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
Jonathan Woodward
Roxy and Katelyn grew up in the white evangelical American heartland and were warned moving to NYC would be dangerous to their faith. Wrong.
Podcast image for
Jeffrey Salkin
(RNS) — A new documentary and podcast ask the question: When is it enough?
Podcast image for
Jonathan Woodward
With a mix of humor and thoughtfulness, hosts Tom Levinson and Amber Hacker tackle taboo topics and uncover the secrets to a more meaningful relationship with money.
Podcast image for
Jonathan Woodward
Amanda and Amy dive into the complex relationship between land ownership and belonging in the U.S., drawing on biblical interpretations. Amanda emphasized the significance of land in shaping political and religious beliefs, while Amy offered nuanced interpretations of the Hebrew Bible, revealing how it has been used to justify land ownership and extraction.
Podcast image for
Jonathan Woodward
Roxy and Katelyn grew up in the white evangelical American heartland and were warned moving to NYC would be dangerous to their faith. Wrong.
Podcast image for
Jeffrey Salkin
(RNS) — A new documentary and podcast ask the question: When is it enough?
Podcast image for
Jonathan Woodward
With a mix of humor and thoughtfulness, hosts Tom Levinson and Amber Hacker tackle taboo topics and uncover the secrets to a more meaningful relationship with money.
Podcast image for
Jonathan Woodward
Amanda and Amy dive into the complex relationship between land ownership and belonging in the U.S., drawing on biblical interpretations. Amanda emphasized the significance of land in shaping political and religious beliefs, while Amy offered nuanced interpretations of the Hebrew Bible, revealing how it has been used to justify land ownership and extraction.
Latest Episode
September 24, 2024
PLAY EPISODE
State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush talks with leaders of Interfaith Alliance affiliates in Southwest Florida, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania about their work bringing together people of diverse beliefs around shared values and vision for their communities
PLAY EPISODE
Previous Episodes
State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush talks with leaders of Interfaith Alliance affiliates in Southwest Florida, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania about their work bringing together people of diverse beliefs around shared values and vision for their communities
PLAY EPISODE
Host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush talks with Dr. Robert P. Jones, founder and president of the Public Religion Research Institute, which has just released the incredibly detailed Census of American Religion. Robby's latest book, "The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future" has just been released in paperback with a new afterword.
PLAY EPISODE
Host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush talks with religion historian Dr. Randall Balmer, professor at Dartmouth and author of the book "Saving Faith: How American Christianity Can Reclaim Its Prophetic Voice"
PLAY EPISODE
State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush talks with Brenda Wineapple, whose new book "Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial That Riveted a Nation" recounts the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, eerily similar to battles over books and what can be taught today.
PLAY EPISODE
Podcast image for
Jonathan Woodward
Roxy and Katelyn grew up in the white evangelical American heartland and were warned moving to NYC would be dangerous to their faith. Wrong.
Podcast image for
Jeffrey Salkin
(RNS) — A new documentary and podcast ask the question: When is it enough?
Podcast image for
Jonathan Woodward
With a mix of humor and thoughtfulness, hosts Tom Levinson and Amber Hacker tackle taboo topics and uncover the secrets to a more meaningful relationship with money.
Podcast image for
Jonathan Woodward
Amanda and Amy dive into the complex relationship between land ownership and belonging in the U.S., drawing on biblical interpretations. Amanda emphasized the significance of land in shaping political and religious beliefs, while Amy offered nuanced interpretations of the Hebrew Bible, revealing how it has been used to justify land ownership and extraction.
Podcast image for
Jonathan Woodward
Roxy and Katelyn grew up in the white evangelical American heartland and were warned moving to NYC would be dangerous to their faith. Wrong.
Podcast image for
Jeffrey Salkin
(RNS) — A new documentary and podcast ask the question: When is it enough?
Podcast image for
Jonathan Woodward
With a mix of humor and thoughtfulness, hosts Tom Levinson and Amber Hacker tackle taboo topics and uncover the secrets to a more meaningful relationship with money.
Podcast image for
Jonathan Woodward
Amanda and Amy dive into the complex relationship between land ownership and belonging in the U.S., drawing on biblical interpretations. Amanda emphasized the significance of land in shaping political and religious beliefs, while Amy offered nuanced interpretations of the Hebrew Bible, revealing how it has been used to justify land ownership and extraction.