Segments
This fall, a number of faith- and values-driven organizations have taken to the road, bringing a positive message to communities across the country aboard colorful, activist-filled buses. From the Nuns On The Bus & Friends Vote Our Future Tour, to the Revolutionary Love Tour, to the Faith & Democracy Tour, to the Vote Common Good Confronting Christian Nationalism Tour, to Interfaith Alliance’s own The Vote is Sacred Tour, a lot of face-to-face conversations are happening, and a lot of hope is being spread. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio program and podcast, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush checks in with some of these tours, and finds out what the conversations are sounding like across the country.
Valarie Kaur is just wrapping up a six-week stretch of the Revolutionary Love Bus Tour, part of a deeply spiritual and place-specific experience of community and a vision for a new level of connection. She and her crew took a break from singing while traversing the South to check in with The State of Belief.
Valarie reminds us of the power of hope: “Hold fast to those visions. Hold fast to what we are laboring for, even if we don’t live to see it in our lifetime. We know that we will have played our role for the next generation and that what they will inherit from this era will not be our trauma or our fear, but our courage born of joy.”
Rev. Doug Pagitt is no stranger to long and grueling bus tours, bringing the message of Vote Common Good. This election season, the focus is on confronting Christian Nationalism, and he, too, was in motion as he shared his reasons for this particular focus in 2024.
Doug echoes the importance of the election and voting, emphasizing the threat of Christian nationalism: “We have to find a way for democracy to counterbalance Christian nationalists, recognizing that they’re our neighbors, they’re in our churches, they’re in our schools, they’re coworkers. We have to have a more sophisticated and, frankly, a more democratic way of evolving our democracy.”
The sole non-bus participant in this roundup, Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez, describes the music-, wisdom-, and hope-laden gatherings organized by The Convocation Unscripted, under the banner of The Faith and Democracy Tour. She also updates Paul on her documentary film, For Our Daughters: Stories of Abuse, Betrayal, and Resistance in the Evangelical Church.
Kristin encourages us to embrace our role in the fight for justice and democracy: “This is not a time for cynicism, certainly not a time to give up or to feel hopeless. It’s a time to cut through all of the muddiness out there, all of the messages coming through, and just focus. This is who you are. This is what we believe, and this is what you can do.”
And Interfaith Alliance is pulling into traffic with The Vote is Sacred Bus Tour. The brainchild of Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, it brings members of the Interfaith Alliance team to a number of communities to encourage getting out the vote and to raise up the critical issue of voter protection.
Guthrie emphasizes the importance of community involvement: “I think it’s showing up and checking on your neighbors, checking on people that go to your house of worship… It’s making sure that it’s not just you and your vote that matters, but it’s also your role in encouraging everyone to exercise their right.”
The Mother Superior of all of these bus tours, the Nuns On the Bus & Friends Vote Our Future Tour, was featured on The State of Belief just a few weks ago.
Valarie Kaur is a renowned civil rights leader, lawyer, award-winning filmmaker, and author known for her visionary work in social justice and racial healing. As the founder of the Revolutionary Love Project, she leads movements on reclaiming love as a force for justice. Inspired by the loss of her family friend, Balbir Singh Sodhi as a result of hate violence in the aftermath of 9/11, Valarie has spearheaded campaigns on hate crimes, solitary confinement, and digital freedom.
Doug Pagitt is a social activist, author, and possibility enthusiast dedicated to enlisting people in the hopes and dreams of a more just world. As Co-founder and Executive Director of Vote Common Good, he mobilizes people of faith to engage in civic life. Drawing on his experience as a pastor, business owner, and consultant, Doug advises churches, nonprofits, and politicians nationwide on culture, leadership, and Progressive Evangelicalism.
Kristin Kobes Du Mez is the New York Times bestselling author of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation, and Professor of History and Gender Studies at Calvin University. She holds a PhD from the University of Notre Dame and her research focuses on the intersection of gender, religion, and politics. She has contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NBC News and has been featured on NPR, CBS, and the BBC.
Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons is the Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at Interfaith Alliance, where he leads efforts like the upcoming “The Vote is Sacred” Bus Tour. An ordained Baptist minister and a leading advocate at the intersection of religion and policy, Guthrie has dedicated his career to empowering faith communities to advance social justice and counter religious extremism.
