Forward with Bishop William Barber II

Since 2006, Interfaith Alliance's wekly radio show and podcast State of Belief has brought lively and impactful discussions to the homes of Americans across faith and place. Even after more than two decades, there is nothing on the airwaves like State of Belief: our conversations with inspiring leaders illuminate the path to securing equal rights for people from every background and protecting our democracy. The host is Interfaith Alliance President Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush. We owe so much of what State of Belief is today to the founder of the show, the Rev. Dr. Welton Gaddy, who from the very beginning brought his wisdom, spiritual depth, and love of people to every show. Our friend Welton died this week in his home in Louisiana. He was a giant in the interfaith world, as well as a beloved local Baptist pastor, and there is no replacing him. Our goal is to honor his legacy and continue his great work through the ongoing mission of Interfaith Alliance and State of Belief. It is perhaps fitting, then, that today Interfaith Alliance is proud to launch a new partnership with Religion News Service, the go-to source of global news on religion, to distribute State of Belief. We join the growing family of podcasts available through RNS, including Saved by the City and Martini Judaism. By teaming up with Religion News Service, we have an exciting opportunity to reach new listeners across the nation. We’re thrilled to welcome a very special inaugural guest to kick off our exciting collaboration on June 10, 2023: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, president of Repairers of the Breach, and professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy and founding director of the Center for Public Theology & Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. Bishop Barber is a leading prophetic voice for social and economic justice in this country. A powerful public speaker, legendary organizer, teacher and author, he’s a very sought after interview guest – and we're thrilled to have him with us on this week’s show talking about his work, and his insights for what’s needed from American public religion at such a time as this. We’ll be sharing more updates about our new partnership in the weeks ahead. We hope you’ll join us on this new journey. Subscribe right now at via Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or at http://www.stateofbelief.com/newpodcast.