Deception of many different kinds is a pervasive problem in the church today. The problem with deception, of course, is that people rarely know when they're being deceived. In this episode, I talk about some of the most pressing examples of deception in the church with pastor Jack Hibbs based on his new book, Living in the Daze of Deception: How to…

Culture has gone through an enormous shift in the last few years, and raising kids with a confident faith is more challenging than ever. Today I talk with Dr. Jeff Myers about the biggest faith challenges today and how parents (and grandparents!) should respond. Dr. Jeff is the president of Summit Ministries and is one of America’s most respected a…

Today I'm featuring the work of a very important organization that every Christian should know about: Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). ADF is one of the leading Christian law firms committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, marriage and family, parental rights, and the sanctity of life. Ryan Bangert, Senior VP at ADF, joins me to talk…

Nationwide, there has been a noticeable uptick in swatting cases, negatively impacting the safety and security of high-profile public servants and law enforcement agencies. In this episode of our Safe@Home speaker series, CNAS hosted a virtual event with Kenneth Corey, former NYPD Chief of Department, and Josh Campbell, CNAS Adjunct Senior Fellow a…

Super Bowl Sunday is in a few days, and He Gets Us will once again be running ads as part of their $100 million advertising campaign intended to "rescue Jesus's reputation." Last year, I wrote a viral article on 7 key problems with it. Since people will be talking about it all over again this week, I've done an updated evaluation of the campaign, i…

Seth Gruber is a bold and passionate pro-life speaker and the founder of The White Rose Resistance. His mission is to be a voice for unborn children and to educate and expose culture to the evil of abortion until every person has the right to be born. In today's episode, Seth and I talk about the state of the pro-life movement post-Roe, the history…

Sanctioning China represents a challenge more complex than any other in the modern era of sanctions. Yet, if tensions with China escalate or conflict appears imminent, U.S. policymakers would reach for the sanctions tool as part of their overall response. Would sanctions work? Could the United States impose harsh sanctions without devastating the U…

International terrorism and domestic violent extremism are once again at the forefront of U.S. national security concerns. As a result of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, antisemitism has been increasing at an exponential rate, both in the U.S. and around the world. On Friday, December 1, CNAS hosted a virtual event with Michael Masters, Natio…

In this part 2 on public schools (see episode 34 for part 1), my guest Andy White explains seven things Christian parents can and should be doing to know what's going on in their child's school and classroom. In the second hour, Andy answers a dozen questions from listeners. MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Gateways https://gogateways.org/ Rise Up Christian …

This is the third part of my series on educational choices for Christian families. In today's episode, I interview Andy White, a Christian who has been a public high school principal for the last 19 years. Our purpose is NOT to tell every Christian parent to leave public schools; we know that every family has different considerations and opportunit…

The United States marked the 50th Anniversary of the All-Volunteer Force on July 1, 2023. To reflect on the challenges and opportunities the services face in the next 50 years, Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks joined Katherine Kuzminski, Deputy Director of Studies and Director of the Military, Veterans and Society Program at CNAS for a virtual conve…

The U.S. Space Force is the first new branch of the armed services since 1947, and recently reframed its guiding mission to Secure our Nation’s interests in, from, and to space. General B. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations recently sat down with Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn, Senior Fellow and Director of the CNAS Defense Program, to discuss the se…

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedentedly sophisticated attack on Israel. Using thousands of rockets as cover, Hamas ground forces over-ran Israeli security forces, entered Israel, and rolled through Israeli communities, committing unspeakable atrocities to civilians and taking hostages back to Gaza. Reeling from the loss of life, Israe…

Many Christians are finding that it's getting harder and harder to engage in faith conversations with nonbelievers. With culture becoming increasingly hostile to Christian beliefs (particularly on morality), it's natural to want to just slink away...but that's not what we're called to do. The good news is, it can be easier than you think to have fr…

Since 2021, a coordinated campaign to censor certain literature, curr…

Pillar 2 of the trilateral agreement AUKUS is focused on cooperative actions between the three nations to develop advanced defense capabilities, which are critical to the balance of power in future strategic competition with China. AUKUS Pillar 2's potential for establishing and maintaining advantages in critical technology areas can only be fulfil…

We're raising kids in an increasingly challenging world--which means we have to be intentional in raising them in a counter cultural way. But if we’re not careful in how we do it, it can lead to our kids’ resentment of Christianity over time. In today's short episode, I talk about four ways that can happen and how to avoid it. MENTIONED IN THE SHOW…

What insights essential for today’s divided America can be found in the timeless writing of the great James Baldwin? And what recent developments in religion news are likely to resonate throughout our culture,…

The Defense Industrial Base, or DIB, is a complex network that provides the U.S. department of defense with materials, products, and services to aid warfighting capabilities and business operations. Entities within the DIB can help produce anything from an aircraft to IT support, and relies on logistics planning, a healthy supply chain, and allocat…

Since the beginning, The State of Belief has consistently pushed back against elected officials exploiting their positions of power to impose their own personal beliefs on those whom they serve. While that iss…

Even Christians struggle with believing what the Bible says sometimes. We want to believe it's God's Word, but there can be doubts that nag at us. Can miracles really happen? If they can, why should we believe some of the stranger miracles in the Bible like a talking donkey? Why would God leave enough uncertainty around what the Bible says that peo…

From our nation’s founding, religion and politics have been intertwined. But the stereotype of what a “religious activist” looks like and believes is far from the reality. Our nation has a rich history of dive…

