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Black History Month affords us the opportunity to honor the Black community, acknowledge historical and ongoing injustices, and renew our resolve to dismantle systemic racism. This year, however, our celebration of Black history comes against the backdrop of an accelerating revisionist movement that seeks to marginalize, demean, and undermine the Black community, undercutting our promise of building a more perfect union. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we will explore how the racist beliefs intertwined with white Christian nationalism is subverting racial equality in America.
From the January 6 insurrection to the proliferation of white nationalist groups, we can see how far-right efforts continue to threaten racial equality and our democracy under the guise of religion. Bob Smietana, national religion writer for Religion News Service, will join Rev. Welton Gaddy, Host of State of Belief, to discuss this alarming trend and walk us through his powerful new column, Woke War: How Social Justice and Critical Race Theory Became Heresy for Evangelicals.
Even as the Religious Right looks to entrench its ideology, rooted in racism and patriarchy, the reality is that their ideology is out of step with most people of faith. Across the country, theologians and scholars are stepping up to put forth their own vision for how Americans of faith can positively impact the world and serve their communities. Dr. Christena Cleveland, director of the Center for Justice + Renewal and author of the new book God is a Black Woman, will join Welton to discuss how we can rewrite and reject the popular narrative of white male dominance in Christianity.
Throughout the country, the grassroots support and energy of Interfaith Alliance’s local affiliates powers our mission to defend true religious freedom. One bedrock value of our organization is that without racial equality, religious freedom is an incomplete promise. This week, Noel Jacobs and Aaron Bolerjack of Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma will join Welton to talk about their programming to honor Black History Month and their righteous cause to amplify the truth of the American experience for people of color.
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. Details can be found at our donations page here.