Ray Kirstein
State of Belief Producer

Ray Kirstein

Ray Kirstein has served as producer for The State of Belief since 2010. That’s somewhere in the area of 750 episodes and counting. Previously, Ray held diverse positions in radio including production, program director, and announcer at several country music stations, and leadership roles at Sirius Satellite Radio and the Air America Radio Network. (He’s also worked for the State Department at one point but that’s still kind of hush-hush.)

This all began early in his life with helping his parents produce a Lithuanian-language radio program for expats in Ray’s hometown of Rochester, NY. (First time on the air? Age 3, reciting a poem as the easter bunny…) The experience of building community using the spoken word in that setting has been a component of every job on his resumé – and nowhere more so than at Interfaith Alliance.

Ray’s been living in Germany since 2012, and loves being in nature, exploring new places in Europe, and telling everyone who will listen about how amazing his little dog is.

The Black Church and the Gutting of the Voting Rights Act with Rev. Thomas L. Bowen
State of Belief
May 9, 2026

The Black Church and the Gutting of the Voting Rights Act with Rev. Thomas L. Bowen

"DC's Pastor" weighs in on American democracy after SCOTUS dismissed the VRA, and the claims of the Presidential Commission on Anti-Christian Bias report.

The Catholic Response to Trump's Attacks on the Church with Dr. Anthea Butler and Rev. James Martin, SJ
State of Belief
May 2, 2026

The Catholic Response to Trump's Attacks on the Church with Dr. Anthea Butler and Rev. James Martin, SJ

How the first American pope's fearless stance challenges Trump’s tactics—and what it means for us all in a time of values being challenged and papal authority being questioned for political gain.

All Are Neighbors: How Love Won at Baylor University
State of Belief
April 25, 2026

All Are Neighbors: How Love Won at Baylor University

A coalition of student groups at Baylor organized a celebration of diversity, inclusion and love (just across campus from a half-empty Turning Point USA event) that saw two prominent ordained LGBTQ+ leaders bring their full selves to the podium

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