Segments
This weekend on State of Belief Radio, hear how two often political, contemporary issues, health care and the use of drones, define who we are morally and spiritually. Also, learn about the experiences and challenges of raising children to “be both” in an interfaith family.
A Moral Right: The Affordable Care Act Stumbles Out of the Gate
The rollout and implementation of the Affordable Care Act got off to a rocky start over the past few weeks, making it easy for opponents to find fault with, poke fun at and otherwise politicize an initiative that ultimately advances an idea few can honestly disagree with: in the richest country in the world, people should not be deprived of access to health care. Joining Welton on the show this week is the Rev. Jennifer Butler to talk about the real mandate for universal access to health care: morality. Rev. Butler is the founding CEO of Faith in Public Life, a strategy center to uphold faith as a powerful force for justice and the common good.
Drones and “Just Peace Theory”
This week two leading human rights organizations – Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch – released reports about the toll on civilian lives being taken by the use of drones in Pakistan and Yemen. Directly challenging our collective national conscience, the reports raise disturbing questions about the country’s use of armed, unmanned drones half a world away. Highly-respected ethicist and theologian Dr. Glen Stassen is on State of Belief to explore how we justify the loss of innocent lives in drone strikes and the ethics of military force – and the applicability of “Just Peace Theory,” which he has taken the leading role in developing. Dr. Stassen is the Lewis B. Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in California, and author of numerous books, including Just Peacemaking: Transforming Initiatives for Justice and Peace.
Raised to be Both
Nearly a third of married Americans have spouses of a different religious background, which means that for some families raising their children in the traditions of only one parent’s religion doesn’t cut it. Some parents are now raising their children to “be both.” In her brand-new book, Being Both: Embracing Two Religions in One Interfaith Family, Susan Katz Miller discusses being raised Jewish in an interfaith family before raising her own children, with her Christian husband, to reflect both parents religious identities. Susan shares her experiences with us on this weekend’s episode of State of Belief.