This week State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, rings in the new year with a very special edition. First, Welton continues his annual New Year’s tradition of reflecting with Religion News Service editor-in-chief Kevin Eckstrom on the past year in religion and politics. Then, as Welton steps aside as president of Interfaith Alliance, he and State of Belief producer Ray Kirstein look back at his sixteen years at the organization and the changes he’s seen in the struggle for religious freedom.
A Look Back at 2014
From the rapid expansion of LGBT rights in America to the rise of ISIS in the Middle East, the surprising attempts at reforms in Catholic Church doctrine to a midterm election that muted the Religious Right, 2014 has been a fascinating and overwhelming year for religion. To help Welton parse all of these trends we’ll be joined by Kevin Eckstrom, editor-in-chief of Religion News Service. He and Welton will discuss some of the most important and most overlooked religion stories of 2014 and take a look ahead to the big stories we might expect in 2015. There’s no better way to start off your year than making sure you’re up-to-date on the religion news of the day!
Rev. Gaddy Reflects
At the end of the year Welton Gaddy retired as president of Interfaith Alliance, a position he’s held for sixteen years. On this week’s show, State of Belief producer Ray Kirstein will take a turn at the microphone to ask Welton to reflect on his tenure. Welton will share how he became inspired to take on this work, some of the greatest successes and toughest challenges religious freedom has seen in this time, and what Welton thinks the future will hold. You’ve listened to Welton speak on the air for years, but you’ve never heard him reflect like this – be sure to catch this important conversation.