COVID-19 is fundamentally changing the ways that our communities work, learn and worship. However, what has not changed is the need to speak out against the Religious Right’s attacks on the safety and wellbeing of minority communities. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we’ll look into ways that we can combat attempts to promote dangerous and divisive legislation – while a deadly pandemic rightfully distracts many.
Religious freedom — and with it, church-state separation — are the bedrock of our society. However, it is crucial to understand that one’s freedom can be curtailed when it harms the livelihood of another. Andrew H. Warren, state attorney for Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial District, will join State of Belief host Rev. Welton Gaddy to discuss how he responded when megachurch pastor Rodney Howard-Browne refused to follow lifesaving government-imposed guidelines under the guise of religious beliefs.
This past Tuesday was the International Transgender Day of Visibility. Unfortunately, it was a somber one, as just the day before Idaho Governor Bill Little signed two horrifically transphobic bills into law. Welton will sit down with Harper Jean Tobin — an attorney and director of policy at the National Center for Transgender Equality — to discuss this legislation and what it will take to counter it.
As this global pandemic unfolds, increasing numbers of congregations and worshippers are moving online to platforms such as Zoom, Skype, and Facebook Live. A new, more one-on-one approach, the Virtual Pastor Network, has just been launched by the Online Faith Collective. Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen, executive director of Parity, the sponsor of the network, will join Welton to discuss this new and innovative resource.
In this time of social isolation, do you know someone who would benefit from hearing the thoughtful, inclusive conversations we offer? Please share State of Belief with them!
