INTERFAITH ALLIANCE STATE OF BELIEF

RADIO JANUARY 7, 2017

RUSH TRANSCRIPT: JACK MOLINE
Click here for video
[REV. DR. C. WELTON GADDY, HOST]:
Welcome back to State of Belief Radio, I'm Welton Gaddy. When the
next President of the United States is inaugurated on January 20th, a
who's-who of political conservative Christianity will be at his side.
How much of that is connected with the next vice-president - a selfdescribed evangelical Catholic? And how much does it tell us about
the role organized religion is likely to play in a Trump administration?
Here with some insights is Rabbi Jack Moline, president of Interfaith
Alliance. Jack, Happy New Year and welcome back to State of Belief
Radio!
[RABBI JACK MOLINE, GUEST]: Thanks, Welton, I'm always glad to
be here.
[WG]: So what was your first reaction to the announced list of
religious leaders for the inauguration?
[JM]: My first reaction, frankly - and speaking of "frankly" - was that
seeing Franklin Graham on that list did not give me confidence in the
inclusiveness of the upcoming administration. I was distressed that
they all seem to be - all of the religious speakers seem to be - of a
particular narrow swath of American Christianity, with the exception of
Rabbi Hier from the Simon Wiesenthal Center - and that in and of
itself was a surprise.

[WG]: I saw a piece - and I can't remember; I think it was in the

Washington Post - on why evangelicals ought to be disturbed by the
people that have been selected to be the leaders in the inauguration.
It seems to me, Jack, that you go down that list and - you picked
Franklin Graham, I certainly would have picked him too, right off - but
it's almost as if, with the exception you just mentioned, every one of
those people poses real problems because they never have shown
much realization that there is a Church-State separation in a country
with religious freedom.
[JM]: So I think that's correct. It's a troubling lineup. I do note that Rick
Warren spoke at President Obama's inauguration in 2012, and he did
an admirable job of being inclusive. But Rick Warren was one of any
number of people who participated in the inaugural events. I myself
was invited to be a part of the prayer service before the public
inauguration, which was also a multivalenced opportunity for
reflection and blessing. But I'm getting the impression that nominees
and the invitees and the people that have surrounded our presidentelect have been sort of the answers to the question, "Who do I
know?" rather than "Who's the right person and what will add
credence and credibility to this endeavor that we're in together to
reimagine the country?" That's very distressing to me.
[WG]: What message do the president-elect's choices for these
responsibilities - what message does this send to Americans who are
not members of chosen religions?
[JM]: Well, it certainly sends a message to me, as a Jew, that there
isn't much room for me on that platform or that if there is room for me
it is only in that very narrow strip of American Judaism that is
Orthodox. I think that people who are mainline Protestants, I think
Roman Catholics, I think that certainly anybody who is part of the
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many minority faiths, and people who affirm no faith at all - who either
claim to be Agnostic or Atheist - are going to find themselves
unrepresented at this seminal moment, this pivotal moment in
American society. And it is particularly distressing, Welton, because
we have spent the last eight years, not without struggle, making great
advances in the area of inclusiveness and pluralism in this country.
Interfaith Alliance has both been in the forefront of those struggles,
and has celebrated those accomplishments. And now we are looking,
from the very first moment of the Trump presidency, at an attempt to
turn the clock back to a time when, as we all know, everyone in
America was an evangelical Protestant.
[WG]: Are there minority faith groups that have been speaking out
about this?
[JM]: I don't know a minority faith group that hasn't been speaking out
about this, including the minorities within the evangelical Christian
community who are distressed that many of the values that they
uphold as being appropriate for a righteous life seemed to be fuzzy or
less among some of the members of the incoming administration. So
we have heard from Jews, from Muslims, from Sikhs, from Hindus,
and especially from the community of Secularists that they're very
distressed as to what seems to be ahead.
[WG]: So for a moment let's just assume the worst: favored religious
groups will get preferential treatment and that treatment is likely to go
way beyond what is constitutionally acceptable. What would the role
of Interfaith Alliance be in that kind of scenario?
[JM]: So I want to speak very, very small, first, and then I will speak
more philosophically, more largely. We have, you and I, Welton, a
dear friend named Maggie Siddiqi, who works, right now, for the El
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Hibri Foundation. She is an American Muslim - born and raised here.