There are desperate needs in this world that religion and interfaith coalitions can address in uniquely effective ways. And a leading expert on the intersection of religion, development and peace joins host Re…

Social media has been a popular place to share deconversion stories over the last few years, and sometimes so many people resonate with those posts that they go viral to some extent (being liked and shared by thousands of people). There’s one that’s being shared all over Facebook right now, written this week by a lady named Myndee Mack. At the time…

The Parliament of the World’s Religions brings together thousands of religious leaders and activists from around the globe and across diverse faith traditions. Interfaith Alliance was honored to participate in…

More and more, scholars of religion and history are making a point to differentiate between Christian nationalism – a pernicious and anti-democratic ideology – and white Christian nationalism, a specific manif…

Last week, the White House released an executive order detailing a ban on U.S. private-equity and venture-capital investments in some Chinese technology companies that have potential military applications. To break down the executive order and discuss what’s in, what’s out, and what it all means for investors and companies, CNAS hosted a special ev…

Starting on Monday, August 14th, Chicago, Ill. will play host to a unique week-long global initiative for peace and mutual understanding: the Parliament of the World’s Religions. With a history tracing back to…

This is part 2 of my episode, "Public, Private, or Homeschool: Thinking Through Your Child's Education (Part 1)." In this part, I talk about the widely varied types of Christian private school options available to parents, breaking them into four general categories: progressive Christian schools, nominally Christian schools, committed Christian sch…

I’m convinced that Christian nationalism makes us bad Christians. -Andrew Whitehead You’ve heard a lot of compelling State of Belief conversations addressing the very real threat of Christian nationalism to Am…

“You’ve got to view the ban on books and the attempt to stop Critical Race Theory, by which they mean any teaching of the actual history of the country with respect to racism and white supremacy – all of these…

You’ve probably noticed that it seems everything is about transgender issues today. Why, exactly, is that? Why is everyone talking about transgenderism in particular? Why are we seeing an explosion of people identifying as trans? What’s even involved in the transition process, in particular for the growing number of teens who are pursuing a gender …

Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins has made his mark in government, religion, and media. The former director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the Department of Housing and Urban Development…

In June, the Supreme Court delivered its ruling in 303 Creative v. Elenis, a case brought forward by Lorie Smith, an evangelical Christian website designer in Colorado who said she should not have to provide s…

In her newest book, The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, bestselling author and speaker Nancy Pearcey explains how secularism has villainized the concept of masculinity. For example, one media researcher analyzed more than 2,000 mass media portrayals of men and found that more than 75 percent of all media representat…

The tables turn this week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast. Our host, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, will be sitting in the guest chair, as former CBS News White Hou…

From the COVID-19 pandemic to the January 6th insurrection, there’s n…

All this month, Interfaith Alliance and its partners are celebrating Faith for Pride, our annual effort to mobilize people of all faiths and none in support of LGBTQ+ rights. Our work aims to energize faith-ba…

How you educate your child should be a very intentional choice--certainly not something you default into just because you haven't considered the various options available. But how is that decision best made from a Christian worldview perspective? In Part 1 of this episode, I walk through 6 key principles to keep in mind, followed by my thoughts on …

Since 2006, our 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 a…

Nearly three decades ago, Interfaith Alliance was founded to celebrate true religious freedom and to challenge the bigotry and hatred arising from religious and political extremists. Today, that mission is more urgent than ever, as Christian nationalists and their allies try to blur the boundaries between church and state. On this week’s State of B…

The majority of faith groups and congregations across the country are inspired by their traditions to celebrate the inherent dignity and worth of all people, including the many beloved LGBTQ+ members of their communities. But an extremist minority is working to distort the meaning of religious freedom to discriminate against those who identify or b…

If there’s one thing our age demands, it’s courage. Courage for solidarity with the marginalized; to uphold principle; and to live with integrity. A powerful book on the subject has just been published by Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, the Epicopal bishop of Washington, DC, How We Learn To Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith. The author joi…

There may be different motives behind the widespread othering of Black and LGBTQI+ Americans today, but the tactics are, sadly, effective – and dangerous to our very democracy. Worse, religious rhetoric gets dragged into the conversation even as books on historical racism get banned and some 500 anti-LGBTQI+ bills proliferate in statehouses across …

In recent years, American evangelical identity has become so closely associated with only its most politically conservative, religiously narrow, and culturally white claimants. Today, white evangelicals are considered to be the most reliable supporters of the Republican Party and its political candidates. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Al…

The vast majority of Americans reject religious extremism – but that doesn’t mean the anti-democratic Christian nationalist movement isn’t a dangerous force to be reckoned with. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by Eric K. Ward, executive vice president a…

Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month provides us with an opportunity to recognize and appreciate Sikhs as an integral part of communities across America. Today, 19 states and numerous cities have adopted resolutions acknowledging the month. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, host Rev. Paul Brandeis R…

Faith should be a bridge not a bludgeon. And yet, the Religious Right continues to weaponize religion to attack our LGBTQ+ siblings, religious minorities, and access to reproductive health care. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush speaks with guests at the forefront …

We are seeing religious rhetoric and moral authority misused in many parts of our society. In state legislatures, the kind of sectarian language that would have never been uttered just a few years ago has become commonplace. And religious agendas are turning up at every level of government. In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis is enacting the anti-LGB…

Holy Week culminates with the arrival of Easter, a time when Christians gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus – the triumph of life over death. While Holy Week provides a time for prayer, worship, and community, the power of faith language to draw people together continues to be misused – most recently to feed the rise of Christian national…