shar...

In the latest episode of The State of Belief, we dive into the vital theme of religious freedom as portrayed in the new film, The Testament of Ann Lee. Joining host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush for this enlightening discussion are Interfaith Alliance colleagues and film fans Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons and Alyssa Klein. Here are three key takeaways from the conversation that will resonate with ma...