Despite the clear, definitive election result, Donald Trump is still insisting that he won, inflicting tremendous damage on our democratic institutions on his way out. Rather than focus on the raging pandemic, which continues hitting death toll records, Trump and his complicit allies – including some prominent political religious right leaders – continue to lie to the American people about the legitimacy of our democracy. And now, in Georgia, these same bad actors are attempting to malign the two Democratic candidates – a Jewish man and an African American pastor – with bigoted rhetoric. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we will detail the moment of chaos our country is in and hear from special guests who can provide special insight into these many crises.

Journalists such as Peter Montgomery are continuing to cover the influence of the far-right on the turmoil in Washington as well as the Georgia Senate race, including the Religious Right’s attacks on the faiths of Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. Montgomery, a senior fellow at the People for the American Way, joins Rev. Welton Gaddy, host of State of Belief, to provide an update on how Christian nationalism is influencing our electoral politics.

With Hanukkah upon us, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York – the largest LGBT synagogue in the world –  returns to the show to discuss how her Jewish community has confronted the enormous challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rabbi Kleinbaum will also discuss with Welton the meaning of Hanukkah and share her message of hope during the Festival of Lights.

This year of many reckonings has brought into focus the unsolved problem of racism in this country. After spending fifteen years in economically oppressed Black and brown communities in Houston, Texas, author Joel Goza set out to answer the question of how racial injustice is interconnected to faith and politics. Joel’s book, America’s Unholy Ghosts: The Racist Roots of Our Faith and Politics, seeks to investigate the origin of America’s racial inequities. He joins Welton on this week’s episode to discuss his book and the broader state of racial injustice in America today.

State of Belief is made possible in great part by the generous support of our listeners. Please consider making a donation to help keep us on the air at this critical time.

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