Segments
This weekend on State of Belief, Welton takes a deep look at the struggle for LGBT rights at home and abroad. The Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown of the NAACP will share his important work organizing American clergy to combat anti-gay laws in Africa, and Rev. Jimmy Creech reflects on his experience fighting for LGBT equality in the United Methodist Church over 10 years ago. Finally, Sarah Posner joins Welton again to discuss the goings-on at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference. 
From Selma to Kampala: Bringing Dr. King’s Legacy to the Struggle in Uganda
Welton will welcome back an old friend of the show, the Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown, the president of the San Francisco branch of the NAACP and longtime pastor at Third Baptist Church. Rev. Brown will share his journey from his days as a student of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Morehouse College to the fight he wages today against the anti-gay influence of the Religious Right in Africa. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about this tragic issue from an incredibly inspiring speaker – and tune in to find out how you and your congregation can get involved.
Bringing us Back to CPAC: Sarah Posner Reports
Every year, the Conservative Political Action Conference provides us with plenty of bewildering claims about the state of religion and politics in America and – as veteran journalist Sarah Posner will share – this year is no different. She and Welton will discuss the sentiments behind a perceived “threat” to Christianity in America, captured in the recent film “Persecuted,” and how that mentality is likely to inform the political campaigns that are coming later this year.
When the Trouble in the Methodist Church Began: Rev. Jimmy Creech Remembers
He may have lost his collar over a decade ago, but Rev. Jimmy Creech’s work to fully include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in the United Methodist Church may finally be coming to fruition. Rev. Creech will join Welton this week to remember the events that inspired him to take that initial stand for equality — his decision to perform a same-sex union ceremony even though it cost him his job. No one is better equipped to analyze the significance of this week’s news that a Methodist Bishop has decided not to pursue a trial against the Rev. Thomas Ogletree for officiating at a same-gender marriage.
Welton Wishes His Brother a Happy Anniversary
Welton takes a moment out of this week’s show to wish a happy anniversary to a man he is proud to call brother: Pope Francis. This week marks the end of Pope Francis’ first year in office, and what a year it’s been. Welton shares his thoughts on and admiration for Pope Francis and the work he has done in the Catholic Church, and reflects on the historical relationship between the Catholic Church and Welton’s own Baptist background.
Dr. Ben Carson and the Gestapo State
Finally, Welton takes on Dr. Ben Carson of the Neurologist Tea Party and his recent nightmarish comparison of American political discourse to Nazi Germany. A Gestapo state where free speech is suppressed? This guy can’t seem to stop talking! He criticized the president to his face at the National Prayer Breakfast, has appeared at two successive CPACs, but still can’t shake a sense of desperate victimhood. Well, we’ll give him a hand.
