This weekend, tune in to State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, to find out what’s going on in Egypt and what it means for the future; to learn about what one scholar calls a New New Testament; and to a hear a renewed call for justice in the wake of last month’s Supreme Court rulings.
Understanding Egypt
In the past several weeks, we have watched chaos escalate in the streets of Cairo as many Egyptians called upon democratically-elected President Mohammed Morsi to step down as the country’s leader. Following days of protests, the Egyptian army intervened, setting up an interim government and temporarily suspending the country’s constitution. Reza Aslan, an Iranian-American writer and scholar of religion, is on State of Belief this week to help us better understand the complex conflict in Egypt and what the future holds for the nation.
The New New Testament
It’s one thing to study the Bible; it’s quite another to add to it! After years of research and deliberations with leading scholars on Christian texts, Dr. Hal Taussig has published A New New Testament: A Bible for the 21st Century Combining Traditional and Newly Discovered Texts. Dr. Taussig, who is visiting professor of New Testament at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, will be on this week’s State of Belief to discuss his provocatively-titled and meticulously-researched book.
“Justice is Justice”
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the following day, the court declared portions of the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. While the rulings have been handed down by the high court, the battle over these issues is far from over. Joining Welton on the show this week are two Unitarian Universalist pastors who have joined together in a recommitment to the shared struggle for justice across different groups after the Supreme Court decisions: the Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt and the Rev. Meg Riley. Also, be sure to read Rev. McNatt’s and Rev. Riley’s recent Huffington Post piece “Justice is Justice.” CLICK HERE FOR EXTENDED INTERVIEW VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT