In perhaps the most blatant and concerning step yet towards Christian supremacism, the Trump administration’s Attorney General William Barr made an outrageous speech this week claiming Christians in America are being victimized by so-called “progressive secularists.” This victim mentality seems to be impossible to shake, even as the federal government bends over backwards to support and promote exclusionary, sectarian priorities of white evangelicals. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we will look into what went down at a leading annual gathering for the political religious right, better known as the Value Voters Summit, and why it matters.

This past Tuesday, Democratic presidential candidates took the debate stage once more, this time in Ohio. While commentary from experts inside the beltway is valuable, it is essential to hear from figures elsewhere, too. After all that’s where most of the voters are. Dr. Pearson Cross, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, will join Rev. Welton Gaddy, host of State of Belief, to delve into the fourth Democratic debate.

There is a well-earned distrust most LGBTQ Catholics feel for a Church that officially labeled them “intrinsically disordered.” In the face of systemic discrimination against LGBTQ persons by the Church, however, there seems to be affirmation at higher levels than ever before. Welton will welcome back Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest and best-selling author who recently spent thirty minutes in a private audience with Pope Francis discussing his outreach to LGBTQ persons of faith. 

We talk often on State of Belief about theocrats, Christian supremacism, and the politicians who pander to these ideologies. The annual Values Voter Summit, sponsored by groups like the Family Research Council, is one gathering where these forces intersect. Peter Montgomery, Senior Fellow at People for the American Way, will join Welton to discuss his experience infiltrating this year’s summit.

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