Covers her hair. She's very devout. She's also very progressive, and
has worked very hard at our coalitions. When the talk of a Muslim
registry and the talk of excluding immigrants from countries that are
majority Muslim or Arab was afoot in the campaign, she really had
sort of a public panic, and she posted something about it on
Facebook.
I immediately picked up the phone and called her and I reassured her.
I said, "Maggie, you have nothing to worry about. i will stand with you
no matter what; and the people in my community - both the Jewish
community and the interfaith community - will stand with you no
matter what. Don't be afraid. We're all going to stand together." She
was very appreciative of that phone call, I have to tell you. And she, in
fact, recorded it off of her telephone so she could post it on Facebook
as the response to her small panic attack.
A few weeks later, there was a report that I'm sure most of our
listeners saw of the gathering of white supremacists in Washington
DC, where Richard Spencer was busy doing his best imitation of
National Socialism and Weimar Germany. And seeing the salutes that
were being offered to him and the cries of "Hail, Trump!" and things
like that. And Maggie's Facebook posting that day was to her Jewish
friends, and it said: "I don't want you to worry about anything. I'm
going to stand with you no matter what, and the people around me
and the people in the organizations I'm involved with will stand with
you also." That kind of person-to-person and direct support - mutual
support - among the communities that feel threatened is
extraordinarily important. And it was something I was able to do
because of the position I hold. That's the kind of outreach that we at
Interfaith Alliance are going to encourage between neighbor and
neighbor.
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That is something that anybody listening to this program can do: is to

make sure that their neighbors know that no matter what their
religious perspective, no matter what their philosophy, that their
neighbors are going to stand with them in support of their
constitutional rights.
As an organization, I have to say that you left me a great legacy,
Welton. Unfortunately, we fought a lot of these battles already: four
years ago; 12 years ago; 20 years ago. And we will continue to lobby
our legislators, we will continue to join in coalition on legislation and
to file amicus briefs on court cases that secure the hard-won rights of
Americans of minority status and frankly majority status as well.
There is not a mass conspiracy against Protestants in this country,
but there are times when we in the Interfaith community need to stand
up for our Christian brothers and sisters who otherwise enjoy certain
privilege.
[WG]: Jack, in the first weeks after the election we broadcast some
interviews asking some of our favorite regular guests what their
mindset was. Not surprisingly, there was a lot of worry and concern,
with faith leaders in particular sharing the fears they were hearing
from congregants. And then we got some complaints, with people
saying we shouldn't be stressing the negative. But it would be beyond
inauthentic to predetermine the tone of our interviews. Now that some
weeks have passed, what are you hearing from members and
supporters of Interfaith Alliance? Has the tone shifted at all?
[JM]: The tone of concern, if anything, has gotten deeper as people
have seen the nominees to the various positions of authority in the
Trump administration. I want to emphasize that's concern: there are
some people who are attempting to organize a revolution against thin
air right now. I'm not one of those people who thinks we should wait
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and see what's going to happen - we have to be prepared. But I'm

also not one of those people who is ready to issue a symbolic call to
arms - because we've heard some unpleasant things from the
incoming president.
I will tell you a great story, Welton, that I'm not telling out of school
because it will also be on social media today. I'm fortunate to have a
friendship with Sen. Tim Kane, and saw him for the first time after the
election just the other day. We were in a group of people having a
conversation about his experiences, and he was asked what gave
him hope. And he said, when he got to his office, his staff showed him
a picture that was posted on Facebook by a little girl in Richmond which is his hometown. And it came with a letter that said she was
concerned, because she had any number of children in her class who
are the children of immigrants; and she was worried that they were
going to be deported. And she said, "You have to be the hero that will
protect them." And she drew a picture. And the picture was of him including his pin that he wears on his lapel to indicate he's a United
States Senator. And flowing from his back was a cape with a "T" on it.
And she wrote to him, "Be the hero." And Sen. Kane was just so
touched and tickled by that; and by today, when we're speaking, has
posted on his Facebook an appreciation of that picture and a
challenge to everyone who reads it, which is: we can all #bethehero.
And I think that is more a sense of what I'm getting from people, is
that they are ready for the challenge of what's ahead. There is no
turning back the clock to a different election outcome. It seems to be
the will - of at least the electoral college. But moving forward, we can't
simply wring our hands and furrow our brows, and condemn what
hasn't happened yet. We have to be prepared to defend our values
and our commitments.

