Latest Show April 19, 2014 – Easter, Passover, and A Nun on the Bus

State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, wishes all those celebrating this week a happy holiday! On this show, we’ll bring you the latest from several leading religious activists. Sister Simone Campbell joins us again to reflect on her great work with Nuns on the Bus, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield gives us his perspective on Passover and the President of American Atheists lets us in on the activism his organization has taken up to make America more inclusive to the secular community.

A Nun on the Bus
Skeptics may have thought, and their opponents may have hoped, that the Nuns on the Bus would be a short-lived movement for social change and justice, but Sister Simone Campbell and NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby have proven indefatigable. This week, Welton has the privilege of discussing with Sister Simone her new book, A Nun on the Bus: How All of Us Can Create Hope, Change, and Community. Tune in for this exciting update from one of today’s titans of religious activism.

American Atheists At Easter: A Preview of a Conference in Salt Lake City
Next, Welton checks in with a growing group of Americans too often overlooked during this holiday season. David Silverman is the president of American Atheists, an organization committed to the separation of church and state and the inclusion of Atheists in American public life. As the organization hosts its national convention this weekend, David shares his thoughts on the role that American Atheists plays in our nation’s religious and political discourse, as well as the challenges of personal relationships between people of faith and no faith.

Of Peeps and Pesach: A Rabbi Shares His Thoughts For This Passover
Finally, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield from CLAL – The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership – will offer some reflections on the Passover holiday. What significance does Passover play in the Jewish community? What is its important role in Jewish social justice work and communal life? And, perhaps, Welton will try to coax Rabbi Hirschfield into sharing his thoughts on the recent blockbuster, “Noah.” Don’t miss this chance to wind your Passover down with a thoughtful and accomplished Jewish scholar.

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Latest News

Easter, Passover, and A Nun on the Bus: Next State of Belief!

By Ray Kirstein on April 18, 2014

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Here’s what’s coming up this weekend on State of Belief Radio:

If Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK, wrote a book, what should she call it? Well she has, it’s out, and the title is exactly what it should be: A Nun on the Bus: How All Of Us Can Create Hope, Change, and Community – and she’ll be here to tell us about it.

Also, David Silverman, President of American Atheists. We’ll talk about their national convention – as well as the special challenges of personal relationships between people of faith and of no faith.

And we’ll get some thoughts for Passover from Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, President of Clal, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership.

Follow us on Facebook for updates and bulletins – and be sure to tune in! Here’s how to listen.

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No More Bullying; the Bible and the Box Office; and the Lessons of Salem – Next State of Belief!

By Ray Kirstein on April 9, 2014

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Here’s what’s coming up this weekend on State of Belief Radio:

Friday, April 11th is the student-led Day of Silence, with LGBTQ students and allies expressing their concern for victims of bullying and bias. This weekend, we’ll talk to Idit Klein, Executive Director of Keshet, which is working along with a number of other faith-based organizations to call for passage of the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act.

Also, the rising tide of religion-themed major motion pictures. We’ll discuss the trend in general, and the recent Son of God in particular, with retired Episcopal Bishop – and avid film buff – Gene Robinson.

And Marilynne K. Roach, author of the book Six Women of Salem: The Untold Story of the Accused and Their Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials. Has all that much changed in human nature in the three centuries since that shameful episode in American history?

Follow us on Facebook for updates and bulletins – and be sure to tune in! Here’s how to listen.

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What’s a Revangelical? Moral Mondays Expand, and Noah’s Number One – Next State of Belief!

By Ray Kirstein on April 4, 2014

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Here’s what’s coming up this weekend on State of Belief Radio:

Everybody’s talking about the movie that opened at #1 last weekend: “Noah.” Fundamentalists aren’t happy with the non-biblical aspects of the story. Some secularists are wary of a surge in religion-themed films. One thing’s for sure: When the film’s writer and co-executive producer Ari Handel joins Welton on our next show, you can bet the questions aren’t going to be the same ones the Hollywood magazines have been asking!

Also, we don’t know if World Vision, the global Christian charity, hired anybody who’s in a same-gender marriage during the two days a new employment policy was in effect – before a rabid right-wing backlash (and the loss of an estimated 10,000 donors) pushed the issue right back into the closet. The events certainly demonstrated the political power of conservative Evangelicals who demanded their followers abandon the charity – and the poor children it helps. But might doesn’t always make right – as the young founder of the “Revangelical” movement, Brandan Robertson, writes in a much-quoted column on the website Red Letter Christians. Brandan will be on the show to talk about the alienating effects of the culture wars on young people of faith.

And the Moral Mondays movement, born in North Carolina, have expanded to include states like Georgia. This weekend, Welton talks to the Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, Senior Pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Dr. Warnock was one of the faith leaders arrested at a recent Moral Monday protest, and will be on the show to talk about leading a congregation where Martin Luther King, Jr. was once pastor. It only makes sense that the struggle for justice continues to find a home in this historic congregation – and in this historic city.

Follow us on Facebook for updates and bulletins – and be sure to tune in! Here’s how to listen.

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