Beliefs

An evangelical model for public engagement, with Roberta Ahmanson

Roberta Green Ahmanson is a writer and philanthropist whose public activities are focused on the role of religion in public life, using history to understand the present, and the role the arts play in shaping human experience. She is also a journalist with a wide range of interests, and a longtime friend. 

Where do religion and politics intersect? Should they? How? 

Roberta Ahmanson joins us to discuss.

 

Sikh faith highlighted as a social media star objects to turbaned men on a plane.

This week an Instagram star became the most recent object lesson in prejudice and bigotry. Influencer Jess Hilarious publishes a raft of posts to her social accounts reaching millions of people - telling the story of how 4 men in turbans made her feel 'threatened'. The posts were met with intense backlash. 

Jess responded first with angry defense. When she tried to apologize and made things worse, the fallout only grew.

What is known: Four Sikh men were removed from the plane. Unknown is what airline they were flying or what became of them from there.  To unpack the variety of moving parts, Beliefs producer Jay Woodward met with Simran Jeet Singh of the Sikh Coalition in New York to discuss this layer cake of cruel mistakes and prejudice.  

Qasim Rashid and Salaam Bhatti from Re-Sight Islam on the normalization of hate.

Christchurch, New Zealand. 49 people shot dead at two mosques in a terrorist attack. A man has been charged with murder, having streamed the killings live on Facebook published a racist manifesto online.  

This week on Beliefs we are turning the show over to our friends and colleagues at the Religion News Foundation podcast Re-Sight Islam, hosted by Qasim Rashid and Salaam Bhatti. 

This talk has been edited for length - for the whole talk, visit: religionnewsfoundation.org/resightislam/ 

Zionism, Anti-Semitism, and Progressive Activism: Rabbi Rachel Timoner discusses politically active Judaism.

Rabbinical activism and Jewish identity. Senior Rabbi of Brooklyn's Congregation Beth Elohim Rabbi Rachel Timoner weighs in on the crosswinds and squalls for American Jews durning the Trump Administration.

700 Cases of Abuse - at minimum - at the Southern Baptist Convention

A pattern of abuse by clergy widens. A series of articles in the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News reveals an investigation showing over 700 victims of sexual assault and abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention over the past 20 years.

The predators were deacons, pastors, youth pastors and other church leaders. Lead reporter Robert Downen joins us from Houston to talk about the latest round of spiritual leaders using their positions of spiritual intimacy and influence to commit significant damage to the people who seek divine guidace.