Segments
Meeting with 1,000 conservative evangelicals on Tuesday, Donald Trump questioned the religious beliefs of Hillary Clinton and vowed to let churches endorse from the pulpit. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s radio show and podcast, our host Rev. Welton Gaddy will get a perspective on the “Trumpvangelicals” from Sarah Posner, an investigative reporter at the intersection of religion and politics. Dr. Martin Copenhaver, president of Andover Newton Theological School, will update Welton on the latest efforts to push for real action on gun violence. Finally, evangelical LGBT activist Brandan Robertson will be on the show to discuss his new book, Nomad: A Spirituality for Traveling Light.
The Religious Right Falls in Line for Trump
Presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump met with the leading lights of the conservative Christian movement this week in New York. Event moderator Mike Huckabee called it a “seminal moment and the turning point” for Trump’s run for the White House. To help make sense of the gathering, Welton will speak with journalist Sarah Posner, author of God’s Profits: Faith, Fraud and the Republican Crusade for Values Voters. She’ll discuss Trump’s attacks on Hillary Clinton’s religion and whether or not he truly believes that there is a lack of religious freedom in the United States. CLICK HERE FOR EXTENDED INTERVIEW AND TRANSCRIPT
Congressional Sit-In Puts Spotlight on Gun Violence
Led by civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis, Democrats engaged in an unprecedented sit-in on the House floor this week – garnering widespread attention, but no vote. Dr. Martin Copenhaver, president of Andover Newton Theological School and author of numerous books, will discuss the latest efforts to break the deadlock on firearm policies in this country. Last October, he organized a two-day summit, Subverting the Gospel of Guns, that brought together faith and political leaders and activists to tackle the life-or-death issue of gun violence.
New Book on Traveling Light, Spiritually
In the past couple of years, Brandan Robertson has emerged as a leading voice for including LGBT people in the life of Evangelical Christianity. Brandan is freshly back a UK speaking tour for his new book, Nomad: A Spirituality for Traveling Light. The initial publishing deal for the book was canceled after Brandan was outed as gay. Welton will ask him about the book’s path to publication as well as what it means to travel light, spiritually.