Washington, March 24 – On this Sunday’s “State of Belief,” The Interfaith Alliance Foundation’s show on Air America Radio, Rev. Welton Gaddy sits down with religious leaders from several faith traditions to examine the controversial intersection of religion and sexual orientation.

Welton is joined in the studio by Rabbi Jack Moline, rabbi of Agudas Achim congregation of Alexandria, Virginia, Rev. Leonard Jackson, Associate Minister at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, and Bishop Yvette Flunder, founder and senior pastor of the Ark of Refuge in San Francisco. The four leaders were on a panel this week in San Francisco to talk about sexual orientation and marriage and the role religion plays in the debate.

“We have to open doors and overcome roadblocks,” Welton says. “We have to forge a common ground with some whom most of us probably would not have anything to do with.”

We also hear from Reverend Susan Russell, Senior Associate for Parish Life at All Saints Church in Pasadena, California, on how same-sex marriage can strengthen the institution of marriage – and the institutions of democracy.

Welton also shares highlights of The Interfaith Alliance’s National Leadership Gathering held earlier this month in Nashville, TN. He plays a montage of clips including John Siegenthaler who reminds us of the young men and women who risked everything for the struggle and Imam Mahdi Bray warned us of the dangers of America straying from its democratic principles. 

Interfaith Alliance is a network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights not just for some, but for all. We mobilize powerful coalitions to challenge Christian nationalism and religious extremism, while fostering a better understanding of the healthy boundaries between religion and government. We advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America where the freedoms of belief and religious practice are protected, and where all persons are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive. For more information visit interfaithalliance.org.