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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 explore who Wilson is, why he matters, and what his growing influence reveals about the kind of conservative religion gaining political power in this moment.
Podcast image for
Jeffrey Salkin
(RNS) — Jews, stop editing and curating your identities. The world needs you whole.
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
(RNS) — When the IRS shrugs at its own rules, what does that mean for churches, politics and the rest of us?
Podcast image for
Katelyn Beaty and Roxanne Stone
Katelyn and Roxy explore who Wilson is, why he matters, and what his growing influence reveals about the kind of conservative religion gaining political power in this moment.
Podcast image for
Jeffrey Salkin
(RNS) — Jews, stop editing and curating your identities. The world needs you whole.
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
(RNS) — When the IRS shrugs at its own rules, what does that mean for churches, politics and the rest of us?
Latest Episode
September 20, 2025
Nexus Project National Director Jonathan Jacoby joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush for an in-depth conversation about the weaponization of antisemitism in our country, and strategies for identifying, challenging, and disarming these and other instances of antisemitism.
Previous Episodes
Nexus Project National Director Jonathan Jacoby joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush for an in-depth conversation about the weaponization of antisemitism in our country, and strategies for identifying, challenging, and disarming these and other instances of antisemitism.
PLAY EPISODE
Host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush talks with American Library Association President Sam Helmick about the importance of libraries in community life and our democracy. The theme of Sam's presidency is "Our Stories Are Worth Sharing."
PLAY EPISODE
Free DC Executive Director Keya Chatterjee joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush for an in-depth look at the federal takeover of Washington, DC, and the implications for the nation's capital, other cities, and our democracy itself. She also shares the strategies Free DC is deploying with partner organizations to bring people together in non-violent but effective opposition.
PLAY EPISODE
“I wanted to know what they were saying when no one else was in the room” - Journalist and author Talia Lavin shares her experiences researching online right-wing extremism and Christian Nationalism with primary sources and undercover investigation.
PLAY EPISODE
Podcast image for
Katelyn Beaty and Roxanne Stone
Katelyn and Roxy explore who Wilson is, why he matters, and what his growing influence reveals about the kind of conservative religion gaining political power in this moment.
Podcast image for
Jeffrey Salkin
(RNS) — Jews, stop editing and curating your identities. The world needs you whole.
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
(RNS) — When the IRS shrugs at its own rules, what does that mean for churches, politics and the rest of us?
Podcast image for
Katelyn Beaty and Roxanne Stone
Katelyn and Roxy explore who Wilson is, why he matters, and what his growing influence reveals about the kind of conservative religion gaining political power in this moment.
Podcast image for
Jeffrey Salkin
(RNS) — Jews, stop editing and curating your identities. The world needs you whole.
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
(RNS) — When the IRS shrugs at its own rules, what does that mean for churches, politics and the rest of us?