[WG]: Wow, that's a great story - and inspiring. I want to look up the
street from you in Washington for a moment. You spectacularly work
with a lot of leaders on Capitol Hill. Without naming names, can you
talk about the tone you're hearing from the lawmakers with whom
you're talking right now?
[JM]: Sure. I will say that right after the election, the people that I have
a relationship with were stunned and depressed. And I will say that again, without naming names - they're not all Democrats. They were
distressed because they objected before the election to the tone of
the campaign, and particularly from Mr. Trump. But what I have heard
post-election is the same kind of determination that was expressed by
Sen. Kane: that everybody, now - those who support the presidentelect and those who are concerned about the president-elect everybody now believes that there is a shift coming in American
society, and that it is up to each of us to work as hard as we possibly
can to make sure that the America ahead is better than the America
that was behind. And I will leave it to individual listeners as to whether
that means America will be yet greater, or America will be great again.
But everybody believes that America's great.
[WG]: We're just about out of time, but I want to ask you two
questions that I think merge with one another: as we start this new
year, what should listeners be keeping in mind? And along with that
question, what are the priorities or what is the priority of Interfaith
Alliance right now?
[JM]: Great. So the first thing that listeners should keep in mind is is
not to give up. Never give up; never give in. That the support that they
have shown for State of Belief Radio, that the support that they've
shown for Interfaith Alliance continue to be critical elements in the
public discourse around protecting freedom of conscience and
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protecting the independence of government from religious influence

and from influencing religion. So that is the mindset I urge people to
cultivate. You want to be unhappy, you want to be depressed, or you
want to be elated - that's all well and good. The hard work is ahead of
us, and we shouldn't give up.
Interfaith Alliance, I will say, is examining its priorities now. We really
believed - and I don't apologize for this - that we would be looking at
sanding some rough edges. And now it seems to me that we're going
to be looking at the kind of agenda that we had in the late 1990's and
the early 2000's, when we could not be assured that some of the
rights and privileges that we had been fighting for would be secured.
We made great strides over the past eight years, and we're going to
have to work hard to protect them.
[WG]: Rabbi Jack Moline is president of Interfaith Alliance, protecting
true religious freedom for every American. Among its other important
work the Alliance has been the sponsor of this show since its
inception. Jack, I don't have to tell you it's going to be a challenging
year. We'll keep listeners up-to-date on the work of Interfaith Alliance
and ways for them to join in that work. For that reason and others we
want you more prominent on the show and talking about things that
you want to be talking about that are important related to what's going
on in our nation. Today, thanks for taking time to be with us again on
State of Belief Radio.
[JM]: It's always a pleasure to be with you.

Rabbi Jack Moline

Jack Moline is President of Interfaith Alliance. In a career spanning
four decades, he has established himself as a powerful voice fighting
for religious freedom for all Americans, regardless of their faith or
belief system. As a rabbi, he has worked to create common ground
between people of diverse religious and secular backgrounds. As an
advocate, he has led efforts to secure services for this disabled,
increase the supply of affordable housing, promote marriage equality,
ensure pay equity and especially, protect civil rights for people of all
faiths and sexual orientations.
A native of Chicago, he holds the title of Rabbi Emeritus of Agudas
Achim Congregation in Alexandria, Virginia, where he served for 27
years. Rabbi Moline is an adjunct faculty member of the Jewish
Theological Seminary and the Virginia Theological Seminary,
educating future leaders in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faith
communities.
A long time board member of Interfaith Alliance, serving as chair of
the board from 2006-2008, Rabbi Moline comes to this role with a
wealth of experience in interfaith advocacy. In addition to his work
with Interfaith Alliance, he has served as chair of the Interfaith
Relations Committee of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, vice
president of the Washington-Baltimore Rabbinical Assembly and
board member of the Faith and Politics Institute. He serves on the
advisory boards of Clergy Beyond Borders and Operation
Understanding DC. He has served as president of the Washington
Board of Rabbis and is past chair of the Alexandria Interfaith
Association. He also served as the first director of public policy for the
Rabbinical Assembly and was executive director of NJDC.

