In the wake of a deeply consequential election, The State of Belief this week unpacks the electoral role played by religious communities, exploring how various faith groups influenced voter turnout and political coalitions.
Guests Skye Perryman, Katherine Stewart, Adelle Banks and Bob Smietana join host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush to share critical insights into the diverse religious communities shaping our democracy. Their dedication to engaging in nuanced reporting and analysis, and fostering partnerships within and beyond faith traditions, reflects a commitment to upholding a vibrant and inclusive democracy. Their insights explore how we can value and uplift a wide range of voices in the face of intense polarization, Christian nationalism and extremism.
Skye Perryman stresses the critical need to safeguard religious freedoms. “I think there’s a huge role for people who have spiritual and moral commitments, including religious commitments, in this fight for democracy. And I know that there’s a lot of attention to the corrosive role of religious philosophies…whether that’s Christian Nationalism or religious fundamentalism.” Katherine Stewart points out that “Christian nationalism is sort of a reactionary nationalism. It’s about who gets to properly belong in the country and who doesn’t. So it’s fusing a kind of religious identity with a partisan political identity, that you’re either in or you’re out. You’re with us or you’re not.”
Bob Smietana reflects on broader political shifts over the past few elections, stating, “In the last eight years, the last three elections, there’s been a lot of focus on White evangelicals who are very strong supporters of Donald Trump… but some of this is that White Christians in general, for whatever reasons, have leaned toward Donald Trump.” Adelle Banks looks at the fight ahead and recalls a conversation with a Black minister preparing his Sunday sermon, saying, “He’s going to be addressing grief, and talking about the need to have kind of a prophetic grief… as opposed to a pathetic grief… people should be trying to be resilient and moving forward, thinking of examples in the past where African-Americans have made it through difficult times.”
Skye L. Perryman is President and CEO of Democracy Forward, a nonpartisan, national legal organization that promotes democracy and progress through litigation, regulatory engagement, policy education, and research. She has built a visionary team of legal, policy, and communications experts to confront anti-democratic extremism head-on while also using the law to advance progress and a bold vision for the future. Skye is a Board Member of Interfaith Alliance.
Katherine Stewart writes about the intersection of faith and politics, policy, education, and the threat to democratic institutions. Her latest book, The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, was awarded first place for Excellence in Nonfiction Books by the Religion News Association and a Morris D. Forkosch award. Her new book Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy comes out early 2025.
Adelle M. Banks is the projects editor and a national reporter for Religion News Service, covering topics including religion and race, the faith of African Americans and partnerships between government and religious groups. She co-authored Becoming a Future-Ready Church: 8 Shifts to Encourage and Empower the Next Generation of Leaders.
Bob Smietana is a national reporter for RNS based near Chicago, covering evangelicals, weird religion and the changing religious landscape. He is the author of Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why it Matters.