It’s the final hours of 2023! As we prepare to turn the page to the New Year on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio program and podcast, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by a guest who uses skills honed as a successful entertainer to promote a deeply spiritual message.
“We have to move spirituality from the church and the yoga class and move it into the world where we’re using spiritual tools to relieve the suffering of others, to increase compassion and build community.” – Rainn Wilson
The last guest on The State of Belief this year is Emmy-award nominated actor, producer and author Rainn Wilson. Known to millions as Dwight on the hit series The Office, Rainn has gone on to roles in a long list of movies – but more relevant for us is the work he’s done in promoting open-hearted dialogue about what it means to be human, both with his media company and best-selling books like Soul Pancake: Chew on Life’s Big Questions, and Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution. Rainn also has a series on Peacock called The Geography of Bliss, and will soon be starting a podcast based on the ideas explored in Soul Boom.
Paul thinks that few people in America have done more for spirituality in our country than Rainn has, and the conversation ranges from how Rainn’s Baha’i faith informs his work, to his years as an Atheist, to how we need more Star Trek expressions of religion to complement our tendency toward Kung Fu expressions of religion, to where he finds hope for today.