The State Of Belief

Is the chaos of today’s American politics accidental? Not at all, according to Protect Democracy Executive Director Ian Bassin. This week, he tells host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush about the seven-point playbook of modern authoritarians - and how to counter it. Ian also describes the three "d" strategy to attack democracy: Deceive, Disrupt, and Deny. He also shares a Protect Democracy resource for understanding and defeating this strategy, the Executive Override Report, available at protectdemocracy.org/DDD

August 11th is National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, and the website Powerthepolls.org contains a wealth of information about getting involved, hands-on, in our electoral system – and our democracy.

More about Ian Bassin

You may recognize Ian’s name from a powerful Ted Talk titled, How to spot authoritarianism — and choose democracy. He’s a former White House counsel and 2023 MacArthur Fellow, and Founder and Executive Director of Protect Democracy, which works to defeat authoritarian tactics and build a stronger, fairer democracy.

Protect Democracy partnered with Interfaith Alliance to produce a moving series of advertisements promoting the message “Choose Love, Not Ice”, and the article co-authored by Ian Bassin and Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is titled, We Need A New Great Awakening.
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It’s easy to look at the Trump White House and say, "It's not like it used to be.” But this week, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush welcomes Peter Maer, a journalist who covered every president from Carter to Obama and brings a first-person account of how things really were… And how they appear to be now.

Peter served as a network White House correspondent from 1977 to 1995. His new memoir is titled, Chasing the Story: A Reporter's Journey to the White House. Peter recalls how religion was expressed in past presidencies, and isn’t shy to share his impressions of the current administration’s fraught relationship with the press.

More About Peter Maer
Journalist Peter Maer first reported on the American presidency for Mutual Radio in 1977. He later served as White House correspondent for NBC radio, and from 1998 until retiring in 2015 Peter was CBS Radio News White House correspondent. His tenure spans the terms of presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, and Obama.

In those 29 years he also covered every presidential campaign, convention, and election from 1980 through 2012, earning five Merriman Smith Awards from the White House Correspondents' Association.

The State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance.
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AI is all around us – and you've probably been affected by both the hype and the scaremongering. The fact is, harnessing it for the good is as much a question of ethics and intentionality as it is of technology. That’s according to technologist, entrepreneur, and best-selling author Cheryl Contee. This week, we get into AI's role for nonprofits, faith communities, and ethical AI training, as well as AI’s potential to revolutionize healthcare, education, and longevity. Cheryl stresses the role of religious leaders and faith communities navigating AI’s influence, including Pope Leo’s call to “disarm artificial intelligence.”

This episode is about as timely as any we have ever produced.

More about Cheryl Contee:

Cheryl Contee is an author, investor, and entrepreneur, as well as a leading expert on real-life applications for artificial intelligence. Cheryl is currently Chief Innovation Officer at Brightworks.ai, Senior Advisor to PosterChild.ai and Changeagent.ai. She's the co-author of the best-selling book AI for Nonprofits: Putting Artificial Intelligence to Work for Your Cause.

The State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance.
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This weekend, July 17-19th, people across this country are carrying on the legacy of the late civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis, who famously called the work of justice “making good trouble.” It’s the “Good Trouble Lives On” Weekend of Action, and historian David Greenberg, author of the authoritative biography John Lewis: A Life, joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush on The State of Belief.

Challenges that Rep. Lewis faced as a civil rights activist are reemerging like never before - and the lessons of his activism can help guide us forward today.

On Thursday, July 16th, Senator Alex Padilla, along with the coalition Faithful Democracy, convened an interfaith roundtable discussion on protecting elections and voting rights to commemorate the legacy of Congressman John Lewis, six years after his passing.

We start the show with just a few minutes from this historic event, which brought together diverse leaders and a total of ten sitting members of the US Senate.

More about David Greenberg:

Dr. David Greenberg is a historian, author, and journalist who focuses on U.S. political history, the presidency, media, and public opinion. He is a professor of history, and journalism and media studies at Rutgers University, and among his books is a comprehensive biography of the late congressman and civil rights icon, John Lewis.

The State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance.
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Have you noticed how faith and belief have been showing up on one of the biggest stages in sports? From prayer circles to Islamic sujood, religion is shining bright at the World Cup. Religion News Service’s Madhiha Anis wrote about the various expressions of faith and belief on the global stage in an article headlined "From Christian Prayer Circles to Sujood, Religion Is All Over the 2026 World Cup." She joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush to explore her observations.

It's striking how these rituals aren’t just rituals—they’re powerfully real expressions of identity and hope. It’s a reminder that behind every goal, there’s a person carrying their beliefs, their culture, their whole self into the match.

Also with us: RNS National Reporter Jack Jenkins , with his take on the Cup as well as how religion is influencing our political debates, particularly around the anniversary of America’s 250th year and during midterm elections.
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