This weekend on State of Belief, hear from the woman who challenged a local elected official to throw a stone at her, and find out what one activist views as the most effective way to defend civil rights against attacks that hide behind the language of faith. Also, don’t miss part three of our Prophetic Vision for a New Year series; and get an insider’s perspective on one of the most influential religion commentary and news websites. Download Icon

Casting Stones
Earlier this month, when a Shreveport, LA council member introduced his measure to repeal a new non-discrimination ordinance, Pamela Raintree, a transgender woman, used Leviticus – and a big ole rock – to deflate his attempt at “Bible-based” lawmaking. The video of Pamela’s challenge has been all over the internet making her a LGBT rock star. She joins Welton this week to explain what happened and why she spoke up.

Equality in Welton’s Home State of Louisiana
A lot of the credit for Shreveport, Louisiana’s non-discrimination ordinance protecting LGBT persons goes to the Louisiana Forum for Equality Foundation, and its tireless executive board chair, John Denison. John talks with Welton this week about the work the forum has done and what he finds to be the most effective way to defend civil rights against attacks that hide behind the language of faith.

A Prophetic Vision for a New Year Part Three: The Rev. Michael Ellick
On this week’s installment of “A Prophetic Vision for a New Year,” Welton talks to the Rev. Michael Ellick about his efforts to engage new generations of people while staying true to the timeless tenets of his faith’s core teachings, and why he thinks the gospel is more relevant today than ever. Rev. Ellick is a young, dynamic faith leader who helps lead a dizzying variety of spiritual and social programs at Judson Memorial Church in New York City. His ministry centers around the pursuit of new theological forms for expressing the truths of the Gospel in what he calls the “post-Christian world.”

On Faith
As OnFaith – the influential religion commentary and news website – re-launches over at FaithStreet.com, Welton talks with OnFaith founder Sally Quinn about what it’s going to take for Americans to understand how much of our public policy and our daily lives are affected by religion.  An old friend and past recipient of the Interfaith Alliance “Faith and Freedom” award, she has worked for years to raise awareness of the role of religion and recently wrote about her experiences launching (and re-launching) OnFaith.

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State of Belief would like to acknowledge the partnership of Auburn Seminary and the support of the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation in New York for the conversation with the Rev. Michael Ellick on this week’s show, a part of a month of conversations with faith leaders most likely to frame the critical justice debates of 2014.

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