State of Belief
Changemakers at the DNC
Throughout the week of the Democratic National Convention, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush and the Interfaith Alliance team were all over Chicago for events, discussions and meet-ups, representing the views of a powerful movement of people of diverse faiths and beliefs across the country.
On this week’s The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance's weekly radio program and podcast, we’re excited to share audio from a wide range of conversations and speakers that Paul met up with in Chicago. In the first portion of the program, you'll hear Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, the venerable academic, author and minister who spoke alongside Paul at a panel discussion about the boundaries between religion and government.
Next up, it's Paul’s conversations with two dynamic Members of Congress – Civil rights attorney Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, and Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont, the first openly LGBTQ person and the first woman to represent her state in the House of Representatives.
Journalist and writer Katherine Stewart, author of the essential book The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, spoke with Paul about the strategies Christian nationalists are poised to deploy in the 2024 election season.
In the final portion of this special episode, you'll hear exclusive excerpts from “Promise 2025” – a meet-up of faith leaders attending the DNC, organized in part by Interfaith Alliance and reported on in USA Today. At the event, leaders from across the religious spectrum joined together to claim religious diversity as an asset to the future of our democracy, and to discuss ways to organize the faith and interfaith community to support fair elections and the peaceful transfer of power. The excerpts include some thoughts from Paul, as well as Rev. Frederick Davie, Union Theological Seminary; Rev. Jen Butler, Faith Forward; Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, Bend the Arc; and Rev. Doug Pagitt, Vote Common Good.
Please share this episode with one person who would enjoy hearing this conversation, and thank you for listening!
Transcript
Courage in Community: Minnesota Faith Leaders Respond to ICE Crisis
Host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush talks with four Minnesota faith leaders on the ground defending their communities against ICE attacks: Rev. Susie Hayward, Rev. Dr. Rebecca Voelkel, Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs, and Rev. Dr. Jia Starr Brown.
Dancing with the Divine: Exploring Religious Freedom in 'The Testament of Ann Lee'
Host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by Interfaith Alliance colleagues Alyssa Klein and Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons to discuss religious freedom in America today through the lens of a new film celebrating the history of the Shaker faith in this country, "The Testament of Ann Lee." Religious Freedom Day is January 16th.
What Happened? Top Religion News Stories of 2025 with RNS, and Looking Ahead to 2026
Religion News Service reporters Adele Banks and Jack Jenkins reflect on a pivotal year in which faith communities played a visible role in responding to political, social, and economic upheaval, from immigration advocacy to support for federal workers and marginalized groups.