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The State of Belief
The State of Belief
Every week, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush hosts lively, funny and poignant conversations with inspiring religious and civic leaders, as well as artists and activists from across the country. Listeners get a potent mix of spiritual wisdom, political strategy, and hopeful commentary from national and local leaders who are rising up to meet this urgent moment in America. With the tagline, “Where Religion and Democracy Meet,” State of Belief is a celebration of our nation’s diversities and an invitation to join together to, in the words of the great James Baldwin, “achieve our country.”
Meet the Host
Paul Brandeis Raushenbush
Paul Brandeis Raushenbush
Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance. An ordained Baptist minister, Paul has been a leader in the interfaith movement to protect freedom and preserve democracy. As the great-grandson of the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis and great-grandson of Baptist theologian Walter Rauschenbusch, a key figure in the Social Gospel movement, Paul’s commitment to interfaith advocacy comes in part from his own interfaith background. Prior to coming to Interfaith Alliance, Paul has served as senior vice president of the Auburn Seminary, the founding and executive editor of HuffPost Religion, associate dean of religious life and the chapel at Princeton University, and a founding editor of Beliefnet.com. Most recently, he was the senior advisor for public affairs and innovation at Interfaith America.

Before hosting State of Belief, Paul was the host of Huffington Post’s podcast “All Together” where he interviewed guests as diverse as President Jimmy Carter, Patti Smith, RuPaul, Bishop T.D. Jakes, and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Paul speaks about religious diversity and the importance of inclusive religious liberty at colleges, churches and institutes around the country including The Chautauqua Institute, the Center for American Progress, the New America Foundation and the Aspen Institute. He is regularly invited to offer commentary on issues of religion and society on national television and radio including a repeated guest on CNN, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, NPR, Al Jazeera, and BBC.
Podcast image for
Katelyn Beaty and Roxanne Stone
Katelyn and Roxy examine the impulse to elevate paid work to sacred calling — how it has served us and how it has hurt us.
Podcast image for
Jeffrey Salkin
What we are experiencing is not new. It goes back to Peter Stuyvesant.
Podcast image for
Amber Hacker and Tom Levinson
A former CEO of 10 public companies talks about the work and joy of giving.
Podcast image for
Rev. Amanda Henderson
COMPLEXIFIED (RNS) — If religion is fading, why are Bible sales hitting 20-year highs?
Podcast image for
Katelyn Beaty and Roxanne Stone
Katelyn and Roxy examine the impulse to elevate paid work to sacred calling — how it has served us and how it has hurt us.
Podcast image for
Jeffrey Salkin
What we are experiencing is not new. It goes back to Peter Stuyvesant.
Podcast image for
Amber Hacker and Tom Levinson
A former CEO of 10 public companies talks about the work and joy of giving.
Podcast image for
Rev. Amanda Henderson
COMPLEXIFIED (RNS) — If religion is fading, why are Bible sales hitting 20-year highs?
Latest Episode
November 22, 2025
Dr. Maria J. Stephan, co-lead and chief organizer at The Horizons Project, joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush to discuss the pressing issues of authoritarianism, democracy, and the vital role of faith in social movements.
Previous Episodes
Dr. Maria J. Stephan, co-lead and chief organizer at The Horizons Project, joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush to discuss the pressing issues of authoritarianism, democracy, and the vital role of faith in social movements.
PLAY EPISODE
Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush to discuss his latest book, "America's Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State", about a foundational – and increasingly endangered – American principle. He highlights the historical roots of this separation, the modern threat of religious majoritarianism, and the need for courageous, hopeful action to protect true religious freedom.
PLAY EPISODE
Host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush talks with Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman about the organization's successful court challenges to unconstitutional administration actions. Paul also talks with Rev. Rachel Griffin-Allison, Senior Pastor at Oak Lawn United Methodist Church in Dallas.
PLAY EPISODE
Host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush welcomes Scott Carter, the creator, executive producer, and host of the "Ye Gods" podcast. Scott explores faith, beliefs, and values with a diverse list of interesting guests and no judgement and no agenda.
PLAY EPISODE
Podcast image for
Katelyn Beaty and Roxanne Stone
Katelyn and Roxy examine the impulse to elevate paid work to sacred calling — how it has served us and how it has hurt us.
Podcast image for
Jeffrey Salkin
What we are experiencing is not new. It goes back to Peter Stuyvesant.
Podcast image for
Amber Hacker and Tom Levinson
A former CEO of 10 public companies talks about the work and joy of giving.
Podcast image for
Rev. Amanda Henderson
COMPLEXIFIED (RNS) — If religion is fading, why are Bible sales hitting 20-year highs?
Podcast image for
Katelyn Beaty and Roxanne Stone
Katelyn and Roxy examine the impulse to elevate paid work to sacred calling — how it has served us and how it has hurt us.
Podcast image for
Jeffrey Salkin
What we are experiencing is not new. It goes back to Peter Stuyvesant.
Podcast image for
Amber Hacker and Tom Levinson
A former CEO of 10 public companies talks about the work and joy of giving.
Podcast image for
Rev. Amanda Henderson
COMPLEXIFIED (RNS) — If religion is fading, why are Bible sales hitting 20-year highs?