The State Of Belief

In times of conflict and division, we all look for inspiration in different places. And for so many, it’s faith and spirituality that sustains us, drawing us closer to community and helping us to find meaning even when the world around us feels hopeless. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush speaks with Rabbi Shar...

A critical election year is already in full swing, and faith communities have an important role to play to help protect democracy. Yet some communities are suffering extreme polarization in the face of the Israel-Hamas conflict, while others struggle with the ongoing threat of Christian nationalist propaganda. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, R...

The new year presents a chance to reflect on significant issues for our society and democracy. In this election year, and on the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, we reflect on democratic ideals and the challenges that still lie ahead, especially as threats like Christian nationalism put our democracy at risk. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and...

It’s the final hours of 2023! As we prepare to turn the page to the New Year on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio program and podcast, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by a guest who uses skills honed as a successful entertainer to promote a deeply spiritual message. "We have to move spirituality from the church and the yoga class and move it into the world where...

It may feel like there's little to laugh about these days... But the fact is, seeking out joy and amusement is even more important when things seem grin. This key to emotional resilience is just one part of the ground we cover on this week’s The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, as host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush welcomes Rev. Susan Sparks, who says her miss...

Religious freedom is measured by how free individuals are to pursue minority beliefs... And that measure is particularly noteworthy for the freedom to follow an entirely secular set of values. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush talks with Gary McLelland of Humanist International, and Nicole Carr of the American Huma...

House Speaker Mike Johnson comparing himself to Moses while describing his divine call to the third most powerful office in the land stood out even as he accepted the National Association of Christian Lawmakers’ American Patriot Award for Christian Honor and Courage. How can leaders prioritize democracy for all when their overt fealty is to a fundamentalist vision of a Christian nation? That’s the...

The 2024 election campaign is taking shape - and the way different tactics worked or didn't work to impact the 2023 vote can help us predict what's coming next November. In particular, understanding how religion shapes politics at the national and local levels is more important now than ever. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, Rev. Paul Brandeis...

During the holiday season we tend to reflect on the past year, remembering the difficult times and giving thanks for the courage to move forward into the next season with hopeful joy. In the story of the raising of Lazarus, we are confronted with what it means to leave behind what holds us back and embrace new life. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podc...

In today’s digital age, people find themselves immersed in a vast ocean of media. From scrolling through social media feeds to streaming videos and engaging with the 24-hour news cycle, the consumption of media has become an integral aspect of daily life. Imagine a world where the majority of the content consumed is designed to foster empathy, challenge hate, and promote inclusivity. Media, when w...

There are so many ways to lean into living authentically and celebrating the moments that bring us the most joy, especially in times when our world seems dark. And that can provide the resilience we all need to handle the dark part. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush celebrates Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Light, w...

The last several decades have seen the parallel rise of both evangelicalism and white nationalism in our mainstream media and politics. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush looks at disturbing trends revealed in the annual Public Religion Research Institute American Values Survey, and delves into ways the religio...

Over the past few years, a coordinated national censorship campaign – with deep ties to the Christian nationalist movement – is targeting books about and awareness of minority faiths and ethnicities, LGBTQ+ identity, racism, and history. Thankfully, people of faith and conscience are organizing in their communities and taking a stand for our freedom to read. This week on The State of Belief, Inter...

In the days since the outbreak of brutal violence in Israel and Gaza, communities across the country and around the world have been drawn into conflict, grief, and uncertainty. Even before the violence started, religiously-motivated hate crimes in America had spiked, reaching their highest levels since 2001 – and we’re seeing how current events in the Middle East have already contributed to a conc...

The horrifying attack on the United States Capitol on January 6 has forced us to reckon with the fact that the greatest threats to our democracy can come from within. In particular, the insurrection’s unmistakable links to religious extremism have demonstrated the urgency of bolstering our core democratic values in all of our communities. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s wee...

Across faith and place, Americans know that religious and cultural diversity is one of our nation’s greatest strengths. It is because of our beliefs, not in spite of them, that we are committed to building a country where all people are valued and can live with full dignity and respect. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we’ll discuss how to achi...

Since 2021, a coordinated campaign to censor certain literature, curricula, and ideas has spread like wildfire across American public schools and libraries. The growing movement to ban books has found startling success, and authors and characters representing marginalized communities – including minority faiths – have been disproportionately singled out. As we mark the start of the annual Banned B...

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 t...

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-Sta...

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...

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 Berkele...

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 we...

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 – t...

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 Conscien...

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...