Rabbi Moline also has advised and written for many public figures,
including President Bill Clinton, for whom he provided advice on
international affairs and the presidents personal challenges. He was
invited to offer a blessing to the Obama and Biden families before the
2013 presidential inauguration.
Rabbi Moline has authored two books and has contributed to many
publications. He is a popular speaker and has offered commentary on
PBS, CNN, CBS, Fox News, the Washington Post, National Journal,
Huffington Post and other news outlets.
Rabbi Moline is a graduate of Northwestern University (School of
Communications, 1974). He studied to become a rabbi at the
University of Judaism (now the American Jewish University) in Los
Angeles and the Jewish Theological Seminarys (JTS) Jerusalem and
New York campuses. Ordained in 1982, he received an honorary
doctorate from JTS in 2012. He became full-time rabbi and part-time
Jewish chaplain at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury,
Connecticut upon ordination. In 1987, he became rabbi of Agudas
Achim Congregation of Northern Virginia, in Alexandria.
Rabbi Moline is a long-suffering supporter of the Chicago Cubs. He
lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife of 37 years. He is the father of
three grown children and the proud grandfather of one.

Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy

Author of more than 20 books, including First Freedom First: A

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Citizens Guide to Protecting Religious Liberty and the Separation of

Church and State, the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy led the national nonpartisan grassroots and educational organization Interfaith Alliance
for 16 years, retiring in 2014. Dr. Gaddy continues his work with the
Alliance as President Emeritus and Senior Advisor. He retired in 2016
as Pastor for Preaching and Worship at Northminster (Baptist) Church
in Monroe, Louisiana.
In addition to being a prolific writer, Dr. Gaddy hosts the weekly State
of Belief radio program, where he explores the role of religion in the
life of the nation by illustrating the vast diversity of beliefs in America,
while exposing and critiquing both the political manipulation of religion
for partisan purposes and the religious manipulation of government
for sectarian purposes.
Dr. Gaddy provides regular commentary to the national media on
issues relating to religion and politics. He has appeared on MSNBCs
The Rachel Maddow Show and Hardball, NBCs Nightly News and
Dateline, PBSs Religion and Ethics Newsweekly and The Newshour
with Jim Lehrer, C-SPANs Washington Journal, ABCs World News,
and CNNs American Morning. Former host of Morally Speaking on
NBC affiliate KTVE in Monroe, Louisiana, Dr. Gaddy is a regular
contributor to mainstream and religious news outlets.
While ministering to churches with a message of inclusion, Dr. Gaddy
emerged as a leader among progressive and moderate Baptists.
Among his many leadership roles, he is a past president of the
Alliance of Baptists and has been a 20-year member of the
Commission of Christian Ethics of the Baptist World Alliance. His past
leadership roles include serving as a member of the General Council
of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, President of Americans United
for Separation of Church and State, Chair of the Pastoral Leadership

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Commission of the Baptist World Alliance and member of the World

Economic Forums Council of 100.
Prior to the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist
Convention (SBC), Dr. Gaddy served in many SBC leadership roles
including as a member of the conventions Executive Committee from
1980-84 and Director of Christian Citizenship Development of the
Christian Life Commission from 1973-77.
Dr. Gaddy received his undergraduate degree from Union University
in Jackson, Tennessee and his doctoral degree and divinity training
from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville,
Kentucky.

State of Belief Radio

State of Belief is based on the proposition that religion has a positive
and healing role to play in the life of the nation. The show explains
and explores that role by illustrating the vast diversity of beliefs in
America the most religiously diverse country in the world while
exposing and critiquing both the political manipulation of religion for
partisan purposes and the religious manipulation of government for
sectarian purposes.
Each week, the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy offers listeners critical
analysis of the news of religion and politics, and seeks to provide
listeners with an understanding and appreciation of religious liberty.
Rev. Gaddy tackles politics with the firm belief that the best way to
secure freedom for religion in America is to secure freedom from

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religion. State of Belief illustrates how the Religious Right is wrong

wrong for America and bad for religion.
Through interviews with celebrities and newsmakers and field reports
from around the country, State of Belief explores the intersection of
religion with politics, culture, media, and activism, and promotes
diverse religious voices in a religiously pluralistic world.

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