Debates, Division & Documentaryhis week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show
and podcast, Rev. Welton Gaddy returns to explore religion in three very
different settings: the presidential debates, as a fault line in the
Vatican, and in a documentary from Oprah Winfrey. Investigative
journalist Sarah Posner, will discuss the role of religion, or lack
thereof, in the first Democratic debate. The Most Rev. Francis Quinn,
the retired Catholic Bishop of Sacramento, also joins the program to
share his views on progressive issues as they currently stand in the
Vatican. And finally, David Shadrack Smith comes on to preview the major
new documentary miniseries titled, “Belief” airing all this week on the
OWN Television Network.

Political Polarization of Religion?
Following the Democrat debate this past week, who better to sit down and
talk to us about religion and politics, than investigative journalist Sarah Posner?
Was the focus on substantive issues, but the exclusion of religious
liberty as a topic, a disappointment? We’ll also explore the role of
religious liberty in future debates, the GOP candidates’ emphasis on
religion, as well as notable debate moments. Sarah is the author of
God’s Profits – P-R-O-F-I-T-S – Faith, Fraud and the Republican Crusade
for Values Voters.

Internal Vatican Tensions: Conservative v. Progressive
Currently, Catholic Bishops are back at the Vatican for Part Two of the
Synod on the Family. To discuss the internal tensions between
conservative and progressive members of the Church hierarchy from the
perspective of his 68 years in the priesthood, we’ll be joined by his
Excellency Bishop Francis Quinn. Bishop Quinn was
installed as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Sacramento, California in
1979. Since retiring in 1993 he remains active in progressive causes.
Bishop Quinn recently published a New York Times op-ed calling for a far
more progressive agenda than anything likely to be discussed during the
Synod.

Oprah + Religion = Belief
OWN Television Network will be premiering a seven-night documentary mini series called “Belief” beginning on Sunday, October 18th.
This documentary combines prime television, leading documentary
filmmakers, world religious history, and Oprah Winfrey to search for
commonalities among what we believe across the globe. Executive Producer David Shadrack Smith
joins us to discuss the conception of the series, what viewers should
expect from the experience, as well as how working on the project
affected him personally.